Free Xbox Games With Gold For October Revealed, And They’re Awful

Microsoft has beaten Sony to the punch this month in revealing its lineup of free offerings for the Xbox Games With Gold promotion throughout October and yes, once again, it’s a pretty awful selection and very, very underwhelming.

All owners of the soon-to-be-retired Xbox One family of consoles will have full access to the usual four titles for the next 30 days just by being subscribed to the platform’s premium online service, all of which will remain yours once November rolls around. Whether you’ll choose to keep them in your library is another matter entirely, however, as while those selected certainly aren’t bad games by any stretch of the imagination, there’s little here that will excite you. Not to mention that you can already pick these up for pretty cheap elsewhere.

The four titles and their respective dates of availability can be found down below:

• Slayaway Camp: Butcher’s Cut
  
  • October 1st to 31st (Xbox One)
• Maid of Sker
  • October 16th to November 15th (Xbox One)
• Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy
  • October 1st to 15th (Xbox One & Xbox 360)
• Costume Quest
  • October 16th to 31st (Xbox One & Xbox 360)

This month’s headline offering (and somewhat of a surprise, considering how recently it released) is Maid of Sker. A first-person survival horror experience created by indie studio Wales Interactive, this suitably spooky tale is definitely worth saving as a Halloween treat. Set in a remote hotel steeped in history inspired by British folklore, players’ only form of defense against an evil cult inhabiting the dilapidated locale is a strange sound based device used to ward off aggressors. Boasting a script penned by writers whose previous work includes SOMA and Don’t Knock Twice, Maid of Sker might be a game worth checking out if you’re eager for a scare.

For those not into horror, however, October’s looking relatively sparse. Double Fine’s Costume Quest is definitely good for a few hours of fun, but otherwise, there’s not much to speak of here in terms of substance, resulting in another disappointing month for the Games With Gold promotion.