PS Plus had a pretty strong year in 2021, releasing numerous brand new games through the service and giving away a lot of high quality PS4 and PS5 games. However, there were some months that PS Plus subscribers weren’t happy with their offerings, and unfortunately, the year is ending in controversy for Sony’s subscription program. The free PS Plus games for December 2021 have been heavily criticized, with many fans not happy with the offerings for a variety of reasons.

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While some may dismiss criticism of the free PS Plus games because they are “free” games, it should be noted that they aren’t really free. PS Plus subscribers pay money in exchange for the games, and so it’s no surprise that they sometimes get upset by the games on offer. And unlike Xbox Live Gold, which started out as an online multiplayer service that started to give away free games later, PS Plus started out as a way to get free games. Needing PS Plus to play online multiplayer came later, so one can’t really make the argument that players are really paying for the online multiplayer and the free games are just a bonus.

Free PS Plus Games for December 2021

Godfall: Challenger Edition LEGO DC Super-Villains Mortal Shell

As usual, there are three games that PS Plus subscribers can claim this month. The headlining game is Godfall: Challenger Edition, which has proven to be one of the most controversial games in the lineup. Godfall by itself would’ve likely been a generally well-received PS Plus game, even if reviews for it weren’t super positive, but Godfall: Challenger Edition is simply a version of Godfall with less content.

Godfall: Challenger Edition cuts out the base game’s story and doesn’t include the content from the Fire & Darkness expansion either. What players are left with is Godfall’s endgame content, with Challenger Edition allowing players to immediately boost their character to max level. Some have complained that having someone skip everything to get to the endgame means that they aren’t developing the skills to properly handle that content, and therefore it’s counterproductive, and others have bemoaned that they are missing out on the story content.

Basically, PS Plus subscribers are feeling shortchanged by Godfall: Challenger Edition because it’s a newly introduced version of a game that has less content than other versions. Similarly, PS Plus subscribers aren’t happy about the inclusion of Mortal Shell either, and while it’s not missing content, there is a weird limitation with it that has disappointed some subscribers of Sony’s PlayStation Plus program.

There exists a Mortal Shell: Enhanced Edition for PlayStation 5 that improves the experience and is generally the best way to experience the game. Those who have purchased Mortal Shell were able to upgrade to the PS5 version for free, but those who get the game through PS Plus aren’t able to do so. So what PS Plus subscribers are left with is the regular, PS4 version of the game without any of the enhancements, and no way to upgrade unless they decide to pay more beyond their subscription fee.

This isn’t the first time that PS Plus has pulled something like this. As some may recall, the PS Plus version of Final Fantasy 7 Remake had similar restrictions. Those who downloaded the free PS Plus version of the game weren’t able to get the PS5 upgrade for free, and it drummed up similar controversy. It’s unclear why these limitations exist, but hopefully the backlash will convince Sony to avoid situations like this when it comes to future free PS Plus lineups.

LEGO DC Super-Villains is the only game in the lineup that hasn’t drawn much ire from the community, though it also hasn’t inspired much excitement either. Many seem to agree that while LEGO DC Super-Villains is a solid game, it’s just another LEGO game.

Regardless, it’s clear that many PS Plus subscribers aren’t too thrilled about the free PS Plus games for December 2021, and it will be interesting to see if the free PS Plus games for January 2022 help the service get back into their good graces. In the meantime, there are rumors about the future of PS Plus that could lead to some interesting developments. Namely, rumors have suggested that Sony is prepping an Xbox Game Pass competitor that may essentially combine PlayStation Plus with PlayStation Now. Whether or not that actually takes place remains to be seen, but it will definitely be interesting to see what happens, and how that may change how subscribers react to the PS Plus offerings every month.

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