Amazon Prime Gaming is a subscription service that many gamers might not be taking advantage of. As of April 2021, Amazon Prime had over 200 million subscribers. This makes it one of the largest subscription platforms out there, and a Prime subscription also includes the company’s multimedia streaming services. While the Prime Video service might be far more popular, Amazon also offers a Prime Gaming service to its premium subscribers.
For Amazon Prime’s $12.99 a month, subscribers also get access to a litany of in-game items and currency for some of the biggest AAA titles like Fortnite and Genshin Impact. Furthermore, the service also offers several different games every month that subscribers can download and keep. In August 2021, Amazon Prime Gaming includes a healthy selection of newer, higher profile titles like Battlefield V, but also some less popular but interesting games like A Normal Lost Phone and Metamorphosis.
The service has come a long way since it started as Twitch Prime back in 2016. After Twitch Prime's relaunch in 2020, the service has only gone from strength to strength, although it lacks some of the popular offerings from gaming marketplaces like the Epic Games Store. As a subscription service it is relatively impressive, especially when the games for August 2021 are considered. The huge list of microtransactions, skins, and unique items available to Prime subscribers is also impressive, but pales in comparison to the best games offered as part of the subscription this month.
Battlefield 5 on Origin
Although Battlefield 5 requires a slight redirect to a different service, it is still a huge title that gamers can claim this month. While this title might not have been as critically well-received as other Battlefield games, it is still worth claiming free for Amazon Prime subscribers. The sixteenth game in the series is a really interesting title in the Battlefield franchise, as it is functionally different to the rest of the franchise. This shift in mechanics coincided with a shift in setting, as the game hopped on the World War 2 shooter trend rearing its head again at the time.
The game stands as a direct sequel to Battlefield 1, which takes place during the first World War. Battlefield's next instalment will take the players forward in time, to a century after the events of WWII. If a gamer already has an Amazon Prime subscription, this game is worth picking up purely to see what Battlefield 2042 should leave behind from Battlefield 5.
Metamorphosis
Metamorphosis takes the existentially fraught bug-men of Franz Kafka's original text and turns their plight into a deeply compelling 3D puzzle game. It also serves as a great example of philosophy in video games, neatly translating Kafka's fable onto an interactive experience. Players take on the role of Gregor, a man who has recently undergone a very inconvenient transformation. Not only is he now a bug, but his friend Joe gets arrested shortly afterwards. Of course, being a bug, Gregor has no way of stopping the arrest.
Players must traverse a bizarre new liminal space to find his friend and figure out exactly why they have turned into a bug. While it may not be a brilliant puzzle game for kids considering the themes and tone of the original story, it is incredibly interesting regardless. The game was a finalist in five different indie game competitions in 2018 alone, so is definitely worth a look in for Prime subscribers.
A Normal Lost Phone and Another Lost Phone
These two games, by developer Accidental Queens, explore basic but fascinating concept. They simply ask what a player would do if they picked up a lost phone. In a world where Pokemon GO streamers have phones stolen from them, A Normal Lost Phone might ring true for many gamers. Of course, finding the eponymous phone quickly spirals into a vast web of mystery while the player tries to figure out exactly who this person is, and how to get their phone back to them. The entire game takes place within a fake smartphone interface, and gives players access to all the apps the person had available.
It is surprisingly similar to other deduction games like Her Story, where technology and canny investigative skills are combined to solve a mystery. In this case, it's the disappearance of 18-year-old Sam, who seems to have vanished on their birthday. Another Lost Phone is the sequel and focuses on an older character who loses their phone. This has the player navigate a totally different social space using similar investigative skills.
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis stands as one of the best point-and-click games ever. It refines various mechanics seen in its predecessor, an adaptation of The Last Crusade, and pens its own delightful and often silly story. This charming point-and-click took maximum advantage of LucasArts' bespoke SCUMM engine for storytelling, showing the pinnacle of what it could accomplish.
It also takes place in a really interesting time zone, considering Bethesda's upcoming Indiana Jones game. Fate of Atlantis is set in 1939, on the brink of World War 2 (a defining aspect of the movie franchise). According to several aspects of the new Indiana Jones game's announcement trailer, it looks like the game will be set in or around 1937, with the player visiting Mussolini's Rome. It will be really interesting to see if Bethesda's new game sets up any of the events in Fate of Atlantis, as it will likely take place before it in the wider Indiana Jones timeline.
Amazon's Prime Gaming Loot updates on September 1.