Platinums of 2021
- Kieran Harris
- Jan 29, 2021
- 12 min read
Updated: May 18, 2021
Hey everyone!
So here I'm just going to be posting some condensed thoughts about platinum trophies that I earn during 2021. I've set myself a target goal of trophies and platinums to earn through the year and this will document my steps towards it.
I'll be providing thoughts, rough time estimates and tips on the games I platinum, so hopefully it will help you gauge if you want to go for it too! If you have any further questions, feel free to comment or drop me a message on twitter :) Without further ado, let's get into my platinums of 2021!
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope
So I have a little bit of a love/hate relationship with this game. It's a huge step up from Man of Medan, the previous game in the series, but it still has some glaring issues. The story is much more interesting though and the graphics are simply stunning. There's some severe lapses in logic in certain scenes though and it really subtracts from the experience and destroys the suspension of disbelief. Overall, all being said, it's still a solid game.
The platinum however, is pure grind. It requires 3-5 playthroughs to get various endings and relationship builds and there's not enough variety to keep it fresh. I could honesty recite 80% of the game perfectly and that comes down to some very cheesy phrases and not many changes when it comes to decisions.
What made the platinum more difficult for me was I also kept experiencing save corruptions and game crashes. It happened at various points and the story where the game would crash and that playthrough would instantly corrupt, meaning I'd have to start again. So, if you're going for the platinum, I would definitely recommend backing up your saves every time you play, just in case.
Issues aside, if you like games where there's multiple choices and different dialogue options then of course you will enjoy this. It's not particularly scary, it uses the same jump scares over and over but the story is surprisingly deep, which you do understand more the more playthroughs you have. Where this one is better as a platinum trophy when compared to Man of Medan is the use of chapter select. In this, you can choose to return to any chapter you've already played and attempt to change the future from there, which helps cut out large portions on follow-up playthroughs. The other improvement is in the pause screen. So, part of the trophy list is to do an "all brain" or "all heart playthrough" and pausing the game allows you to keep track of it you're still successful in that. It's a really handy feature.
The trophy I had the biggest issue with was Angela and John's relationship. Its tricky to unlock the trophy playing in solo story, so co-op is recommended. That being said, there is a YouTube video that shows you the exact choices to make to get this trophy and you should definitely give it a watch as there's some choices that don't seem like they will have a negative impact but they actually do.
As a trophy experience, the game is probably a 5/10 for fun and 2/10 for difficulty (would be 1 if not for corruptions). Good luck on getting the plat if you haven't already and thanks for reading!
2. Maneater
My second platinum of 2021 (and my 145th in total) is Maneater!
I remember first seeing this game be announced and just not knowing what to make of it. I didn't know if I loved the idea or hated it, but I was intrigued nonetheless. That indecisiveness meant that I held off on buying it and thankfully it came to PlayStation Plus so I just had to give it a go.
I wasn't expecting a masterpiece of a game and it isn't one either. In fact, it's incredibly one note. Sure it has some good puns and humour and an effectively simple gameplay premise but it's just a little too repetitive with little to no variety at all. The environments are cool and it's one of the only games set underwater that I actually continued to play as someone who is scared of being underwater but it's just not very gripping.
The platinum is incredibly simple though, making it a mindless jaunt to get in approximately 10-12 hours. Basically, it's like a Far Cry type trophy list, just without the specific kill challenges. Each area has collectables, hunts and missions. Clear them all, level up your shark and bam, platinum. It's really that simple.
As a platinum, it's fairly enjoyable. There's no real challenge to it but that also makes it feel a little tedious too, it depends on how you prefer your platinum grind. I'm not going to rabble on too much since there's not much to say. It's enjoyable enough, free on plus for PS5 players and an easy platinum. Just don't expect this game to be amazing; like the shark, it will come back to bite you on the ass. Maneater is a 6/10 for fun and a 2/10 for difficulty.
Thanks for reading!
3. Concrete Genie
Platinum 3 of 2021 and 146 in total :)
PlayStation have been in form with their wonderful monthly games. Concrete Genie is a game that I’ve been wanting to play since I first laid eyes on it. The art style is unique and gorgeous and the premise is one that, despite me being the worst artist you could ever meet, I was still intrigued in.
The story about overcoming darkness with art, beating your bullies and fixing relationships is a poignant one, all told in an 8-hour experience. Ash is a brilliant and relatable character too, an undeniably likeable guy that is a joy to play as.
The game basically is an artist’s playground. You can scale rooftops to get around and to help with dodging bullies and you have the freedom of walls everywhere to create lots of wonderful canvases. It’s a visual delight and an uplifting allegory. Everyone can and probably will enjoy this game. Play it!
