PS Plus Essential is giving away one of the best JRPGs of recent memory

techradar.com:

PS Plus Essential’s next batch of monthly games has been revealed, and there’s one title in particular that’ll interest subscribers.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon will be available to claim by PS Plus members in August. That’s according to Dealabs user billbil-kun(opens in new tab), who regularly and successfully leaks the subscription platform’s monthly free games.

The 2020 release is arguably one of the best JRPGs of recent years and a standout installment in the entire series. Swapping out Yakuza’s classic beat-‘em-up combat for a turn-based system, it’s got all the hallmarks of a great RPG. Expect memorable sidequests, excellent writing, and a sprawling world to explore.

Like a Dragon is also a fantastic route into the series if you’re totally fresh to Yakuza. Set in a different city to its predecessors with a new cast of characters, you don’t need to know anything about the 15-year-old series to jump in. That'll save you some time wrangling over how to play the Yakuza games in order just to work out where to begin.

It’ll be joined by 2020’s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2, a remaster of the first two titles in the skateboarding series. In our review, we said it’s a “perfectly executed remake” that “delivers in all the areas that fans of the original would expect, and sweetens the deal by adding all the modern necessities we demand of today’s video games”.

The 2017 horror platformer Little Nightmares completes August’s batch of free games. It places you in the little shoes of a miniature figure to escape a series of twisted nightmares and whimsical puzzles.

If you’re a PS Plus subscriber, you’ll be able to claim all three games from August 2 to September 6. As usual, if you pick them up in time, you can continue playing them for as