The free Games with Gold for July 2021 have been revealed, with Planet Alpha, Rock of Ages III, Conker: Live & Reloaded and Midway Arcade Origins being bundled together for Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers.
The four games are the usual mixture of two Xbox One titles and two Xbox and Xbox 360 games that can be played via backward compatibility. The four games will be made available at different points through the month, as follows:
- Planet Alpha – 1st to 31st July
- Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break – 16th July to 15th August
- Conker: Live & Reloaded (Xbox BC) – 1st to 15th July
- Midway Arcade Origins (Xbox 360 BC) – 16th to 31st July
We have reviews of some of the games, with Planet Alpha receiving a solid 7/10 in our review for its modern take on the cinematic platformer. Steve wrote:
“Whilst an enjoyable and undoubtedly beautiful game, Planet Alpha never quite makes the leap into classic territory. There is an admirable sense of vision here and the commitment to a non-verbal narrative is striking, but Planet Alpha remains a functional game under the gorgeous aesthetic. The fusions of cinematic platformer and endless runner often feel at odds with one another as the game pushes you forward when you most want to stand back and enjoy the view. Life here comes at you fast; blink and you’ll be vaporised or crushed by a mile high leviathan.”
Rock of Ages 3 also received a respectable 7/10 in our review for its boulder-based action:
“Rock of Ages 3 stretches the series’ core concept to the limit, but this tower defence and boulder platforming hybrid has still got some legs. Adding a few new game modes and the new level creation tool extends the game’s longevity, but ACE Team could do with refining a few of the rougher edges still in the game.”
Rock of Ages 3’s Python-esque bolder rolling action.
Alongside that, you have Conker: Live & Reloaded, the original Xbox remake of Rare’s classic N64 game Conker’s Bad Fur Day, and Midway Arcade Origins bringing together a bunch of arcade classics. Both are playable on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S via backward compatibility.
Oh, and don’t forget that you can still pick up some of the games from June. You don’t have long left to grab these three freebies:
- The King’s Bird – until 30th June
- Shadows: Awakening – until 15th July
- Injustice: Gods Among Us (Xbox 360 BC) – until 30th June
Source: Xbox
