Ratalaika Games? Do you like them?

[SuchRemorse]

I have played a few just because they are quick little games most of the time and they are very cheap. And they have some of the easiest trophy lists. Sometimes I don't have a lot of time to sit there for hours and hours I work a lot and most of my day is spent doing adult things.  I might want to get the satisfaction of finishing a game in one sitting. Kinda like the original Nintendo. Sometimes I would sit there as a child for 5 or 6 hours playing a game to finish it. This kinda brings me back to those days. But here is the thing. Do we like these games? Or do we just play them for the trophies? Is there anyone out there that actually enjoys these little games or do you just buy them for the platinum???? 

[Juzota]

I have nothing against them. Most of what I've played has been at least a little bit of fun. It feels like every big AAA-game needs to be a open world game, so it's fun to play occasionally something that doesn't take 60 hours to complete.

[SuchRemorse]

5 minutes ago, Juzota said:

I have nothing against them. Most of what I've played has been at least a little bit of fun. It feels like every big AAA-game needs to be a open world game, so it's fun to play occasionally something that doesn't take 60 hours to complete.

That's what I like. Sometimes I like a nice short one hour game. Some of them can be fun!

[JayDeLosDioses]

I admit that I've first bought them because of the trophies, they pop up first if you search for games to get into trophy hunting.

But they're more than easy trophies I've you give them a chance, I think I've enjoyed Peasant Knight and Devious Dungeon 1& 2 the most, but Daggerhood, Gravity Duck and Cybarian are fun games aswell.

I'm always doing the PS4 version of the game first and if I enjoyed the game I play past the platinum on the vita. For 5 bucks they're perfect for the bus ride to work and back imo.

But of course there's some crap... I hate Zero Zero Zero Zero

 

[Nightstream88]

Bought a few of them, and only ever buy them if I think they maybe at least somewhat decent and about what I usually do for about most games I buy anyway, although I have bought quite a few games knowing they would be bad games like Life of Black Tiger and such, So that could be a reason as well. Never have bought a game solely for trophies.
Also didn't know some of the games I bought were published by Ratalaika games until after I bought them either.
 

[FawltyPowers]

I've heard the games aren't too bad, not great by any means but not awful. I think Cornshaq normally gives them around a 6 or 7 out of ten. I won't play them though, I want a platinum to feel like I've completed a game not just took part.

 

As to why others play them.

 

I think if a game appears on someone's profile once they are after a quick easy game, some easy trophies, maybe a stop gap between bigger games.

 

If they have stacks of the same game it is purely just for trophies, as you say they are just being purchased for the platinum and nothing else. I don't think there is any enjoyment in the actual game in this instance.

[Shadiochao]

No, for several reasons.

 

Obviously the main one is exploiting the trophy system to sell games. I mean it's not really their fault, the opportunity is there thanks to Sony, but personally I just wish it wasn't possible to essentially sell platinum trophies.

 

I wish they were more honest about what they were doing. I remember when they used to post here, they came up with excuses like "We're bad at games so we make easy trophy lists so it's easier to test". I don't buy that excuse for a minute, but even if that were true, it doesn't explain creating more work by adding a platinum trophy to begin with, or making 6 stacks for every single game. And I believe some of their earlier games had relatively difficult lists, so they've clearly capable.

 

Another is their fanatical followers. Youtubers they've partnered with are like drug dealers, giving out free samples to get people hooked on easy trophy lists. You'll also often see people on here defend to the grave that they truly like the games for what they are, as they play through them for the sixth time in a day. These people will invariably have almost no other small or indie games on their profiles, but they lap up every 2D side scroller Ratalaika puts out.

 

Also the impact it's had on the community. I'm not sure if it's just me naturally becoming less interested in it, but I do feel that this site isn't as interesting as it once was since they came around. There's been a shift towards people coming here who are only really interested in easy platinums. There's almost always somebody promoting their 100% guide video or a "Trophy thoughts? looks easy" thread on the most recent posts section. Although it might just be a normal thing as the console generation and its big releases die down.

 

And it does just kind of upset me to see people so eager to play these games solely because it adds +6 to their increasingly worthless trophy profiles when there are so many amazing games out there not getting any recognition. Sure, there were always easy platinums but they were never as accessible as they are now. And I've put a lot of value into a game's trophies, but I don't think I ever let it totally eclipse everything else I valued in a game.

