Most Recent Platinum

[Trancexistence]

 #68 - The Light In The Darkness

 

 

Last one from me for a little bit as I'm starting Uncharted 4 next which I'll be playing around work hours and other stuff along with F1 23 intermittently.

 

This is a free game on PSN that also serves as an educational tool and tells the story of a Jewish family living in Nazi occupied Paris during the second world war. The subject matter is harrowing, but in my opinion everyone should play this game as the message the story conveys is important. It brought tears to my eyes.

 

Enjoyment: n/a

Difficulty: 1/10

Total Game Time: 2 hours

[Arzoden]

--------------------PLATINUM #107 | Dead Island 2--------------------

 

Alright let's talk a little about Dead Island 2, i do not have all that much time so i will make it quick

The game itself was a blast, fluid and cool Combat mechanics with a very clean looking world, i experienced a lot of weapon whiffing witch was very annoying, but played a bit more carefully and landed most of my shots. I am convinced that the combat tracing needs a little more polishing though

 

The fast travel was a good addition, but we really should have gotten it earlier imo. 

Let's talk story, it was really good! I watched all of the story cutscenes up til the end where it got very predictable. I skipped all side quests but u know. 

 

Weapon designs was cool, i wish you could find legendary weapons a bit earlier but i am fine with them appearing more in late game.

 

Music was really great! Probably liked this music more than the last 2 games but it's been a while since i played them. Sound always get's me immersed

 

ALSO the jumpscares! Holy smokes i jumped like 8 times in this game, mostly the fkkers standing behind doors you open?

 

 

As usual this game is a must buy, especially for zombie fans.

 

Here are my ratings

-------------------------------

Enjoyment 9/10

Difficulty 4/10

Music 9/10

Story 8/10

 

It took me me 25 Hours to get the platinum

Edited August 6, 2023 by Arzoden

[SirDave1988]

 # 157 - Sonic Origins Plus (PS5)

Complete Clear!
Get all the trophies

 

My very first videogame that was ever bought for me when I was 5 years old was Sonic The Hedgehog 2 on the Master System. I instantly became a mega fan of Sonic, would buy Sonic The Comic's here in the UK and would try to play every entry on the PlayStation that I could. Now 30 years later, it's pretty cool to obtain the platinum in the original trilogy on the Genesis/Mega Drive, along with Sonic & knuckles and Sonic CD.

 

The addiion of Anniversary mode, which is essentially the original games with unlimited lives in a 16:9 ratio was a godsend for me, as I've never considered myself to be that good at Sonic games, so knowing that I could play through more leisurely made the platinum, for me at least, more enjoyable. Also, the addition of coins to unlock content and to replay special stages upon failure was another welcome addition, and really helped me get all the Chaos Emeralds in Sonic 2, which was really the only difficulty I had with this platinum.

 

Overall, if you're a fan of Sonic, I would definetly recommend it, even if you have played the classics like I have many times, especially if you can get the physical release of the Plus version like I did, as you also get 12 Game Gear Sonic titles (not related to the platinum) and a really nice artbook and reversable cover, it's a really nice package.

 

Difficulty - 3/10

Enjoyment - 9/10

Hardest Trophy - Super Sonic

 

 

 

Edited August 6, 2023 by SirDave1988

[NetoStyle]

 

Fast & Furious: Spy Racers Rise of SH1FT3R (PS5)

#190

 

 

Spy Racer
Unlock all trophies

 

67.66% | Common

3 hours, 6 minutes.

 

 

 

 

My Little Pony: A Maretime Bay Adventure (PS5)

#191

 

 

Alicorn Status
Get every trophy

 

82.19% | Very Rare

1 hour, 21 minutes.

 

 

 

 

Got both of these plats thanks to the PS+ Extra catalogue, the F&F game is not very good in my personal opinion but not the worst. The My Little Pony game was a surprise haha it was more enjoyable compared to the F&F game!

 

Now back to playing the DLC's on Watch Dogs: Legion to get the 100% while also trophy hunting WWE 2K23! ?

