Welcome to our November selection of games on the PlayStation Subscription Service. For this month, we have selected a theme of RPG. After a Month of Horror, we wanted to dull things down a little and make it more relaxing as we wind down 2023. For that reason, we have selected to put together some Long games which are relatively easy, however with a twist. We didn’t want to give just a single adventure, so we packaged 5 sets of adventures for you to enjoy this month, that way you can select your preferred game from each. Here are some Must-Play Games on PlayStation Plus Premium and Extra for November 2023.
Assassin’s Creed (Origins/ Odyssey/ Valhalla)
Egypt, Greece, and England set sail for adventure, thanks to the power of the Triple Helix and modern technology. We couldn’t do this list without including Assassin’s Creed in some way, shape or form. Covering a total of around 250 hours this trilogy of Assassin’s Creed’s RPG games really is an enjoyable adventure just to sink into.
Covering three time periods set before the original game in the series you will not be an Assassin fighting the Templar order as such, instead, you will be forming the bureau of what is known as the Hidden Ones and fighting the Order of the Ancients. Taking place in Ancient Egypt features Bayek of Siwa, to the prosperous lands of Greece during the Peloponnesian War as the Eagle Bearer, and finishing your adventure during the Viking Expansion into England during the Middle Ages as Eivor.
Developed by Ubisoft and self-published, the Assassin’s Creed Franchise has a long life and still has a lot of time periods to show us. The above-outlined ones are recommended to sink back and just enjoy the worlds and stories which are told in a relaxing close to the year.
Kingdom Hearts (1.5/ 2.5/ 2.8/ 3/ Melody of Memory)
Different worlds from Final Fantasy and Disney are in danger from the Heartless, and only one band of heroes can save the world. Covering a total of 630 Hours, this selection really is a big one to sit back and enjoy. The story mostly tells a tale of Sora, the holder of the Keyblade, battling monsters known as the Heartless. Alongside Donald Duck and Goofy, Sora is joined by protagonists from both the Disney and Final Fantasy universes.
Spanning 7 Platinum Trophies and covering 8 total games, it’s hard to beat our recommendation of Kingdom Hearts to just relax and spend time enjoying Sora’s adventure with the Keyblade. Where the games differ in what the story is you will mostly battle Heartless, saving people and exploring the vast lore of the world that has been created. That being said all but Melody of Memory falls under the story ark of the Dark Seeker Saga, which outlines Sora’s conflict with Xehanort. Each game has interesting things to enjoy like the third game having a Pirates of the Caribbean and concluding in a realistic rendering style.
Developed mostly by Square Enix and published by them this series was started way back in 2002 and is still going strong today, with the fourth release on the horizon.
Horizon (Zero Dawn/ Forbbidon West)
A world left to overgrow, Scattered remains of humanity, a corruption that is eating away at organic life, a lone outsider with a special destiny. Horizon tells the story of Aloy, an outsider to the tribe who found her in their sacred mountain turned hero and chosen of the “All-Mother”, and her journey to find answers. Covering a total of 80 Hours this selection should be a quick set of platinum to add to your collection.
The first game, Zero Dawn, tells the story of Aloy finding the answers to why she looks like someone from the past and find the heart of the corruption that is spreading over the world. Along the way, she encounters Sylens, who is interested in the past and finding the truth about the Old One. Whereas the second game continues Aloy’s quest to find answers and takes her to the far west, referred to by most as The Forbbiden West. Here she gains new skills and abilities to confront more deadly machines while she hunts for a way to save her world from collapse.
Developed by Guerrilla Games, a first-party developer for Sony, this RPG game is an odd one on our selection as it plays more like an Action Adventure rather than the RPG Action game it is. Released in 2017 and 2022 these games were selected for the reason that The Complete edition is coming out soon and we feel out of all this list Horizon deserves some attention to help close off 2023.
Final Fantasy (XII Zodiac Age/ XV Royal Edition)
Square Enix has always been an impressive developer and presenter of Fantastical World, for this selection we wanted to draw some attention to two of the Final Fantasy series. Covering a total of 200 Hours this selection isn’t as long as we could have made it but they do show off some fascinating worlds and enjoyable experiences.
Out of the two recommended games, we would highly recommend looking at XV Royal Edition, although it is more of a defining moment in recent memory of new stories in the Final Fantasy Universe, Noctus is a character worthy of holding the title of King. That being said the “leading man” in the Zodiac Age is worthy to call a hero. Although we have technically cheated with this selection with Final Fantasy not really being sequentially linked like others on this list, who doesn’t enjoy a Final Fantasy game?
Final Fantasy XV follows the story of Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum and his retainers and friends trying to stop the endless night, which is engulfing their world. As Noctis progresses closer to the end game it is revealed that he is the True King, the one chosen to vanquish the darkness and bring peace to the world. Losing not just his kingdom, but his bride-to-be, and even 10 years of his life before he is able to confront his enemy, Noctis’s conviction to his role stays true.
Final Fantasy XII: Zodiac Age is a remaster of a game released in 2006 and is more of a fantastical adventure, as opposed to FF XV. The story follows a young man named Vaan but shifts subtly to follow others at times. There are six main characters in the game that can be controlled to complete the game, each with a dedicated role that can be alternated, although it is playstyle dependent. Overall the goal of the game is one of restoring order and making dreams come true, for example, Vaan wants to be a Sky Pirate, and Ashe wants peace in her kingdom. Although the game seems to favor either of these characters personally I would say that Balthier is the main character even if he is introduced rather late in the game opening. The reason for it is simple, he refers to himself as “The Leading Man” and has that sort of attitude that makes him a better fit for a protagonist.
Developed and Published by Square Enix, these games have inspired a lot not just in gaming. What they do with each game in the series really has its own little flare like any long-running series, and out of all the ones available on PS+, we feel that these 2 best highlight the fantastical, magical, and creativity of a fantasy.
Atelier (Ayesha/ Escha & Logy/ Meruru/ Rorona Plus/ Shallie) (Premium Subscription needed)
Finally, we couldn’t do a list like this without recommending the Atelier series. Atelier is best summed up by either Sophie or Ryzer, both of these are fantastic initiations to the series, unfortunately, we don’t have them available on the Subscription service. Provided you are a Premium Subscriber you will have access to five pretty decent entities in the series. Covering a total of 230 hours these games do not strictly link together, much like the Final Fantasy selection, however, they are based on the same premise and therefore included as a selection.
Revolving around the concept of Alchemy, although not strictly true, it is the belief that alchemy is that of an equivalent exchange. To get something you need something of equal value to forge into something new. This is only a vague and semi-inaccurate description of the Atelier game’s alchemy system. The games are pretty similar overall, you will need to craft alchemic recipes into new things in order to progress the story, although the story differs from game to game, there is a sense of fun, exploration, and simulation in each of them. That being said the Alchemy is the best part of them.
Developed by a few studios over its life, including Gust, the publisher has more or less stayed constant. All the games feature female leads and are titled as such. One thing about our selection that should be made aware of is the fact that there are different series within the Atelier franchise. Rorona and Meruru are both part of the Arland series of events, whereas Ayesha, Escha & Logy, and Shallie are the Dusk Trilogy. Each series of events is split into trilogies, with some exceptions.
Liked this article and want to see some more must-play games? Then check out some other games to play!
