When it comes to gaming, you either get the dopamine-fuelled gauntlet of trophy hunting, or you don’t. Some individuals live for the chase of the elusive 100%, and that sparkly Platinum Trophy on their profile. I am one of these. Whilst I do play games for the love of the game, and have slowed down considerably in recent years, I still fondly look back on some of these gaming memories. So, here are some of the highlights of my 14 years of collecting these pointless shiny pixels!
Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One (PS3)
Everyone has to start somewhere, and here is my humble beginning. All 4 One is a multiplayer-oriented adventure with multiple playable characters, all with their own quirks and abilities. Whilst not the deepest or most fun Ratchet romp, it’s still a reasonably enjoyable time that I am glad I got to experience. Especially as the beginning of a long line of other games I decided to master. While the game is incredibly grindy and repetitive to clear, it sparked something in my brain that felt the need to go through with the Platinum.
There were some rather annoying tasks to complete for this game; you needed to play as each character enough to get enough bolts to unlock their special weapons. Then you needed to complete a task with said weapons, which could take time in itself. There are also a couple of frustrating tasks: not taking damage, destroying a certain number of boxes without dying, etc. All of this is doable, though, and only requires surface-level mastery of the game, which makes it a great place for a newbie to begin.
Sonic Generations (PS3)
Ah, Sonic Generations, my beloved. If it wasn’t obvious from previous articles on this site, this may be one of my favourite games of all time. If this alone wasn’t enough, it was the first time I decided to go the extra mile and really go out of my way to complete a game fully (that wasn’t a LEGO title anyway). I did everything: challenges, S Ranks and unlockables, and it was absolutely a time I cherish.
The trophy that plagued me, and many others, no doubt, is “Can’t Touch This”, if you know, you know. If you don’t know, then this is for defeating the final boss, the Time Eater, without taking damage. Whilst this may just sound like a skill-based challenge, the complexity arises from the fact it’s not obvious you’ve been damaged as Super Sonic is seemingly invincible. You can read more about how this trophy haunts me in our things we hate about the games we love article, but what I will say is that this was made even worse in Shadow Generations. Read on to learn about that.
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale (PS Vita)
What I feel sets this one apart is a combination of obtainability and platform. When I first got my PS Vita I recall picking up the PS3 version of this game, which contained a free download for the Vita version. So, since my Vita was the new toy, I quickly downloaded it and played it to death. For what it was, this game was decent. I just enjoyed playing a version of Super Smash Bros with characters you’d never see in that game.
What made this one stand out, though, is the online trophies. There aren’t a great deal of them, but some could be challenging depending on matchmaking potentials online. You had to be at least fairly decent to pull this off without boosting too. So, I have this rare version of a Platinum trophy, which cannot be obtained anymore due to server closures, and that is why it made this list: the perfect storm.
Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves (PS3)
I was relatively late to the Sly Cooper party. I picked up the trilogy in late 2012 and played through all three titles in a row. I’d somehow never heard of the series, despite being fully integrated into the PlayStation mascot platforming scene. While the first two entries are typical, beat the game and get all the collectable lists, the third game hit differently.
While yes, 100% is the objective here, the third game decided to add an element to spice up the completion process. Once you beat the main story and have collected all there is to find, you are met with a list of challenges. This ranges from small-time attack versions of missions to boss challenges with limited moves and health. I don’t recall the exact challenge that made me hate this, but I do recall bouncing with Murray across a city with expert aim. That was frustrating. Modern gamers attempting this Platinum will never understand the pain of these, now that these games have had ports on PS4 and PS5 with the rewind feature.
Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure (PS3)
For better or for worse, Skylanders was an interesting foray into the world of the toys to life gimmick. Regardless of how you feel about Spyro’s design or involvement, these games had something appealing to them that attracted the hearts and minds of kids in masses. My eventual introduction to the series left me with a positive experience. The figures were very cheap on the second-hand market, and the games were solid beat ’em up-style platformers with a satisfying gameplay loop.
Why this game makes the list, though, is its gruelling trophy to beat the final boss without swapping your Skylander figure at all. For those not in the know, each Skylander figure is equivalent to a life; if you die then you must remove the figure. This means you cannot swap the figure when it’s low on health, or die, it’s one and done. While yes, Skylanders is a kids’ game, the final boss is a bullet hell styled gauntlet in which you cannot jump, and cannot heal. The fact that I successfully managed this is a miracle and testament to a level of patience I doubt I’d be able to conjure up again.
Spyro: Year of the Dragon (PS4)
Spyro is special to me; it’s the game series and character that I hold closest to my heart. So, what’s a better tribute than ensuring that my favourite game of my favourite series is beautifully recreated to be Platinum 100? This one has less to do with the effort involved. Frankly, the Spyro trilogy is one of the easiest sets of Platinum trophies one can achieve, and it makes for a wonderful experience throughout. This is 100% due to circumstance, timing and personal milestones.
When the Spyro remake was announced in March 2018, I was not far from the elusive target, and I knew at that moment it had to be Spyro. I doubt I’ll ever hit the next large goal of 1000, but knowing that little purple guy is sat at 100 fills me with joy.
Kingdom Hearts III (PS4)
Controversially, I adore Kingdom Hearts III, the presentation, gameplay and story all work well for me. When I picked it up, I did not stop playing until I had completed it, which I genuinely thought I would never do with a Kingdom Hearts game. The way you move, the way combat snaps with the keyblade forms just all clicked well in my head, and I felt the need and desire to see it through to the end.
