This month for PS Plus members, we were treated to a fun, arcade family game called That's You! Much like the title suggests, you get to play with family and friends, either locally or online, and guess what one of the players is more likely to do in a given situation. 

Not only did I download the game to give it a try, but I downloaded the compulsory phone app that was required to play it. Here is a short gameplay video, followed by my thoughts on the game.

STORY

As with most games of this ilk, there isn't a story to go on. There's no lengthy plot to assassinate a friend or some magic spells to learn in order to unlock some secret dungeon. The closest you will get to a story are the scenarios provided, where you have to guess which of your friends are more likely to perform a certain act. 

When you get the answer right, you get rewarded with bottlecaps and buttons and such. Of course, being right is very subjective in this game. The game has no way of knowing which is actually a correct answer, so it takes the most votes and that becomes the correct answer. If you were among the majority, you get caps. If everyone feels Bob is more inclined to collect pink panties, while Bob himself feels he would have gone with the cargo pants, it doesn't matter: Bob now likes to collect pink panties, and if you disagreed then you don't know him well enough to get caps. Sorry Bob, but That's You!

At the end of the game session, where each player has had a chance to be the protagonist / victim, all caps for the group are added together in one large scale just to see how well everyone knows each other. 

Even though this was fun to start off with, with my son never wanting to stop playing it with me, this type of game can become stale very quickly. Each session is repeated over and over, simply with new graphics and types of questions or instructions. 

GAMEPLAY

You can forget about using your PS4 controller. The game is operated via your smartphone or tablet or other super-awesome device after you have downloaded the free That's You! app. The reason behind this is so that you can draw funny images, shapes and colors over your friends so that everyone can vote on the best image, or the image that represents the game's instruction the best.

This was a pleasant element to the game, and I found I enjoyed the game more because of it. It gave it that special touch that might have otherwise sent the review score spiralling down towards the depths of darkness.

GRAPHICS

The graphics is the most uplifting feature of That's You! The scenes are absolutely spectacular and form an integral part of each session in the game. You are transported through the briefcase to different scene settings where each game will take place. There is nothing better than to have something great to look at and interact with while you wait for the game questions and instructions to unfold.

I dare say that they put more effort into the graphics than any other part of the game. I would comfortably have sold these images off as paintings, as they certainly are works of art. Kudos to the design team, who put so much detail into lighting, texture and contrast.

REPLAYABILITY

A party game is at its essence replayable at all times. Pretty much like a boardgame, it draws you in to play it again and again for new experiences and unlock new items. There is no question that That's You! is eternally replayable. Having a great party or function where you've had a few drinks? Let's play That's You! and see who can draw the most inappropriate thing on Johnny's face. 

That's about the only time it would be worth replaying. I haven't found enough enjoyment out of it to willinging return to the game other than for this review. Then again, I am not a party animal or socialite, and my wife and son still enjoy playing it and making fun of each other with the images and selfies. Perhaps someone with a party bone in them would have enjoyed it more.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER

I like collectibles. I rather enjoyed seeing all those caps and buttons I won being gathered together. And then at the end of the session they were tossed in with the other players' rewards, never to be seen again. I would have liked to have tried to keep unique buttons in some sort of in-game scrapbook that I could put together myself. Pull the scrapbook out of the case, loot through my recent collection and stick them over posters and such; maybe with a few of my favorite drawings.

I would also like the question, rinse, repeat cycle spiced up a bit. A few more game features wouldn't hurt, but the fact that the rewards are based on majority vote is what really puts me off the game. Playing online with a full panel of friends is the only time this might work, but when it's just you and your buddy playing, the best way to score is agree on the answer so that you don't lose caps. This game was not intended for a small local party.

FINAL VERDICT

I want to rate this game highly; really I do. I'm sure this game has actually provided loads and loads of fun to some awesome gamers out there. To be honest, all those time spent playing 30 seconds or Monopoly or Risk or Pictionary at late night barbecues could have been replaced with playing That's You! over a couple of beers. In essence, it is a good party game with loads of fun potential.

But that's the problem for me. YOU need to make it fun. It isn't fun on its own. There isn't anything drawing me back to play it again, and the only reason I am keeping it on my PS4 is so that my wife and son can enjoy it again. 

A fun party game enjoyed more over a few beers, and more enjoyable than 30 seconds.