[ChrisAlmonte]

                                      #82

“With the success of the PS4 I’m not sure i have…TIME…but i have always wanted to kill a dinosaur”-Shuhei Yoshida

 

 

 

 

 

[Cal]

Control

Platinum 74 

Well this took me forever to get back to, bought this game day one when it came out but got distracted by other games and I never finished it but after platinuming Alan Wake I figured I should come back to this game and finish it since Remedy made this game. I really liked Control had fun with it game can be challenging at times but nothing impossible you just gotta keep pushing! This whole game gave me a SCP vibe to it I don't know if Control was inspired by the whole SCP but the whole idea of these every modern day items having some kind of weird messed up effect to humans or potentially kill them and they have to contain it so the items don't bring harm to anyone. I really like how the gun was just different types of guns rolled into one pretty cool concept and once you start unlocking more abilities the game get's even more fun. One thing I didn't like was the map I got lost very quickly in some areas to the point where I had to look up where I was going, the game sometimes doesn't give you a clear idea. I'm looking forward to Control 2 I recommend this game to anyone however if you can get the PS5 version the PS4 one can be choppy and framerate can drop when a lot is going on the screen, oh and it's pretty cool how they connected Control and Alan Wake together glad I finished that game and then played Control.  

 

   

[shadaik]

#96

Knightin'+ (PS4)

Platinum Knight

 

The game for people who can't decide if the want to play some classic Zelda or not.

 

This is essentially the dungeons of classic Zelda with a little bit of Diablo thrown in (as in, the dungeons have floors and the  boss is in the lowermost). I'm fairly certain I even remember the second boss from Link's Awakening. This is mostly a game for a long train ride, which is what I'll save the cross-bought Vita version for. Plus, I'm getting close to 100, and would like to make something better that milestone. Hopefully either Assassin's Creed III, now that the servers are up again, or Star Trek Online.

 

But as for Knightin'+, it's alright. A bit short, but the bosses are a decent, though not at all tough, challenge. A classic case of "it's fine for what it is".

 

Fun: 6/10

Length: 3/10

Platinum: 2/10

 

 

#97

Lego Legends of Chima

Triple CHI Legend

 

Do you want to hear about the merits of aristocracy while throwing racist slurs at crocodiles? Boy, do I have a game for you! At least I think "mudlover" is some kind of slur, I'm not too far into the racial politics of Chima.

 

Yeah, Chima is an odd one. One of four handheld-exclusive modern Lego games that never made it to consoles (the others being two Ninjago games and Lego Friends, the latter didn't even make it off the DS/3DS), and it shows. The Vita version clearly is a port of the 3DS version, with several cutscenes at the resolution and prowess of the 3DS while some others look like a current cartoon series, facial animation and everything. Yes, some have fully animated faces and some have unmoving mouths with voices dubbed over. In the first level, an impressively animated scene is followed by one at 3DS level quality, without any gameplay in between. How does that happen? Rushed development, I guess.

 

As a trade-off, this is the first Lego game I've seen to not have a trophy for 100%ing the game and I ended up popping the platinum at about 60%.  Given that I don't even have to buy the red bricks, but just have to find them to pop the trophy for getting them all, I could probably have finished at around 55%. Also, it's possible to exit levels in freeplay and still keep the coins and collectibles from that run, saving a lot of time on clean-up. So yeah, a game whose best features are those that make you play less of it.

 

As far as Lego goes, I love the Chima sets, but this one earned its place as my second-least favorite Lego game. Still above Alpha Team on the Game Boy Color, but just behind Friends on the 3DS. This could have been a lot better.

 

Bonus: The first game to make my Vita crash to automatic shutdown! For some reason, the Eagle part of the overworld was prone to crashing when I went in with any red bricks activated. Fun!

 

Fun: 4/10

Length: 6/10

Platinum: 2/10

Edited August 6, 2023 by shadaik

[No longer here]

#205 - Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition (PS4)

 

Enjoyment/Rating: 8/10

Difficulty: 7/10

Time: 90 Hours

PSNP Rarity: 2.84%

PSN Rarity: 0.5%

 

For some reason I wanted to go back and go back to a game that I got fatigued from. The game is not at all a bad game, but the platinum was tough and it took a while for sure, however, the combat in this game is still ahead of its time and I was craving some DMC after a long while! When I first played this game, I wasn't that adept at action/hack and slash games yet, but coming back now I was able to adapt to it again and felt way more motivated This is the only DMC game I was missing, and no I prob won't play DMC2 lol.

