Flavourworks’ surprisingly strong FMV thriller Erica, which first launched in 2019 on the PlayStation 4, has been ported to iOS and is available to download now. The title – originally published by Sony – sees you direct a character called Erica, as she attempts to uncover her past. It’s a tale with a branching narrative, which we rather enjoyed in our review.
The title’s free to download for your smartphone or tablet, although you’ll have to cough up $2.99 to play the full thing. The original release was designed to take advantage of Sony’s smartphone-focused PlayLink technology, so we imagine it’s made the transition to touch devices incredibly well. Of course, if you haven’t played it on the PS4 yet it’s still well worth checking out on your TV as well.
[source apps.apple.com]
Comments 32
First it was Horizon Zero Dawn, now they’ve come for Erica. When will this madness end 😤
Glad that it will get a wider audience. For an FMV game, the way you interact with it is impressive and the game does a nice job creating an uneasy atmosphere. The story goes a bit wonky in places and some of the acting is way, way over the top, but I think that adds to the charm.
Decent game, I finished and got the platinum a few months ago. Decent for one or two playthroughs but going for the platinum wasn’t fun at all. Five playthroughs was overkill
I thought it was pretty decent, I'm glad little games like this get a wider reach and hopefully make more money. The key word is little, games like Horizon or a God Of War have no business going anywhere else that isn't PlayStation.
@nessisonett Why people have such issues with this i will never understand i played a great game that is released a few years later on PC. I had fun on the PS4 first and it ran fantastic out of the box cant say that for the PC version. 🤪
Literally played this for the first time last night then saw them tweet that it was coming to iOS.
Strange timing but very much enjoyed my time with it, especially as I got the best ending 🙌🏻
Definitely recommend.
I've still got this to play. Is this one where the functionality is hampered if i play on PS5? Can't remember if Sony sorted playlink stuff or not.
I barely even remember Playlink. 🤔
@nessisonett I'll never understand this point of view. You played a game you liked and you want to limit it to a subset of humans based on the system they have. Truly regressive.
We're better together.
@themightyant it's a joke
@nessisonett @naruball Which I missed, doh! Should have had coffee first. Mea culpa.
But some people DO seem to take that sad view, and voice it loudly.
@themightyant yup. It's quite sad and also funny, imo.
The joke works because it's putting together a highly successful game (Horizon) and a game that most haven't even heard of.
@themightyant it's not that simple mate..A system was advertised to have exclusive games and you bought it for this..i could just buy an iphone to play every playstation game or even a smart tv to play from the cloud..offcourse this is a dramatisation but you see where i'm going.
Another exclusive that Sony loses, the worst thing is that this only makes you think which other one it’s next
I played this a few weeks ago and enjoyed it more than I expected. Definitely worth a playthrough or two.
@zebric21 I, respectfully, disagree.
I understand exclusives are important to a point in terms of drawing people to platforms and keeping competition high which benefits us.
Beyond that they only seem fuel for the toxic fanboy tribal BS that is so sadly prevalent within gaming. I'll stamp on it whenever I see it.
To be clear I am not saying that all PlayStation Studios games should be day and date on all platforms either.
What I am saying is I would much rather something like Bloodborne was released on PC several years later, not least for digital archiving, and to allow the fans to keep them going 5, 10, 20 years down the line with patches, texture packs and mods long after the developers have left them for dead. Gamers Win.
Additionally it increases income for Fromsoft/Sony to plough back into more games and more/larger studios for PlayStation. Gamers Win.
It may also tempt a few people who played it to purchase a PlayStation to play Bloodborne 2 or whatever the next launch exclusive is as they don't want to wait X years. Gamers Win.
Lastly, as a creative, I want my work to be spread as wide, and experienced by as many people, as possible not as few. Devs Wins.
The only person who loses is those whose mind is setup to this as something they have lost i.e. to see other people playing a game they see as 'theirs' on another platform. Usually because it is used as a bargaining chip in a BS tribal war. This is what I cannot understand.