So how about the platinum? Overall, it takes around 10 hours to do with a couple of hours clean-up at the end of the story depending on how much you’ve done as you go. It’s really straightforward to platinum, with most of the trophies coming naturally as you go. The exceptions are types of collectables and specific combinations in paintings, such as painting 10 fires in a row. There’s nothing really missable, anything can be sorted after the fact and shouldn’t be difficult for anyone to complete.
There are a couple of buggy trophies to watch out for though. There’s one for playing peekaboo with a genie, the monsters that you paint to help you clear out the darkness. This is supposed to pop naturally in a particular scene of the game but on my playthrough it did not. Thankfully, there’s a YouTube video that shows you an alternative method to achieve it so if it doesn’t work for you, don’t panic.
The other bugged trophy to keep an eye out for is the masterpiece trophy for the waterways section. Be sure to save your game and make a copy of your save before you paint the masterpiece here as the trophy is one that sometimes does not trigger for people.
Concrete Genie is an 8/10 for fun and a 1/10 for difficulty. Enjoy!
Thanks for reading!
4. We Were Here
Platinum number 4 of 2021 and 147 in total is We Were Here!
So this game is free on the PlayStation store until Feb 23rd when it's follow-up games will also be released. It's a bit weird and to be honest, quite creepy. You know when a B movie ends up being more scary than something AAA just because it's a bit outside the box and unconventional? That's this game.
It's not actually a horror game though, it's a puzzle game. The game has to be played as a pair in online co-op where you both walk through separate paths and have to communicate solutions to one another to progress. The premise is great and the puzzles are quite fun but there are a couple of frustrating aspects too.
It's a ridiculously easy platinum though that should only take about 4 hours at most to get for the both of you. A highlight of the trophies is the "happy ending" trophy, which is bizarre and as hilariously rude as it sounds.
I'm not going to spoil any solutions for the puzzles, there are guides already available if you really need them but in all honesty you shouldn't struggle.
My pro tip though would be to play the game on PS5 if you can and just share screen to each other. That way you can visualise what they're communicating with you as well, making the experience a breeze.
Overall the game is a 5/10 for fun and a 1/10 for difficulty. Hurry up before it is taken off the store for free and you're charged!
Thank you :)
5 + 6. Freddy Spaghetti
My 149th and 150th platinums trophies are courtesy of Freddy Spaghetti!
Freddy Spaghetti is a game I've reviewed which I will post the link to when it's been published. The reason i've got 2 platinums from it is because it has a ps4 and a ps5 version included when you buy.
So what is it? Well, bloody weird is what is is. You play as a piece of spaghetti called Freddy (no surprise there) after a scientist known as Dr. P Starr has achieved his goal of bringing something inanimate to life. As Freddy you have to complete simple objectives and then reach the end goal in levels that are as short as 6 seconds while others can last a few minutes.
There are 55 levels in total and you will be playing football, fighting crime as a cowboy and escaping police. It's pretty damn weird. If you've played Octodad, you will be fairly familiar with how the movement works, as either end of the spaghetti is controlled by the two bumpers. It's not as fiddly or complicated as Octodad though.
The game only takes around an hour / an hour and half to fully complete and platinum. Its an absolute breeze and honestly, I wish I could offer come insight or some marvellous tips to help you but no one needs it. It's incredibly simple and a bit of a laugh while it lasts. The only levels that require some elements of skill and luck are those where you need to use the jump mechanic, which is a bit fiddly. It shouldn't take too many attempts though and you'll have yourself shiny platinums!
Overall the game is a 5 / 10 for fun and a 1 / 10 for difficulty! Enjoy :)
7. Dirt 5 (PS5)
Platinum number 151 in total and 8th of the year is Dirt 5!
I haven't played the last couple of Dirt iterations but I'd heard good things about the dualsense implementation in Dirt 5 and just had to try it out. I was blown away by how this game used the triggers to mirror the feeling of being on different surfaces and how the vibrations shift to either side depending on where the weight of the car lies when you're drifting.
I enjoyed my time with Dirt 5 despite it being over in just a few days of playing. At first it seems like it's a long game but it really doesn't take too long at all. It's a solid arcade racer with some beautiful HDR and visuals but it's just not very deep and neither does it encourage you to replay the game too much. The only reason you have to keep playing after the story is either multiplayer (which has some very bad queue times,) and for the absolutely nonsense trophy: "spare some change for gas?". This trophy makes you race for 1000 miles, which doesn't sound too bad but the story only takes you approximately half of that, so there's a lot of grind at the end. This trophy was previously for 10,000 miles... 1000 took me about 10 hours!