 

This DMC has the best combat in the series behind DMC5 imo, the amount of characters and combinations within their moveset felt good and intuitive to use. Without a doubt, one of the best combat systems during the time, maybe the best! Lots of bosses were fun to fight and the cycle of killing enemies with high style points never felt old!! Playing as Vergil and Dante in this game was amazing and never got boring. Literally Vergil was broken for S ranks and Dante is my fav video game character so ofc he is my favorite lol. Nero was great but he is more better in DMC5. Lady and Trish were surprisingly one of the better parts of the gameplay. Lady's weapons were put to use very well and made for some devastating explosive combos, making S ranks and SSS style points satisfying to get! Trish was harder to use, but both her fists and sword have different combos that make for interesting ways to beat down an enemy, she was extremely fun for sure! Trish is like a mini Dante kinda lol. The game comes with a lot of content which means lots of combos to learn. The music is great too in this game when it ramps up! Some good memorable tracks there! Before DMC5 came along, this was easily the most deep, fluid and responsive combat system and it holds up very very well today! The story is servicable, nothing too crazy, but it made the game more fun to follow. A lot of enemies had good enough patterns to play around with them, and they are a few bosses I really did enjoy overall. Also, as hard as Bloody Palace was trophy wise, it definitely made the combat more intuitive and fun for me!!

 

Now the game is great mechanically and character wise, but there are many problems with the game tbh. Some parts felt unfinished. The level design is not memorable and is basically back and forth for each half of the game, so not excited. The platforming sucked and shouldn't have been much of it. Enemies were fine for the most part, but a lot weren't memorable and they didn't make for good combos, especially on higher difficulties. A lot bosses weren't that great, but were fine for destroying them with crazy OP moves. I did say story was fine, but that's about it. Some levels were a drag to play because like I said, it wasn't good level design, lots of mind numbing backtracking. This def brought down the quality of the game overall, but action fans know its true value in the combat system.

 

The reason I give this game a 8/10 is because obviously, the combat system is masterful and it literally outweighs most of the negatives of the game. You have to understand that it is a action game, however other factors matter too. For this game though, the combat is so damn fun and it never felt boring after even 90 hours of playing this game overall. All the problems in this game is lessened once you fully learned/mastered a character, and that is the charm of this series.  It may not be one of the best games ever when it comes together, but it is one of the best action games ever made and it was like that for a long time, it blew people's minds back then and it did for me as well, a freaking ps3 game originally. That is enough to make it an great game! Had this game been better designed like DMC5 was, this would have been a action masterpeice for sure. I will say though, I recommend DMC4 for anyone interested in amazing combat or is a DMC lover.

 

And for those who want to experience the best combat ever made from the start, try out DMC5

 

 

[Wild-Arms-R]

2 hours ago, victorrfuego said:

#205 - Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition (PS4)

 

Enjoyment/Rating: 8/10

Difficulty: 7/10

Time: 90 Hours

PSNP Rarity: 2.84%

PSN Rarity: 0.5%

 

For some reason I wanted to go back and go back to a game that I got fatigued from. The game is not at all a bad game, but the platinum was tough and it took a while for sure, however, the combat in this game is still ahead of its time and I was craving some DMC after a long while! When I first played this game, I wasn't that adept at action/hack and slash games yet, but coming back now I was able to adapt to it again and felt way more motivated This is the only DMC game I was missing, and no I prob won't play DMC2 lol.

 

This DMC has the best combat in the series behind DMC5 imo, the amount of characters and combinations within their moveset felt good and intuitive to use. Without a doubt, one of the best combat systems during the time, maybe the best! Lots of bosses were fun to fight and the cycle of killing enemies with high style points never felt old!! Playing as Vergil and Dante in this game was amazing and never got boring. Literally Vergil was broken for S ranks and Dante is my fav video game character so ofc he is my favorite lol. Nero was great but he is more better in DMC5. Lady and Trish were surprisingly one of the better parts of the gameplay. Lady's weapons were put to use very well and made for some devastating explosive combos, making S ranks and SSS style points satisfying to get! Trish was harder to use, but both her fists and sword have different combos that make for interesting ways to beat down an enemy, she was extremely fun for sure! Trish is like a mini Dante kinda lol. The game comes with a lot of content which means lots of combos to learn. The music is great too in this game when it ramps up! Some good memorable tracks there! Before DMC5 came along, this was easily the most deep, fluid and responsive combat system and it holds up very very well today! The story is servicable, nothing too crazy, but it made the game more fun to follow. A lot of enemies had good enough patterns to play around with them, and they are a few bosses I really did enjoy overall. Also, as hard as Bloody Palace was trophy wise, it definitely made the combat more intuitive and fun for me!!