I have an open mind if anyone has fair points. (rant over)
First-party games should never leave the ecosystem. They're a platform holder's investment in their own base, and they also help to shape the character of a platform. If exclusive first-party games are designed to increase platform adoption, then what sort of message are you sending when you allow those games to become multiplatform?
Third party games funded by platform holders, like Bayonetta 2, should stay exclusive as well. Similar reasoning.
Otherwise, games should go to as many platforms as possible. I'm not a fan of strongarm tactics where platform holders will pay companies to keep their games off rival systems for a period of time.
I don't think a game going multiplat here or there will hurt much, but, in general, my inclination is to buy as few platforms as possible that allow me access to all of the games I want to play. If I know Platform A is going to eventually make its 'exclusive' games multiplat and Platform B will hold onto its exclusives AND snap up games from Platform A, I'll opt for Platform B every time.
@nessisonett Don't forget David Cage's games.
@themightyant i agree with all your points but companies need to talk their strategies..if sony wants fans to pay 500e for a ps5 (nearly impossible to find one) and 80e for a AAA game they need to clarify the benefits..
@zebric21 Agreed they need to be clearer about their strategies.
Although we also need to accept that in life things change with time and we need to leave room for it. Take Horizon as an example. When it was developed it was only developed for Playstation but over 2 years later and with sales dwindling an opportunity arose to release on PC. It also led to a small resurgence of sales on PS4 and made a wider group of people more excited for Horizon 2.
Also not a fan of the £70 / 80€ price hike, don't get me started on another rant
@themightyant "You played a game you liked and you want to limit it to a subset of humans based on the system they have. Truly regressive.We're better together."
So you won't have a problem if TLOU2, GOT and Horizon get ported to Xbone and series X right? After all they're gamers too and would also love to enjoy those games, why exclude them? After all We're better together!
@Juanalf "So you won't have a problem if TLOU2, GOT and Horizon get ported to Xbone and series X right?"
Me? I wouldn't mind at all, within reason, especially if Halo, Gears, Fable, Starfield, Doom, Elder Scrolls and more came the other way after a decent amount of 'exclusive' time. But I know this is heresy to many... and if there were downvotes i'd gladly lap them up.
However as I explained in my ranty follow up post (#16) I DO understand exclusives are important initially, but as time goes on and a games sales slow I have no issue with allowing other fellow gamers to experience the games I love, on any platform.
To be clear I also have a Series X so it doesn't affect me one way or the other, but for those who only have, or can only afford, one console wouldn't it be great if we didn't put these lines of division up and everyone could just enjoy games rather than platforms?
@themightyant Good Rant. Enjoyed it.
There won't be any PS exclusives at this rate. I predict TLOU2 and GoT on pc by 2025
I think both @Ralizah and @themightyant make excellent points. First party exclusives are certainly a primary point of differentiation in choosing a system. I don't think I would own a Switch if Mario was available on a Sony system. To me, this makes a strong case for the Nintendo approach of keeping their first party games locked down tight (CDi Zelda notwithstanding.)
Yet, exclusives aren't the only factor in choosing a console. I've stuck with PS as my primary system over the years because I like the console features and the playstation ecosystem. What baffles me is that some people feel a tangible loss when former exclusives move to PC, as if the enjoyment they got from a game they played a few years ago was suddenly diminished. As long as it makes business sense and doesn't diminish the brand, I don't see the issue in bringing first party games to a broader audience.
If NINTENDO had this approach to license their exclusives to pc they would be another SEGA. But in reality, they are the BEST SELLING CONSOLE right now. NOW. In the era of ps5, SWITCH is the BEST SELLER. Let me give you a hint it is because of EXCLUSIVES. No one buys a switch to play COD or FIFA.
@Oscarjpc And yet the Wii U, and to some extent the Gamecube were trounced in their respective console generations. Exclusives aren't the be all and end all.
