OUR FAVORITE HIDDEN GEMS ON PLAYSTATION NOW
April 23, 2020
For PlayStation 4 owners, Sony offers a subscription service that features hundreds of games that you can play whenever you like, including games you may not otherwise play. This is especially true for hidden gaming gems that are included in PS Now’s catalog.
While it’s easy to focus solely on popular titles available through PS Now like Until Dawn or The Last of Us, there are other games that are equally worth your time. To get the most out of your subscription, it’s worth downloading and playing as many games on offer as you can.
Not sure where to start? Let us help to make things a little easier with a list featuring some of our favorite hidden gems available on PlayStation Now!
Our Favorite Hidden Gems on PlayStation Now
ABZU
ABZU is a beautiful game brought to life by Journey’s art director, Matt Nava. In ABZU, you play as a mysterious diver who’s able to remain underwater without diving gear rather than needing to surface for air and it makes for a moving experience when paired with the game’s story and music.
Told entirely without dialogue or narration, ABZU’s story sees the diver work to unravel the truth about who she is while also restoring life to the ocean by interacting with some strange technology.
ABZU makes it a point to keep things relatively ambiguous in a way that’s reminiscent of Journey, though ABZU is designed as a single-player experience rather than one that’s improved through co-op. Overall, if you’re looking for something visually stunning to play that’s short, yet moving and even a bit relaxing, you should absolutely dive into ABZU (pun intended).
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The Darkness + The Darkness 2
The Darkness and its sequel are strange games when you look at them from a narrative standpoint. Or just in general. In the first game, you play as a guy named Jackie who gains a set of sentient supernatural powers called the Darkness.
The Darkness itself is voiced by Mike Patton and has a Freddy Krueger-esque sense of humor, which is a nice touch in contrast to the chaos and carnage The Darkness is able to cause. In the first game, Jackie fights against his “Uncle” Paulie’s forces and learns what actually happened to his girlfriend.
In The Darkness 2, you catch up with Jackie two years later to do a bit more fighting. The story elements with the girlfriend are expanded as well, but we don’t want to spoil how or why. If you have some free time and want games that are bloody, gruesome, and a hell of a lot of fun to play you can’t go wrong with The Darkness and The Darkness 2.
All we need now is for The Darkness 3 to be announced… fingers crossed on that one. It’ll probably never happen but there’s nothing wrong with hoping, right?
Prey
If you missed your opportunity to play Prey when it released back in 2017, or set it aside because you were uncertain whether or not you’d actually like it, the good news is that it’s on PS Now. No harm in checking it out and seeing what it’s all about.
To get this out of the way, yes, 2017’s Prey is not the same thing as 2006’s Prey. That said, it’s a fun, slightly creepy experience where you’re trapped on a space station alone with a host of alien creatures known as the Typhon.
One type of Typhon in particular, the Mimic, can transform into ordinary objects to trick you and it makes for some fun, scary moments where you realize the can on the ground isn’t a can but a Mimic in disguise. If you get the right neuromods, you can even use that power yourself.
The game features creative weapons, enemies, and a space station that’s fascinating to explore. You know, when you’re not fending off angry aliens or analyzing two coffee mugs on a counter to see if one’s a Mimic. Spoiler, one of them probably is.
Divekick
Do you want a game where you can 1v1 without having to learn or master the finer nuances of a fighter game like Mortal Kombat? Well, you’re in luck, as Divekick is on PS Now and it’s hilarious. Seriously, you can only do two things in Divekick. Are you ready? You can dive… and you can kick.
The goal of the game is to kick your opponent into submission while avoiding being kicked in the face yourself. How you go about this is totally up to you. If you want to button mash, you can try that. If you want to dodge your opponent’s attack and then strategically time your kick, you can do that as well.
Divekick is a game that, while competitive, isn’t as heated because of how ridiculous some of the characters and moves are. Even when you’re losing, you can’t help but laugh at the fact that you just got kicked to the curb by a guy named Uncle Sensei who wears shoes on his hands.