 

Now the game is great mechanically and character wise, but there are many problems with the game tbh. Some parts felt unfinished. The level design is not memorable and is basically back and forth for each half of the game, so not excited. The platforming sucked and shouldn't have been much of it. Enemies were fine for the most part, but a lot weren't memorable and they didn't make for good combos, especially on higher difficulties. A lot bosses weren't that great, but were fine for destroying them with crazy OP moves. I did say story was fine, but that's about it. Some levels were a drag to play because like I said, it wasn't good level design, lots of mind numbing backtracking. This def brought down the quality of the game overall, but action fans know its true value in the combat system.

 

The reason I give this game a 8/10 is because obviously, the combat system is masterful and it literally outweighs most of the negatives of the game. You have to understand that it is a action game, however other factors matter too. For this game though, the combat is so damn fun and it never felt boring after even 90 hours of playing this game overall. All the problems in this game is lessened once you fully learned/mastered a character, and that is the charm of this series.  It may not be one of the best games ever when it comes together, but it is one of the best action games ever made and it was like that for a long time, it blew people's minds back then and it did for me as well, a freaking ps3 game originally. That is enough to make it an great game! Had this game been better designed like DMC5 was, this would have been a action masterpeice for sure. I will say though, I recommend DMC4 for anyone interested in amazing combat or is a DMC lover.

 

And for those who want to experience the best combat ever made from the start, try out DMC5

 

 

Good plat there dude.

 

I've always said truout the years that both DMC4 and RE0, are games that fall under that flawed masterpiece category.

 

They are games that employ unique mechanics, not only in their respective series but also as in all of gaming.

Unfortunately both were blog down a lot due to their structure and some questions design choices.

A lot of this is due in part to their rough dev cycles tho.

 

Edited August 7, 2023 by Wild-Arms-R

[Mr_Fluffy_Pants_]

 

 195 - Cotton Fantasy

 

The first new entry to the cotton series in a very long time. I prefer 2D style of the old games but I don’t know if others would agree, I’m old fashioned that way I guess.

 

Found this game a lot of fun, you have to finish it 7 times (once for each character) but the characters are different enough that it didn’t become tedious, and although you have to finish 10 stages to finish the game, there are many more stages then this so you can pick what stages you want to play each time to make the playthroughs vary a bit in that regard as well.

 

Something else I liked about this game is that for a shoot ‘em up it has a very attainable trophy list. Perfect for people who like the genre but are probably unable to platinum the vast majority. If that sounds like you then I would definitely recommend this game. 
 

 

[mizulan]

#5 Final fantasy 8

[percy547389126yv]

#2,738 Japanese version of Ord

 

[RylahPlatin]

#1 Final Fantasy X HD

 

Total Time: 102 hours

Difficulty: 4/10

Biggest Challence: Lady Yunalesca and 15 minutes of unskippable cutscenes after each try.

 

Enjoyment: 9/10

 

For my trophy hunting start I wanted a special game to be my "first" - pretty happy with my choice! 

Edited August 7, 2023 by RylahPlatin

[SaiyanSenshi]

Sackboy: A Big Adventure

 

 

Big Adventurer

 

 # 26

 

Rating Enjoyment: 7.5/10

Difficulty: 4/10

Duration: 22 Hours

Rarity Psn: 0.6% Ultra Rare

Rarity Psnp: 12.26% Rare

 

Next Up ⬇️

 

 

The Last Of Us Part I

 

[mr2k_pdh]

#83 - Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

 

---

Ghost Trick Master
Clear all Challenges

52.79% | Common

[RebelsHeart]

  Platinum #127   -   Venba   

 

 

 

Fun: 8/10

Difficulty 1/10

 

 

 

Venba is a short, sad yet beautiful story.
I loved the artstyle, music and story.
It made me feel quite emotional and I'm so glad to have experienced it.

