Microsoft revealed the final two games that will be available for free as part of the Games with Gold program for Xbox Live Gold. The service isn’t really going out with a bang, but one of the games is a solid Souls-inspired indie platformer that’s worth a download as Games with Gold’s swan song.
The two games Microsoft will give away are Level 91 Entertainment’s Inertial Drift and Robi Studios’ Blue Fire. Inertial Drift is a vibrant, neon-infused arcade racer with unique twin-stick controls that players have to master in order to steer and drift properly. Racing game fans should get a kick out of it, but the game to really care about in this final batch is Blue Fire.
Blue Fire is a 3D platformer, but it takes more inspiration from the likes of Dark Souls and Hollow Knight than Super Mario 64. While it’s a pretty fast-paced platformer with a satisfying dash move at its core, it makes players platform through pretty dark and moody settings that interconnect like Dark Souls areas do. The game also sometimes places emphasis on combat, which is usually a bad sign in platformers, fights can actually sometimes be pretty tough and satisfying in Blue Fire.
If you are a fan of unique 3D platformers or just like playing moody indie games, I suggest giving Blue Fire a shot if you have an Xbox Live Gold subscription in its final months. I originally played it on Stadia (RIP), so I’ll definitely download it here on Xbox and possibly play through it again.
Blue Fire and Inertial Drift will be available through Games with Gold from August 1 until August 31. After that, Microsoft doesn’t plan to give away any more Games with Gold titles. That’s because Xbox Game Pass Core will replace Xbox Live Gold on September 14, swapping out monthly batches of free games for a revolving library of around 25 Xbox Game Pass titles. You will need to stay subscribed to some version of Xbox Game Pass if you want to keep access to Blue Fire and Inertial Drift, though.
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