Developer: Wish Studios, Supermassive Games, SIE London Studio, Imaginati Studios
Publisher: SIEE, The Imaginarium
Platform: PS4 (Planet of the Apes: also PC and Xbox One)
Tested on: PS4
PlayLink – Review
Having friends over to play games is great. But it used to require a lot of setup. Find all controllers, making sure the batteries are charged, checking games on the ability to play together on the same screen… PlayLink on the PlayStation makes this easy for you. Everyone downloads the app (which is a different one for every game) on their phone and off you go! There is a collection available that grants you 5 games of different genres in one, making it easy to explore different kinds of party games!
That’s you!
That’s you is an immersive party game – for 2 till 6 players – designed to get to know each other better. The game takes you to different locations (one per player) where some fictional scenarios are presented. It is up to the players to choose the option that in their opinion fits best with the player, and when you’re really sure you can play a joker to get double points. Each round there is also a selfie competition and a drawing contest, where the players vote on the best result. At the end your total points are compared and used to defined how well you know each other. The app is easy to use and has some fun filters for your camera. The photo you make is used in game as your avatar, which is a nice touch.
The game is quite immersive, it looks good, has many nice scenarios and retro props and a good soundtrack. This makes it easier to replay, but still, if you are not into this kind of ‘getting to know each other better’ games this won’t interest you for long.
Knowledge is power
This fun quiz for 2 till 6 players makes every player choose an avatar to represent them in the game. Next up are 12 questions, asked in series of 4. After the first series a special assignment is given where you need to make connections between words and after the next series a sorting question is asked. After all series are done, a pyramid finale is set up, where you need to reach the top first. You start on a pyramid step based on your performance, and answers questions in the same way as in the series. Questions are asked on the television and the answers are neatly shown on your smartphone. Everything must be done and is controlled through the phone, which makes is easy because you don’t have to swap with your controller all the time.
Each of these questions have a theme that’s decided by majority vote, and every player can use a joker to enforce their will once, until everyone has used their joker. The choice in themes seem to be related to the last theme chosen, which limited the diversity of questions a bit… Questions always have 4 answers, and players can sabotage others by choosing a difficulty they need to overcome. This can cause the answers to be hidden, or obfuscated. After choosing the difficulty it’s executed by the avatar, which is fun but a bit repetitive after a while. All players that answer correctly receive points, but they are weighed based on how fast the answer was chosen. Lastly, in the finale you can pick answers until you have the correct one. The first one to reach the top of the pyramid wins. This game is fun and easy to set up, so it’s a good candidate for when you’re looking for a solid party game.
SingStar Celebration
The well-known contest of karaoke made easy with the built-in microphone of your smartphone. You can pick any of the thirty unlocked songs to start with, or buy others in the shop. Most of the ones included are of the pop genre, fairly recent but also some older well known ones. As you sing you receive points on how well you’re performing, which can be used to compare against the other (at most 7) players. Some songs have different lines but mostly you’ll be singing together. This can be done with an app for your smartphone that every friend, and you, need to download. The only function of the app is to be a personal microphone (next to rearranging the order of your personal party list), so there is not much to it.
Of course, when you’re more into a non-pop genre or sing the included songs a lot, you might need to pay extra for getting fresh or different songs. Fact is, there are 114 version of SingStar released since its start in 2004, so instead of buying new songs you can just wait for a new version, or pick one up second hand for a bargain…
Hidden Agenda
This is a narrative based game for up till 6 players, born after and based on the success of Until Dawn. Unsurprisingly it’s from the same developer: Supermassive Games. The game consists of animated movies interrupted by choices you’ll have to make. You can play it alone, or with friends. In the latter case you’ll have to agree on the path to follow. There is also the added element of a secret task you might have to perform, or prevent other from performing theirs. These tasks consist of swaying the opinion of people in a certain direction so they choose a certain path for the story to follow. This element could have done better, because these tasks are always announced which makes it rather easy to see through the scheme of others. You have a joker here, which you can use to overrule everyone’s decision. When you successfully perform a task you receive points. Some time before such a task is to be performed, you’ll need to guess who has the secret task, and you’ll receive points if you guessed correctly.
The story itself is a good one. The plot revolves around a convicted murderer close to his execution. He claims he was wrongly convicted and tells a story about a friend at the orphanage that would be the real killer. It’s up to you to investigate his story and see what’s what. You really have the feeling your choices matter because people can die and there are multiple ways the story can end, even prematurely. Sadly, if you want to replay a part to see what happens if you’d make another choice, you’ll have to play the whole game again!
Your smartphone is a nice addition to this game. It acts as an archive and tracking board, with personal files on all the story’s characters, a log of the events and to handle the secret tasks. You use it to make decisions as well. All information is nicely displayed per category, but sadly you won’t be reading much of that because it would mean that you’re missing out on the movie on television…
Planet of the Apes: Last Frontier
This is a similar game (for up till 4 players) as the one before. Taking place between the two movies, it tells the story of a band of apes stuck on a mountain and a small town next to the Rockies, during the start of the winter. Both suffer from food shortages and come violently in contact with each other, and it is up to the player to lead both groups to one of three possible outcomes: the apes win, the humans win or a peaceful solution. Both groups have characters in favor for either aggressive or peaceful tactics, and you will be busy thinking about ethical and moral dilemmas.
Unlike the other narrative game, this one doesn’t give you the feeling that you matter at all. Lots of decisions you make are overruled immediately by other characters in the story, giving you the feeling you’re not really in control (even though you’re acting leader in both communities!). The only thing you need to do is make decisions and watch the story unfold, making this a very relaxed game. Luckily the (voice) acting is good, it is clear that they used motion capture and real actors to create this movielike experience. Some apes speak English, others use sign language or can’t speak at all, which is logical for the time period this takes place in. Like ways, humans aren’t used to apes with guns, their ability to ride horses and speak, and their strategical insight.
Conclusion
The two most important things for party games are the fun factor and the ease of setting it up. It might depend a bit on your home network setup, but we find it to be really easy to set all of these games up. Download the app, connect to the same network as the PS4 is on and you’re ready to start playing right away. The fun factor is also present. For starters there are several different types of games, from fun quizzers to captivating storytelling games. The only thing missing is an action platformer. Still, the quizzers have a high replay-ability factor and are well made, both in graphical quality and gameplay wise. The storytelling games are different, since they will easily take a few hours and invite the players to discuss the dilemma’s presented to them. They too are well-made – the use of real actors makes a difference – and they are also an excellent option if you’re looking for a relaxed game to play alone.
PlayLink - Review,
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