 

The cooking mini games were really fun and educational.

It already looks so good in game, so I can imagine it would look and taste amazing if made irl.

 

 

I highly recommend the game! Support these amazing devs for putting out this story!

[Brainswashed]

Uncharted Legacy of thieves Collection

Difficult: 4/10

Fun: 10/10

Time: 35 hr

 

 

i still remember almost everything in the game i started with lost legacy then with thief’s end i really enjoying with ps5 version and playing it without ( Auto-pop) 

i feel little boring but graphics is amazing and the loading screen is fast 

 

note : glitch speedrun still working 

thats all guys happy hunting ..

[Suminya]

#378 - 映画「五等分の花嫁」 ～君と過ごした五つの思い出～

(The Quintessential Quintuplets Movie: Five Memories of My Time with You)

 

コンプリート
全てのトロフィーを獲得した

 

 

#379 - Steins;Gate 0

 

To the Promised Place
100% Completed Steins;Gate 0.

[Hayke7]

- #68 Horizon: Forbidden West

 

 All Trophies Obtained
Obtained all Horizon Forbidden West trophies.

 

Finally went back and got this easy and enjoyable platinum. Game itself is enjoyable and the platinum is.. really quite easy and only ask for some time!

[JoaLoft]

 

#310 - Resident Evil 4 (Remake)

 

We continue the platinum train with the platinum trophy of an excellent remake: Resident Evil 4.

 

The year is 2004 and Leon is sent on a secret assignment in Spain to rescue the US president's abducted daughter, Ashley. Soon after arriving at a remote Spanish village, Leon discovers the villagers are all under the control of a vicious parasite called "Las Plagas". As Leon ventures deeper, he must rescue Ashley, stop the plot of the cult and kill the leader who is controlling it all.

 

Resident Evil 4 Remake manages to inject an extra horror layer to the original which was very action-focused. This is obviously possible partially thanks to advanced graphics and audio of modern days, but it also returns Resident Evil 4 a bit more to its scary roots. That doesn't mean the game drops the action - on the contrary. Leon still shoots and kicks like a movie action hero, but the controls have been updated with some vital changes: Leon can strafe now and can aim while he moves. The fluid motions of your protagonist already add a lot to the overall modern experience. Combat has received several upgrades too: Leon wields knives during the game as well, which help him escape if an enemy grabs him or which parry enemy attacks if you time it right! A little something for you Souls fans out there.

 

The story has been expanded upon, just like the Dead Space remake, to give the original game that extra narrative depth. Characters now have clear reasons why and how they're doing certain actions, motives which were completely absent in the original game or implied at best. It helps tell a story at a more immersive pace. And speaking of immersion: the new gameplay design offers more freedom: for example, the lake between the village and the castle doesn't only serve as the backdrop for a boss fight in the remake. Now you get to actually take the boat, explore everywhere around the lake and in the nearby cave system and dock at certain points! Think of it as a miniature Lake of Nine scenario (for you God of War fans out there).

 

And there are many Quality of Life improvements: your inventory has an autosort button, a dedicated crafting menu, the ability to perform stealth kills, complete small assignments for The Merchant, ... They're small additions, but they help make the remake even better.

 

Resident Evil 4 Remake is fantastic. Yet again another amazing remake of a timeless classic. Everything that made the original game stand out, has been polished, expanded upon and crafted with expertise. And because of its newly added horror layer, it feels even scarier and more in line with Resident Evil than ever before. Another undisputable must-play, 2023 is filling up that gaming library fast!

 

Most frustrating trophy - ...

 

   NONE!

 

Most of the trophies aren't hard, and with the New Game Plus rewards which make subsequent runs easier (such as infinite ammo for very powerful weapons) you'll be getting this platinum trophy with ease. Do keep in mind you'll need to complete the game at least six or seven times! Yes, that much. I understand New Game Plus runs add more replayability and an even higher fun factor, but seven runs is excessive, Capcom. Cut it out, lol.

