Here Are Your Free April 2022 PS Plus Games

Following months of rumors surrounding the platform's intentions of adopting its own GamePass-like feature, Sony finally confirmed on March 29 that beginning in June, it will be merging both PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now into an all-new subscription service. This new service will adopt the classic PlayStation Plus branding and will be divided into tiers — Essential, Extra, and Premium — in which subscribers will be given different benefits for varying price ranges.

But until June, it's business as usual. And once again, the time has come for PlayStation players with a PS Plus subscription to be granted access to a selection of downloadable games for one month at no extra charge. The month of March boasted several highly-touted titles like "Ghostrunner" and "Ghost of Tsushima: Legends." But what games will be replacing them this upcoming month? Well, it's looking like there's a little something for everyone in April's PS Plus selections. Here they are.

First up is "SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated", a remake of the 2003 platformer for modern consoles. Released in June 2020, the game follows iconic "SpongeBob SquarePants" characters such as SpongeBob himself, Patrick, and Sandy as they attempt save Bikini Bottom from the villainous Plankton. 

Much like the original, "SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated" received rather mixed reviews, collecting a modest 71 critical score on Metacritic for the Xbox One version, a 68 on PS4, and a score of 66 for the version released on the Nintendo Switch.

Despite its mixed critical reception, players seem to have enjoyed the new take on SpongeBob's quest to save Bikini Bottom, especially on PlayStation, where the game currently boasts a user score of 8.9. While it won't be winning any Critics' Choice awards any time soon, players have found more than enough to love this nostalgic title. If you haven't played it before, now might be the time to take a dive down to Bikini Bottom.

Also available to PS Plus subscribers in April is "Slay the Spire," a rather fun and addictive indie deck-building title. Developed by MegaCrit and published by Humble Bundle, "Slay the Spire" was a bit of a sleeper hit and one of the most underappreciated releases in 2019. Despite its lower profile, it garnered its fair share of critical acclaim and was also nominated for several awards. Its unique gameplay and quirky character designs have been a hit with gamers who've sought it out.

According to PlayStation Blog, "Slay the Spire" sees players build decks of unique cards as they go on "a journey up the ever-changing Spire" in what is essentially a combo of roguelikes and more traditional card games (like "Magic: The Gathering"). Of the free selections PS Plus subscribers have to choose from this month, "Slay the Spire" might be the game players get the most mileage out of, particularly if addictive gameplay loops and dungeon-crawling tickles their fancy.

Once expected to be a title that would blow gamers away, "Hood: Outlaws & Legends" kind of failed to live up to expectations upon its release in May 2021. Focusing on a darker and grittier interpretation of the classic Robin Hood character, the game sees the legendary folk legend as he and his posses take on an authoritarian force and steal its treasure. However, the game's lack of content and repetitiveness garnered lukewarm reception from both critics and gamers alike. "Hood" quickly fizzled out from the public eye in the wake of other highly-anticipated releases.

Even so, "Hood: Outlaws & Legends" is still an objectively decent game with great visuals and a solid narrative, and also boasts both PvE and PvE modes that could keep PlayStation players busy for a spell. Is "Hood: Outlaws & Legends" truly the underwhelming experience many made it out to be a year ago? Or is misunderstood and worth your time? PS Plus members can find out for themselves when the game becomes free-to-download on April 5.