We review That’s You, the first PS4 PlayLink title to hit the Playstation Store, which sees you competing against friends and family in a series of quiz-based party games. The killer feature? Each player uses their own smartphone as a controller, with support for up to six players at once.
Party console games can be a bit of a mixed bag, although they’re generally better appreciated after a healthy dose of alcohol. After all, there’s nothing like a few too many shots of cheap supermarket tequila to kill any inhibitions about dancing, singing or pretending to violently shake virtual maracas around your lounge in front of close friends.
Here at Recombu Towers, we love gathering close mates around the telly and indulging in a spot of competitive local multiplayer. Which is why Sony PlayStation’s latest PlayLink venture is so appealing. This new series of quick and fun games is designed to get loads of people playing at the same time, by ditching the traditional controller for something we all own these days – a smartphone.
Read next: What is PlayLink? The new PlayStation PS4 games series explained
That’s You is the first PlayLink title, available now from the PlayStation Store as a free download for PS Plus subscribers. It’s a quiz of sorts, although you won’t be answering questions about old TV sitcoms or the GDP of Estonia. Rather, the game challenges you on your knowledge of those gathered around you.
First up, you’ll need to round up between two to six players, yourself included. Make sure everyone has an Android mobile or iPhone and get them to download the free That’s You app from the Google Play Store or Apple’s App Store. You can also play with iPads and supported Android tablets, if so desired.
When you connect your phone to the same local WiFi as your PS4 and open the app, your phone and the console will automatically find one another. All that remains to be done is entering your name and snapping a quick (preferably gormless) selfie and you’re ready to play.
When enough players are connected, That’s You kicks into action. The game consists of a small number of rounds, each of which offer up a number of questions on a particular topic. Subjects include school days (bit strange when you’re already in your mid-30s), nights out, love (and some of the naughty stuff that goes along with it) and hobbies.
Each question takes one of a small number of different forms. As a group, you might be asked which player is most likely to commit a chosen act, such as bravely tackling a bank robber in the street. Alternatively, That’s You often focuses on a particular player and asks the rest of the group what they’re most likely to do in a given situation. For example, would Mad Pete happily dish out sweets to rude Trick or Treaters, or would he teach them a lesson with a little trick of his own?
Consensus leads to points, so you’ll need to know your fellow players reasonably well for the game to work. Any strangers in the group will definitely struggle.
So far, so pretty straightforward. However, That’s You begins to shine in the rounds where that smartphone tech is used to its full potential.
So for instance, some rounds have you taking selfies to mimic a photo that flashes up on-screen. The group then chooses which is the best result. You may also find yourself snapping photos of other players and sketching on them with That’s You’s in-app paint tools. Which of course, could lead to extreme rudeness given the right company.
Some of the game’s questions around love and relationships poke a little into more adult territory, although the majority of That’s You would be perfectly acceptable for a family to sit down and play. In fact, we can see families having more fun with the game than a bunch of mature gamers like us, whether you’re tanked up or otherwise. This is certainly no Cards Against Humanity and some of the questions feel a little childish if you’re already into your adult years.
That’s You is definitely an innovative title, and we can’t wait to see more from PlayStation’s PlayLink games for the PS4. The smartphone linking works perfectly and offers a whole new dimension of interactivity, as well as the ability to involve plenty of players at the same time. That could mean a real return for party gaming, something we thought we’d struggle to get back into now we’re that little bit older.
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