[Dantes_994]

23 hours ago, victorrfuego said:

#205 - Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition (PS4)

 

Enjoyment/Rating: 8/10

Difficulty: 7/10

Time: 90 Hours

PSNP Rarity: 2.84%

PSN Rarity: 0.5%

 

For some reason I wanted to go back and go back to a game that I got fatigued from. The game is not at all a bad game, but the platinum was tough and it took a while for sure, however, the combat in this game is still ahead of its time and I was craving some DMC after a long while! When I first played this game, I wasn't that adept at action/hack and slash games yet, but coming back now I was able to adapt to it again and felt way more motivated This is the only DMC game I was missing, and no I prob won't play DMC2 lol.

 

This DMC has the best combat in the series behind DMC5 imo, the amount of characters and combinations within their moveset felt good and intuitive to use. Without a doubt, one of the best combat systems during the time, maybe the best! Lots of bosses were fun to fight and the cycle of killing enemies with high style points never felt old!! Playing as Vergil and Dante in this game was amazing and never got boring. Literally Vergil was broken for S ranks and Dante is my fav video game character so ofc he is my favorite lol. Nero was great but he is more better in DMC5. Lady and Trish were surprisingly one of the better parts of the gameplay. Lady's weapons were put to use very well and made for some devastating explosive combos, making S ranks and SSS style points satisfying to get! Trish was harder to use, but both her fists and sword have different combos that make for interesting ways to beat down an enemy, she was extremely fun for sure! Trish is like a mini Dante kinda lol. The game comes with a lot of content which means lots of combos to learn. The music is great too in this game when it ramps up! Some good memorable tracks there! Before DMC5 came along, this was easily the most deep, fluid and responsive combat system and it holds up very very well today! The story is servicable, nothing too crazy, but it made the game more fun to follow. A lot of enemies had good enough patterns to play around with them, and they are a few bosses I really did enjoy overall. Also, as hard as Bloody Palace was trophy wise, it definitely made the combat more intuitive and fun for me!!

 

Now the game is great mechanically and character wise, but there are many problems with the game tbh. Some parts felt unfinished. The level design is not memorable and is basically back and forth for each half of the game, so not excited. The platforming sucked and shouldn't have been much of it. Enemies were fine for the most part, but a lot weren't memorable and they didn't make for good combos, especially on higher difficulties. A lot bosses weren't that great, but were fine for destroying them with crazy OP moves. I did say story was fine, but that's about it. Some levels were a drag to play because like I said, it wasn't good level design, lots of mind numbing backtracking. This def brought down the quality of the game overall, but action fans know its true value in the combat system.

 

The reason I give this game a 8/10 is because obviously, the combat system is masterful and it literally outweighs most of the negatives of the game. You have to understand that it is a action game, however other factors matter too. For this game though, the combat is so damn fun and it never felt boring after even 90 hours of playing this game overall. All the problems in this game is lessened once you fully learned/mastered a character, and that is the charm of this series.  It may not be one of the best games ever when it comes together, but it is one of the best action games ever made and it was like that for a long time, it blew people's minds back then and it did for me as well, a freaking ps3 game originally. That is enough to make it an great game! Had this game been better designed like DMC5 was, this would have been a action masterpeice for sure. I will say though, I recommend DMC4 for anyone interested in amazing combat or is a DMC lover.

 

And for those who want to experience the best combat ever made from the start, try out DMC5

 

 

Applause mate!

Plating any DMC game is not easy and that's coming from a hardcore fan! So it's even more thrilling seeing someone platinum it, especially 4, since it's a great game that got strangled by capcoms execs of the time. Nero's design in that game is still my favorite of any character in any action game- ever! 

Bravo!