Thankfully it got changed and overall the trophy list is extremely simple for even the most causal racing game players. I don't really have too much to say in terms of advice, just play and enjoy the game. For the 1000 miles trophy, go into the creative mode and search for "afk" and just find a way to keep your trigger held down to grind those trophies. I say this because I tried to actually earn the miles properly and it takes the absolute mick and I gave up after about 6 hours of grind... You'll be done with the game after the story is finished so just get on this asap.
I'll give the game a 3/10 for difficulty and a 7/10 for fun!
Thanks!
8. Silver Chains
Platinum 8 of the year but was actually my 148th platinum overall.
Okay so I may have actually forgotten about this game so please excuse my cock up. I posted a review for it which you can find here: Silver Chains (PS5) Review | via PS4 BC | GamePitt - Headup Games
So this game is a bit of a bland horror game. It actually has some decent ideas and a couple of good scares but it's really short and not the most complicated of games in terms of gameplay. The environments look decent enough but some of the scares look so bad they actually make you laugh. That being said, I do think if it goes on sale it's worth a play. Its a little different and I'm an advocate for horror so I'll support anything in the genre so long as it's not dreadful or offensive.
As for the plat, it's largely straightforward but for a couple of missable trophies. There is one for not being caught by the monster in the house at all which sounds really difficult but the game is only 2 hours long and all you have to do is run to a cupboard. Best to look up a video for the encounters as they're completely scripted and you'll be fine on this one.
The other missable trophies are for collectables and for completing a maze room in less than 30 seconds. The collectables aren't difficult to find at all so if you look in each room I think you'll be fine but of course there should be a guide somewhere.
The maze however is a bitch. This isn't easy to pull off at all so I recommend creating a manual save before you attempt it since it's very dark and a little disorienting. Definitely look this up if you're going for the platinum in one playthrough!
Silver Chains is just meh. It's a 5/10 for fun and a 2-3 / 10 for difficulty.
9. It Takes Two
Platinum 9 of the year and 152 overall is the absolutely wonderful It Takes Two!
Find my full review of this exceptional co-op game here: It Takes Two (PS5) Review | GamePitt - Electronic Arts
It Takes Two is a masterpiece. I honestly don't know if there is going to be a game that beats it for my game of the year. I had an absolute blast from start to finish. It's simply an incredible game with lots to do and fun to be had. Honestly I just wish it was longer, I could spend an age in it's world and getting to play through it with my partner was wonderful, we had an amazing time.
The platinum features some funky little references and brilliant mechanics and honestly, I don't really want to spoil them. They're so fun to discover for yourself and so to be fair I wouldn't recommend looking up a trophy guide for the game. Just look everywhere and interact with everything and you will be fine. You can also chapter select to the specific chapter that you missed anything in and it even tells you where you've missed it.
There aren't any collectables as such, since Josef Fares calls them pointless "shiny shit" (I fucking love that man,) but you can "collect" mini-games to play against your player 2 which are brilliant fun and weirdly competitive. It's honestly just a joy to play and is probably the best co-op game I've ever played. GO PLAY IT NOW IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY.
Fun is 10/10 and difficulty is 2/10 (some tricky platforming parts but really nothing too difficult).
Thanks for reading!
10. Control
Platinum number 10 of the year is Control, my 153rd in total!
I had an intrigue in this game when it first got announced but I got distracted by other releases so it kind of got put on the back burner. Thankfully, the Ultimate Edition was announced as a Plus game with Sony keeping up their incredible run of games in their online service package. So, I no longer had an excuse, it was time to jump in.
The game looks and plays wonderfully. There is a performance 60fps / 4k mode or you can have 30fps with ray-tracing, which just gives all the shiny environments are more realistic look. While it looks amazing, performance mode is where you want to play the game as it still looks amazing and the combat and it's incredible physics system means you will want to see the game the smoothest way possible. The story is weird but engaging and Jesse is a great character to enjoy the ride with. There are some hilarious and weird missions along the way and it's just so fun to explore The Old House.
The platinum itself is actually really simple, made even more simple by the fact you can turn on invincibility in the settings (something I sadly found out after I got the platinum which means I did it the hard way). This doesn't disable trophies and should be used if you're finding some of the bosses too tricky (there are some very tough fights in the game).
Essentially, play the game any way you like. Nothing is missable and even the collectables are largely really simple to find and you don't even need to get all of them. The hardest part of the game will be the missions where you have to track down certain enemies or objects so I encourage you to use the PS5 cards or a Youtube video to show you their locations.
Overall, I'd give the game a 9/10 for fun and a 3/10 for difficulty (5 without using the invincibility).
Thanks!
Platinum number 11 of the year is Wreckfest!
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