PlayStation Plus users can currently grab a fantastic 3D platformer for free

PlayStation Plus has been a treasure trove of incredible games lately. Each month, as more freebies get added to the service, it gets increasingly harder to actually focus on this year’s new releases when there are so many brilliant older titles to explore.

This month, PS Plus subscribers are able to claim Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Alan Wake Remastered and Endling - Extinction is Forever as part of their subscription. Those are all very solid offerings, especially for the Essential tier service. However, if you’re yet to try out one particular title from June’s Extra-tier additions, you’re seriously missing out.

Take a look at the trailer for A Hat in Time right here.

As you probably guessed by the inclusion of the trailer above, I’m talking about A Hat in Time - an adorable 3D platformer from Gears for Breakfast which features a young alien girl on a mission to recover the fuel for her spaceship and get back home. There are five huge worlds to explore, all of which you can explore and jump around freely in order to find secrets, meet characters, and hoover up all the collectibles and magical yarn you can.

Yes, you read that last bit right - magical yarn. This is a crucial material in Hat Kid’s journey, as it’s what she uses to craft - you guessed it - magical hats. Each of these come with unique abilities which can be used while bouncing around the levels and fighting enemies, from slowing down time to concocting explosive potions. Our fashionable heroine can also use a number of additional abilities by equipping Badges - whether you want to fire projectiles, absorb every collectible in the area or simply whip out a scooter to blast around in, you can swap all your Badges about at will, giving you loads of options to modify your play style on the fly. Oh, and you can see them actually equipped on your hat, too, which is really cute.

It’s easy to see how A Hat in Time was inspired by iconic 3D platformers of old, such as Banjo-Kazooie and Super Mario 64. The charm of those nostalgic games shines through beautifully without compromising the actual gameplay - it’s an excellent example of a game with retro-inspired roots that doesn’t also feel painfully clunky or boring, which some modern 3D platformers are definitely guilty of.

Platforming and collectathon elements aside, it needs to be said that A Hat in Time’s whimsical soundtrack is phenomenal. It’s full of bangers, but in particular, ’Train Rush’ goes way harder than it has any right to, and its official remix, ‘Trainwreck of Electro Swing’, is even better - it’s genuinely been a staple of many of my playlists since 2015 when the track was first unveiled, years before the game itself actually came out.

Obviously, how much of a completionist you are will strongly influence how long it takes you to complete A Hat in Time - if you wanna blitz through the main story, it’ll only take around 10 hours to do so, but completionists can probably expect to double that. Regardless, it’s well worth your time, and if you’ve been craving some cheerful platforming fun, look no further.