[MidnightDragon]

#103

Unpacking (PS5)

 

Platinum shot

Edited August 7, 2023 by MidnightDragon

[Hitman_Spinksy1]

 138

Assassin's Creed Syndicate 

 

 

[NorthPaul93]

#139 Dragon Ball Z Budokai HD Collection

The Ultimate Warrior

 

[StraightVege]

 

Platinum Hero

 

  #349

 

Honestly, I have no familiarity whatsoever with the apparently beloved Wonder Boy series, responsible for inspiring this spiritual successor; I guess it managed to elude me back in the day, somehow or another. Nevertheless, you know I can't resist playing any decent Metroidvania that comes my way, and Monster Boy is undoubtedly a solid contribution to this addictive subgenre, featuring a fun transformation mechanic, vibrant visuals, and an expansive interconnected world to explore, including challenging dungeons chock-full of devious puzzles and heart-pounding platforming sections. However, the experience is also marred by several odd design decisions I found rather irritating, which did result in the occasional frustrating moment. Considering how many exceptional action-platformers have been released in the past few years, this one felt slightly dated, but perhaps I'm just spoiled at this point.

 

Following an intro in the style of a Saturday morning cartoon, wherein the virtues of our eponymous shapeshifting hero are extolled in song, the game begins with a blue-haired boy named Jin, watching helplessly as his drunken uncle Nabu turns everyone in the kingdom into various anthropomorphic animals, using some magic staff he found. Of course, the true big bad responsible for ol' unc's abnormal behavior is a generic evil sorcerer dude with nefarious plans, requiring Jin to embark on a quest to gather five powerful orbs hidden throughout the world, each granting him a different animal form possessing unique abilities of its own. Supposedly, when at last brought together, these will finally dispel the curse currently wreaking havoc in the kingdom, but Jin should probably hurry, because King Leonidas intends to execute poor Nabu for his crimes!

 

It's obviously not the deepest story in gaming history, but for a gameplay-centric title like this, it gets the job done, providing Jin with a reason to run right and left for 15–20 hours. Character dialogue is delivered entirely via text, lacking voice acting, and the writing is unfortunately pretty dry and uninteresting. For the most part, NPCs will offer hints about what to do next, or make comments on the situation at hand, with a few zero-effort jokes sprinkled in. Ultra lame "bacon tho" quips regarding Jin's pig form aren't exactly the pinnacle of comedy, so the game would've greatly benefited from a more lively, humorous script. Oh, well.

 

Visually, it's quite striking. The art style is wonderfully crisp, colorful, and cartoonish, with adorable designs for the multitude of animalized citizens, so I've got few complaints in that department. Transitions between animations could've been smoother, though, as they're noticeably abrupt at times, especially when crouching rapidly. Soundtrack-wise, the tunes are certainly good, and how could they not be, looking at the game's lineup of prolific composers? Monster Boy features music from the likes of Michiru Yamane, Yuzo Koshiro, and Motoi Sakuraba, among others. That said, a number of these pieces just sound like blatant remixes of their previous work, making the OST kind of uninspired overall. I definitely noticed familiar motifs from Castlevania, Bloodstained, and others I can't quite place (could be Duck Tales). I assume they wanted their paychecks with minimal effort.

 

Specifically, Jin is capable of changing into a pig, snake, frog, lion, and dragon, along with restoring his human body late in the game. Initially, he's stuck in the pig transformation for a good chunk of time, navigating a sewer area. In this porcine state, he can cast a repertoire of offensive spells, such as vertical lightning to activate special mechanisms, and bombs to blast certain obstructions out of his path. Piggy can also perform a butt slam, stunning enemies, and pressing ground switches. Most importantly, however, is his ability to sniff out secret truffle upgrades, which permanently increase the number of spells he can cast upon being consumed. Acquired next is the snake form, able to slither along mossy surfaces, even on the ceiling, and squeeze through openings far too narrow for the other transformations to enter. Slithery lil' sneaky snake can spit corrosive venom at foes blocking the way, too, not to mention carry key objects in his belly, like cogs necessary to open sealed doors.

 

Further on, he finds himself turned into a frog warrior, whose tongue functions as a sort of grappling hook, letting him slingshot himself around and interact with switches to manipulate mechanisms. Even more useful is his amphibian ability to swim swiftly through watery areas, without being limited by a breath meter as the other forms are. Sometime after, the brawny lion transformation is unlocked, allowing him to charge long distances through susceptible walls, as well as dash upward through similar blockages. Lastly, Jin obtains the dragon orb, which is likely the most helpful transformation of all, since it eventually becomes augmented by a talisman, enabling him to fly anywhere, shoot fireballs, and unleash strong fire breath, all without the hindrance of a stamina bar. Additionally, a previously unknown sixth orb exists, finally reverting Jin to his default human form.