Broken Age
Looking for something a little more family friendly? Broken Age has you covered. In Broken Age, you get to explore the story of two teenagers in similar situations facing similar problems, but living in two very different worlds.
To progress through the game, you’ll need to switch between the two, solve puzzles, and unravel more elements of each character’s story. The game boasts an impressive voice acting cast including actors such as Jack Black and Elijah Wood that help bring the game to life and give it a distinct personality.
The art of the game itself is also striking with its storybook aesthetic and whimsical characters. It’s a game you can’t help but smile while playing, and one you won’t want to stop exploring even after you’ve come to the end. Fortunately, you can replay it as much as you like while it’s available on PS Now!
Guacamelee
Another game with a colorful, lighthearted art style is Guacamelee. Described as a “Metroidvania-style action-platformer” the game gives you the option to play solo or with a friend in local co-op.
We personally recommend the local co-op option if you’re stuck at home with a partner, family member, roommate, and so on as Guacamelee often feels like an adventure you want to embark one with someone else rather than alone.
Even playing it solo, there’s no getting around Guacamelee’s charm and visual design which draws from traditional Mexican culture and folklore to create a living, breathing world you can’t help but want to spend time in and explore.
Aragami
Let’s say you’re a fan of stealth games like Dishonored and are looking for something similar that you haven’t played yet. Well, you may want to check out Aragami on PS Now. Aragami is an indie stealth game where you play as the Aragami, a spirit who’s summoned by a girl trapped inside Kyuryu.
To help her, you’ll need to slink through the shadows and darkness, unseen and unheard. With your Shadow Powers, you’ll take out all enemies standing between you and your path towards Kyuryu.
The way you go, how you approach each area, is all left up to you. If you want to leave everyone alone and harm no one, you can. If you want to mercilessly slaughter your foes, you can do that as well. Aragami is a phenomenal example of the stealth genre and worth every minute of your time should you choose to download and play it via PS Now.
SOMA
It’s time to get a little spooky because we’re including one of our all-time favorite horror games on this list, SOMA. Developed by Frictional Games (makers of Amnesia: The Dark Descent), SOMA expertly blends together dystopian sci-fi imagery with claustrophobic corridors and the feeling of being followed even when nothing is behind you.
The game is effective as a horror game, but it’s also an interesting sci-fi story as well. SOMA takes place in an underwater facility called PATHOS-II full of robots and A.I. creations that have come to life and are less than friendly.
As you explore, you’ll collect snippets of information that give backstory to PATHOS-II, what was being worked on there, and why you’re there all alone running from angry A.I. abominations in the darkness. If you’re in the mood to be scared senseless, SOMA’s got you covered.
Spelunky
Last, but certainly not least, we have a multiplayer offering for you with Spelunky. While the game is dated now, having originally released in in 2013, it still plays exceptionally well and offers a fun way to pass the time alone or with three other players.
You can work together with your co-op companions to get through levels that gradually increase in difficulty, or you can work against one another to add an extra layer of challenge. Personally, we like the second option as we snatch up a friend and toss them over a ledge in order to deactivate an arrow trap.
In response, they have the freedom to use us as a human sacrifice to Kali in exchange for a gift. As of right now, Spelunky 2 is in active development and looks as though it’ll release sometime later this year.
Back in March, developer Derek Yu shared an update on how Spelunky 2 is coming together complete with new screenshots. It’s exciting to know we’re getting closer to the release of Spelunky 2. If you’ve never experienced this adventurous platformer and want to know what it’s all about, it’s readily available on PS Now. Check it out and let us know what you think!
Those are some of our favorites, and some of the best that you may enjoy. Give them a try and we think you will agree.
Read More: Overlooked Gaming Gems On Xbox Game Pass
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Morgan is a writer, metalhead, horror lover, and indie game enthusiast. When it comes to games, they love nothing more than to wax poetic about all the latest and greatest indies to anyone who’ll listen. On a typical day, you’ll find Morgan perched in front of the computer like a gargoyle browsing through Steam’s new releases with a large cup of coffee. You can find them on Twitter@Author_MShaver