This wasn’t exactly a hard process, but it was varied and cumbersome. From farming drops for synthesising, to mastering all the mini games, and even conquering the convoluted gummi ship missions and thwarting the secret boss there. Each step adds its own level of complexity that could turn off players looking for a consistent experience. But not me, I adored every step of this, and I’d happily do it again if they ever ported the game natively to PS5.
Team Sonic Racing (PS4)
The forgotten child of the Sonic Racing series, Team Sonic Racing has quickly been dwarfed by Crossworlds. While it has problems with its limited scope, its team-based gameplay and addictive story mode are where it shines through. The missions in the story are reminiscent of the challenges of the All Stars titles, and are incredibly challenging. Trying to complete some of the ring challenges require so much precision and mastery of the tracks and the systems that its no surprise this is a rare Platinum.
Just how rare? It’s sat at a 0.1% on PSN and a 2.29% on PSNProfiles, making it my rarest Platinum trophy by percentage. This is solely down to the requirement to 100% complete the story mode, which is no easy task. This was a satisfying Platinum to achieve. I really felt like I’d mastered the game by the end. Plus it gets bonus points for being far more satisfying than the grind fest Crossworlds was to achieve its Platinum trophy.
Persona 5 (PS4)
To clarify, I do not mean Persona 5 Royal, this is the original, vanilla game. The reason? Well, Royal just requires you to beat the game with the new term and complete a few miscellaneous tasks; it has a 20% Platinum rate for a reason! Whereas the original, you need to complete every confidant, beat the game on New Game Plus and master a few of the in-game systems. I had given up on this after my original playthrough, but something possessed me to return a few years later and get it done.
I believe it was partially down to having every other Persona 5 Platinum at the time, and this one being sat incomplete on my list irked me a bit. So I ran through the game, beat the super boss, completed the compendium and caught that big old fish, and it was done. This ended up being nowhere near as daunting as I feared, but one I’m still proud of nonetheless. Now I just need to do the PS5 version of Royal and my set is complete again…
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin (PS4)
This is not a game I expected to enjoy as much as I did, but I think it’s down to how I played it. To set the record straight, I suck at soulslike or parry-heavy games, like actually awful at them. I find them frustrating, annoying and just not particularly fun. But I decided to play Stranger of Paradise in 100% multiplayer with my partner, and then the struggle became a collective burden that we shared together. We had to take on different roles and adapt to different battles to get through.
Nobody carried either of us; we struggled and learnt together and overcame insane odds (I’m looking at you, Tiamat). And we did it, two weeks of struggles, and we mastered the gameplay and came out victorious. The story we were rewarded with was both ridiculous and heartfelt, and I loved my time with it. Maybe someday I’ll try some of the other games in the same style, but for now, this was enough.
Metaphor ReFantazio (PS5)
Where do I begin with Metaphor ReFantazio? This might be a modern masterpiece in gameplay and storytelling. I immediately fell in love and hold it in extremely high regard. But this isn’t the article for gushing about Atlus’s game-creating prowess; this is about the shiny PNG I obtained at the end. Beating the game and doing all you need to do is not a hard process, but there are a few things that push to New Game plus that harbour a headache.
When you load into New Game plus, you’ll notice that in the secret library, there is a book of Apocalypse. This contains a ridiculously difficult boss that you’ll need to take down in order to earn the trophy. It’s advised that you’re as high level as possible for this, so you’ll need to play through the game again. Maxing out your level and stats in the best way possible, whilst also collecting the best gear. When you’re finally ready, it’s time, and you’re in for the fight of your life. I had to learn a completely new strategy to stand a chance of taking this guy down, and even then, it took multiple attempts.
This genuinely made the super boss fights in previous Atlus titles feel like a joke. It took me nearly 50 minutes on my last attempt to get this guy down. I am incredibly proud of taking this guy down, but I never want to do it again, so I hope “Metaphor Definitive Edition” never comes to pass.
Petit Island (PS5)
This unassuming indie darling is a vibrant breath of fresh air when compared to some of the nightmares I’ve endured for this list. It’s a lovely, cozy, go at your own pace adventure on an island filled with animals. With a lot of Animal Crossing vibes with fishing, bug catching and base decoration, this title is a great palate cleanser after some darker journeys. But why is it here?
Frankly, it’s due to its weird rarity. I get that these kinds of cosy games are niche, and playing them on a PS5 is even nicher. But, according to PSNProfiles at the time of writing, only 39 people have Platinumed this title. That number is crazy small. The fact that my partner and I are two of them makes us 5 per cent of all people with this Platinum trophy. That kind of fact earned it the spot here, and an excuse to recommend it to people looking for a nice, wholesome adventure.
So that was my list; these are the ones that come to mind when I think of impactful Platinum trophies. Everyone’s list is different, and that’s part of what makes trophy lists so interesting to read. They are a tapestry of your virtual adventures, and help cement positive memories and hardships in the hobby. If you’re interested, here is my PSNProfiles Page so you can judge my collection for yourself! Make sure to comment some of your favourites too, I’d love to read them!
Video game completionist and 3D platformer connoisseur, Riley is a fan of the whimsical frenzy of bright and colourful characters that blessed us in the late 90's. Their favourite game's are Spyro, Persona 5 and Super Mario Sunshine.
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