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Console yourself: How the PS4 Spring Fever indies stack up

Cheap and cheerful games for seasonal shenanigans

Titan Souls

RH Numbers

Titan Souls gels The Legend of Zelda’s top-down perspective alongside the laborious giant-slaying of Shadow of the Colossus. But, in truth, it's the Dark Souls-levels of difficulty that truly make the game stand out.

Central to that challenge is the game's roster of bosses – the only foes you'll face along Titan Soul’s journey. Fiendishly designed, they'll topple the game's taciturn hero with little more than a passing glance.

Titan Souls

Where the genius of the title comes in, however, is that each behemoth is (almost) as vulnerable in return. Most can be toppled with a single well-placed arrow, but deciphering exactly where and when to strike is key.

Muddying the water still further is that the arrow must be recovered before you're able to attack again – either by walking over it or pulling it towards you (at the expense of standing still) – so adding a further layer of tactics.

The one area in which Titan Souls fails is in the aiming of said arrow. All too often I’d miss my mark by a whisker due to the difficulty of aiming from the game's perspective. That said, it does make that killing shot all the more rewarding.

Titan Souls

Titan Souls adds a welcome twist to the Shadow of the Colossus formula and benefits from some truly fiendishly designed monsters. It has its flaws, with the aiming system and constant journeying back to near impervious monsters chief among them. But, as with Dark Souls, the lure of "just one more go" should be enough to keep you coming back.

Title Titan Souls
Developer Devolver Digital
Platforms PS4, PC
Price £11.99

The Reg Verdict

The Spring Fever titles show how reliant Sony is becoming on the traditionally Steam-based indie games movement. The vast majority of the games here would perhaps have never seen the light of day on a console, were it not for Sony's endeavours. But the collection isn't without its oddities.

Bastion and Jamestown+, while fine games, give out something of a mixed message when it comes to Sony's ambitions. Why delve into games of the past when surely there are more deserving original games by smaller developers that would benefit from inclusion here?

Another bum note is the absence of Metal Slug 3 for PS4 in the UK, as it's available in the US. Mind you, there are plenty of platforms to play SNK’s classic side-scrolling shooter (including your phone) at a fraction of the price it would be on PS4.

Despite these few complaints, though, this collection of games under the Spring Fever banner does pass the test when it comes to gameplay. None of the titles are any less than diverting, and the vast majority of them are better still. It seems the PS4 indie-juggernaut rumbles ever on. ®

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