12 hidden PS4 gems that cost less than €5 on PlayStation Store this weekend

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PlayStation
Another week, another big batch of discounts on PlayStation Store. In addition to a huge raft of savings on hit Ubisoft titles like Rainbow Six Siege, Ghost Recon Wildlands and For Honor, we’re also offering a range of indie and digital-only titles for under €5 a pop.

You can check out the
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, but to help you on your way we’ve cherry-picked a few of our favourites for your consideration. Read on, and let us know what you’re picking up in the comments below.

1. Bastion


The fledgling title from artsy Californian studio Supergiant Games, Bastion launched to a rapturous critical reception back in July 2011. Having made the jump to PlayStation 4 back in 2015, it brought its sumptuous mix of narrative, combat and visual flair to a whole new generation.

If you missed it in the past, now is an excellent time to jump in – a true gem, which helped raise the bar for independent development studios and fuel the indie boom.



2. Super Meat Boy


Harking back to the old-school platformers of yesteryear, Super Meat Boy pulls literally zero punches in delivering a tough-as-nails platforming experience to a generation of coddled, wannabe gamers…

I’m kidding, of course! But it is tough, that much is true. Take control of a squishy, animated block of meat and bounce your way through stage after stage of death-defying platform challenges in order to save your bandaged lady-love from the clutches of a tuxedo wearing foetus – yeah, it’s a bit nuts, we can’t lie.

3. Magicka 2: Special Edition


Judging by the friendly and colourful art direction alone, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Magicka 2 was some kind of cutesy adventure for kids. You’d be wrong, though – very wrong.

Magicka 2 is actually something quite of its own: darkly comic, deceptively deep and teeming with all kinds of unspeakable violence. It also has one the coolest magic systems ever.

Want to summon a steam cloud? Sure – just mix water and fire and there you have it! Need to revive a friend? That’s some basic healing magic mixed with a shot of lightning – done! The simple logic of eight base magical elements, mixed and cast in dozens of different ways, makes for endless re-playability and creativity – just one thing though, don’t cast lightning when you’re wet…



4. Thomas Was Alone


Thomas Was Alone may be the ultimate testament to the concept of building an empire from simplicity. A lo-fi story involving a collection of geometric shapes traversing a dangerous world of platforms, puzzles and emotional constipation; it was the break-out indie hit of 2012.

The overall effect – the sweeping and somewhat melancholy atmosphere – is a mind-boggling achievement given the inherent simplicity of it all. Creating a compelling story can be difficult even with state of art the motion-captured animation and industry-leading voice actors. That Thomas Was Alone achieves it with just a handful of coloured quadrilaterals is something truly remarkable.

5. Nidhogg


Staying on the theme of inherent simplicity, please bow to, grovel before (and hopefully be consumed by) your new lord and ruler, Nidhogg.

Among the most hilarious fighting games ever conceived, Nidhogg places you and a friend in charge of two faceless, sword-wielding combatants who must repeatedly murder one another in a bid to reach the far end of the map and offer themselves up to their glorious, circuitous deity.

As simple as it sounds, there’s something brilliantly addictive and competitive about the madness.



6. Slain: Back from Hell


All the metal-heads in the house, throw you horns in the air – this one’s for you. Slain: Back from Hell is the sort thing that Slayer’s Kerry King might come up with if he made games.

Like his heavy metal riffs, this 2D side-scrolling action platformer is uncompromisingly brutal, doused in devilish overtones and, of course, has the occasional fiddly bit. Best of all, every time you beat a boss, your undead, sword-wielding protagonist will start head-banging to the metal soundtrack.



7. Guacamelee: Super Turbo Championship Edition


If you’ve ever felt like the humble Mexican luchador (those masked wrestling chaps) lacked proper representation in the modern video game industry, then I invite you to consider Drinkbox Games’ Guacamelee.

It’s a stylish, action-platforming adventure combining bare-knuckle fisticuffs, challenging platform sections and pop-culture memes to tell a story of Mexican mythology run amok in the modern age. There’s also a talking goat, giant piñatas, the occasional robot battle and an absolutely cracking soundtrack.



8. Guns, Gore and Cannoli


A game that’s every bit as irreverent as the name suggests, Guns, Gore and Canolli, takes the well-worn Mafioso archetype, mixes it with the setting du jour – a zombie apocalypse – and invites you and up to three friends to blast your way to freedom.

It’s good honest fun in the 16-bit era sense, with light platforming, masses of weapons and a heck of a lot of shooting. You’ll face everything from leprechaun zombies to World War 1 soldiers on your unfolding adventures and if that’s not enough, there’s a four-player arena mode, which is far more fun than it has any right being.

That’s some good cannoli!

9. Crypt of the Necrodancer


Ever wondered what happens when you combine dungeon crawling with a disco hall? You get Crypt of the Necrodancer: a challenging roguelike that combines classic procedural generation and perma-death mechanics with the limitless joy of a rhythm-action game.

If it sounds unusual, that’s because it is, but also terribly ingenious. Each dungeon is accompanied by a thumping soundtrack and the main challenge for you is to keep time with the beat as you move around. Stand still for too long or miss the beat and you’ll break your multiplier. If you’re the sort who plunged over a gazillion hours into Spelunky or Binding of Isaac then this could very well be your next obsession.



10. Push Me Pull You


Okay, so this one’s… a little left field, but just go with it. You’re one half of a conjoined snake person thing and you have to work with a friend who’s controlling the other end of said conjoined snake person thing and compete in a sumo-cum-football type game against two other players who are co-controlling their own conjoined snake person thing.

Make sense, so far? Yeah, we didn’t expect it to. It’s like Cat Dog crossed with people… and a slinky – it is quite literally bonkers, but it’s also hilariously good fun with a group of friends and there really, truly is nothing else like it (which is probably a good thing).



11. Super Time Force Ultra


As you’ll have already gathered if you’ve figured out the title’s cheeky little acronym, Super Time Force Ultra is a game with a sense of humour. So much so, that when the game begins you have just five minutes to save the world and, surprisingly enough, that’s all you need.

A straightforward enough side-scrolling shooter on the surface, it’s the game’s time-bending mechanics that really changes things up. Using these you can constantly rewind the action, adding copies of your time-shifted self – and other characters – into the fray to execute audacious, explosive campaigns wherein dozens of alternate timelines move at once decimate entire fortresses, levels and boss arenas.



12. Assault Android Cactus


Finally, we have hectic twin-stick shooter Assault Android Cactus. A carefully penned love-letter to the arcade blasters of old, this charming little shooter is one of the most relentless games you’ll encounter on any platform.

Stranded on a vast alien space craft, your constantly draining battery will ensure you’re always on the move as enemies crawl from every crevice and hundreds neon plasma pulses cascade across the screen.

It’s all pretty chaotic, but if you need to you can bring some friends along for the ride. Local co-op supported for up to four players, because you know, shooting stuff is always more fun with friends.



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