Counterplay Games’ action looter RPG Godfall, published by Gearbox Publishing, released in November 2020 to a somewhat mediocre reception. Many players felt that, while the game showed off the PlayStation 5’s graphical prowess, the story was noticeably lacking and the gameplay was inconsistent, repetitive, and marred by technical issues. So at first glance, Godfall being offered as a PlayStation Plus title for December seemed a good way to reintroduce the game to people and breathe some new life into the player base.

Unfortunately, offering Godfall as a PS Plus title brought the game back into the spotlight, but not in a good way. The game that players received is not the full retail version, but rather the Challenger Edition that normally sells for $14.99 on the PlayStation Store. The Challenger Edition takes players directly to endgame content while completely skipping over the story campaign and the Fire & Darkness expansion. What many players found even more egregious is that this “trial” version also urges them to purchase the standard edition if they want the full Godfall experience.

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To some players, making matters worse is the fact that Godfall's story mode can now be purchased separately on the PlayStation Store for $15.00. Despite Counterplay Games’ statement that Godfall: Challenger Edition is neither a trial nor demo, many players feel that they were essentially given a sneak peek of Godfall with the Challenger Edition in order to entice them into buying the full game. What’s more, once PS Plus subscribers have claimed the Godfall: Challenger Edition, they can no longer purchase the Ascended Edition that conveniently contains the full game, expansion, and bonus skins.

godfall challenger story mode upgrade

However, it’s important to note that the Godfall Digital Deluxe Edition, which includes the full game and the Godfall Fire & Darkness expansion, is currently on sale for PS Plus members through December 22. And using the Challenger Edition as a jumping off point, even purchasing the story upgrade and expansion separately will still be less expensive than buying the full game at its regular retail price.

Nevertheless, many PS Plus members feel that they’ve been shorted with this month’s game offerings, because the titles offered through PlayStation Plus usually include the full game. While some people might enjoy being able to bypass a majority of Godfall’s content to jump straight to the three endgame modes, that doesn’t mean they’ll be ready for it. Players will have access to high-end loot and skills, but they won’t have had hours of gameplay experience to learn how to use them. Some people might handle being thrown into the deep end without any training just fine, but others may feel lost and unduly frustrated. In that sense, Counterplay Games’ tactic of showing players how epic Godfall’s endgame is might actually have the opposite effect.

Godfall is available on PC, PS4, and PS5.

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Source: Reddit