Also, my understanding is that the PS5 has sold all available units so it makes sense to me that it has been outsold by a system that is actually available to buy.
@Amnesiac A well balanced view, put far better and more succinctly that I managed. Agree 100%
@Oscarjpc I see your point but I don't think Switch is currently the best selling console just due to first party exclusives, they help sure, but Nintendo has actually been pretty stingy in 2019 and 2020.
The handheld nature of Switch, the price, and the fact that it appeals to a wider range of demographics than Xbox and PS are what set it apart most I think.
It's a natural step up from mobile gaming which, while many more hardcore gamers like to malign it, is larger than Xbox, PS, & Nintendo combined. Nintendo has found a great niche grabbing many of those mobile and more casual gamers as well as kids, adults and us more hardcore lot. Well done Ninty!
But while Switch sales are impressive PS5 and XSX were completely sold out since launch, PS5 set new records for a new system. If there was more next-gen stock Switch wouldn't have been the best selling console in Nov/Dec - that is a false argument. Still bloody impressive their sales numbers, not taking anything away from them.
@Amnesiac @themightyant
One of the main differences between WiiU and Switch is that the former did NOT have a killer app.
Switch has BotW, M Odyssey, Animal Crossing, Smash Bros Ult, LM3, Astral Chain, etc. On the other hand Wii (without U) had Mario Galaxy 1/2, LoZ Twilight Princess, Donkey Kong CR, Wii Sports, Xenoblade C. etc. What did the wiiU have? The GAMES are ALWAYS the ANSWER.
If switch didn't have the (GOTY) best game of the generation as an exclusive launch title, it wouldn't have been the success it is today.
@Oscarjpc Again, I'm not making the case that exclusives are unimportant, just that the hardware itself is also a major factor in choosing a system. Without getting listy, a good chunk of the Switch's first party library are ports from the WiiU. I would argue that confusing marketing and the separate tablet made the WiiU an interesting failure, not the games themselves.
The one-two punch of Zelda and Mario combined with the design of the system itself and an excellent marketing campaign all worked together to make the Switch a great success. I don't agree with "best game of the generation" though, assuming you're talking about Breath of the Wild. I could never get into it. It might be that getting winded after a short climb and having all my cheap crap break after a few uses just hits too close to home though.
Any bobbles played this?
@nessisonett Think positively: HZD stayed an exclusive long enough to be relevant as a PS4 game and more sales on PC means bigger budget for the sequel! Which may or may not be ported to PC after a few years and I will say the same thing again hoping for a third entry in the series... Now I'm fantasising about Horizon 3 on PS6. What was the article about?
@Oscarjpc Your point it a good one, and I agree with parts of it, but I think it’s close but not quite on the mark. Just to add to what @Amnesiac said but getting listy
I was one of the 3 people that had a WiiU and the problem wasn’t first or second party titles. In fact considering it’s short life Nintendo supported it as well as the Switch, the wiiU had: Zelda BotW, Mario 3D World, Mario Kart 8, SSMB WiiU, Bayonetta 2, Zelda WW HD, Pikmin 3, Zelda TP HD, Xenoblade Chronicles X, New Super Mario Bros U & Luigi U, Donkey Kong Country TF, Splatoon, Yoshis Wooly World, Hyrule Warriors, Paper Mario CS, Mario Party 10 among others.
The key software differences between Switch and WiiU was twofold
1. The timing of the releases. Many of the better games came out late in the lifecycle where as for Switch they had Zelda, Mario and Mario Kart in the first 6-12 months. (As you identified, though at least 2 were WiiU games) This meant the WiiU never got the initial traction in the market which led to...
2. Third parties largely ignored the WiiU whereas they flocked to the Switch. This meant the large gaps between first and second party games felt larger on WiiU, the library was far smaller, whereas the Switch which still has a problem with First and Second party releases is filled with other titles.
It’s a subtle difference to what you said, but an important one.
Edit: BotW isn’t just the game of the generation... it’s the game of all time... and it’s a WiiU game
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