 

Himself once again, he can utilize blindingly fast chain dashing to pass through hazards like lasers and enemy projectiles unharmed, along with boosting himself to impressive heights when it's directed above. He's also the only character with a combo slash attack, and an overhead swing. Disappointingly, the game is nearly over by the time you return to this form, so you don't get to employ it very much before the credits roll. Maybe if you needed to do some backtracking to seek out the many collectible chests (containing health upgrades, armor crafting material, etc.), human Jin would've been more valuable, but I had already looted everything beforehand. Thanks for the walkthrough, Neoseeker!

 

Most forms, being anthropomorphic in nature, can equip a wide selection of gear—swords, shields, armor, boots, and bangles—which bestow abilities of their own, such as the boots letting Jin double jump and walk on clouds, armor emitting light to illuminate pitch black rooms, a shield that reflects light beams to power crystal devices, and so forth. To reach and clear the game's tricky dungeons, where the orbs are located, Jin must often use his assortment of transformations in tandem, while switching gear as necessary, to solve clever puzzles and traverse precarious stretches of platforming. It's just a shame that half of your playtime is spent in the radial menu, and the more cumbersome pause menu, frequently swapping between forms and equipment. Surely, there had to be a more elegant solution for this. Some manner of button shortcuts might not have interrupted the flow of gameplay constantly, for instance. These gauntlets do provide a reasonable degree of challenge, though, even for jump and run veterans like myself.

 

Beyond the musty sewer map mentioned above, Monster Boy is set in the standard locations you'd expect this type of game to offer. You've got your forest, jungle temple, lava level, ice area, tropical beach, and so forth. The bosses of these regions are all adequate, albeit not terribly complicated to figure out, as you have abundant health to work with, making it possible to brute force some of them by tanking damage and mashing attacks. Outside of the couple which are structured more like puzzle fights, I rarely felt pushed to learn their patterns properly. Easily the most interesting stage must be the haunted house, focused around a mechanic allowing Jin to possess ordinary objects in the spirit realm through entering portals. By shifting things like tables and chandeliers into different configurations, he creates paths for his animal forms to reach the next device required for progress. Moreover, it includes an amusing segment necessitating him to pursue a mischievous ghost into various items, which are like miniature levels he needs to finish, in order to chase the ghost out of them. It was a complex and somewhat confusing place, but definitely the most impressive section of the game, and I enjoyed the cool art design exhibited there as well. The mansion is cluttered with mildly creepy elements in the foreground and background, such as dolls whose eyes move to follow you.

 

To discuss a number of other aspects that irked me a bit, this is among the rare 2D action titles that doesn't allow you to drop through platforms and walkways by holding down and pressing the jump button. Obviously, they had intended solutions for each screen, but it still feels bad and restrictive when you've developed decades of muscle memory to perform this maneuver, and nothing happens when you try. Let me drop through certain types of platforms, at least? It's also strange that only the human form, which you don't have access to until the home stretch, has a reliable method of attacking upward, considering how many annoying flying baddies infest the world. Speaking of those, they sure respawn quickly sometimes! There's nothing worse than being endlessly harassed by mosquitoes and whatnot while you're attempting to navigate platforms. Just stay dead, why doncha?! Furthermore, some traps seem to be running on a global timer, meaning that every attempt to survive a given obstacle course is slightly different by the time you make it back to the room you died in. Now, those fireballs responsible for your prior demise are falling in an unfamiliar pattern, causing you to die yet again... Please, simply reset the room upon player entry, giving me a predictable pattern to learn!

 

An altogether worthwhile adventure, and a nice addition to anyone's collection of Metroidvania platinums, but in an era where fantastic stuff like Rogue Legacy 2, The Messenger, Hollow Knight, and Blasphemous exist, it feels a little underwhelming by comparison. From what I've heard, though, it's a worthy successor to the franchise I never played, so fans of Wonder Boy should be apt to enjoy it more than I did. Decent PS+ Extra acquisition on the whole!

 

Full gold equipment sure made this battle a cinch.

 

Edited August 8, 2023 by StraightVege