 

[locoporkko]

Yes,i like it very much and some games are very enjoyable like devious dungeons

[SuchRemorse]

2 hours ago, JayDeLosDioses said:

I admit that I've first bought them because of the trophies, they pop up first if you search for games to get into trophy hunting.

But they're more than easy trophies I've you give them a chance, I think I've enjoyed Peasant Knight and Devious Dungeon 1& 2 the most, but Daggerhood, Gravity Duck and Cybarian are fun games aswell.

I'm always doing the PS4 version of the game first and if I enjoyed the game I play past the platinum on the vita. For 5 bucks they're perfect for the bus ride to work and back imo.

But of course there's some crap... I hate Zero Zero Zero Zero

 

I agree with you. The games are quick and fun. And I actually liked Zero zero zero zero lol... What's wrong with it?? It reminds me of old Atari games from when I was like 4 years old. 

[Helyx]

I like them because they're bringing oddball indie games to a wider audience. When the platinum takes less than 2 hours, they're insuring their game will sell copies and earn money for them and these small development teams. Impressively, most of what @RatalaikaGames publishes is functional, unlike many AAA games that need patches for months.

[JayDeLosDioses]

1 hour ago, SuchRemorse said:

What's wrong with it??

Some of the levels aren’t compatible with my skill. It’s more of a personal thing. Same with 36 Shards of Midnight 

[starcrunch061]

I don't like their trophy policies, and this has caused me to ignore some of their more recent offerings.

 

But yeah - they've brought some good games over. Blasting Agent is still a blast to play, and I pick it up on my Vita every now and again.

[Astray404]

Not really, just leave them there, when sometimes I'm tired after playing some hardcore games I'm gonna pick one up and chill.

[Sword]

I think one of the interesting things these Rata games have done is expose people's mentalities on both sides of the isle about how they feel about trophies. I honestly think the disinterest in this site, from what I've observed so far, stems from an apparent lack of adding additional leaderboards to the site to aggregate statistics across a variety of different mentalities: % completion, rarity completion, genre completion, etc. If that's the case, I wholeheartedly agree. Personally, I want to be able to track my progress vs. other people who play RPG's. I wish there was a leaderboard where I could sort players based on how many RPG's they completed, but I can't... or at least I haven't found it yet. It's one of the reasons I like sites like TrueAchievements or TrueTrophies more than this site (blasphemy!), because they have a "True" score ranking that gives more points to players who obtain harder and rarer achievements/trophies, while giving far less points to the most commonly earned ones. They also have more leaderboards. One of my favorite ones (when I was playing Xbox) was seeing how I was doing not only with people in my country, but my own state as well (I'm from the USA). Breaking down the stats like that was really cool to me. If it wasn't for the fact I've met some interesting people here and had some interesting conversations, I'd probably use TrueTrophies over this site. The guides on this site can be really helpful though, so that's a plus. 

 

It's no secret that trophies/this whole system as a whole has gone down the drain in terms of "meaningfulness" (not that it really "meant" anything in the first place, but come on, most of us wouldn't be here if it truly meant nothing). It's why I say though: a true platinum will remain that way forever. Rata can release 10,000 easy plats, but it won't change the fact that a ultra rare platinum will, more than likely, remain an ultra rare platinum. Also, the fact Rata releases a thousand easy plats doesn't mean you're somehow forced to buy all those games. It also doesn't mean that people who do buy those games are somehow "less of a gamer" than you. Get real. Do I think there's an abuse of the stacking thing going on? Absolutely. Should people judge others for what they play though? Absolutely not. If you like to play Rata games 24/7 and it makes you happy, go for it. I don't like a lot of shooter/battle royale games anymore, but I certainly won't judge others who love them to death. 

 

For myself, I've both played Rata games for the trophies alone and I've also played some of them because they look genuinely interesting. I think most others who play these types of games can say the same thing to be honest. It's like building up a library of arcade games. Short, simple, sweet. Not every game has to be some 40+ hour open world, looter, shooter, waifu simulator, extremely hard-make-you-kill-yourself, whatever game-to-boost-your-eEgo. It honestly is really nice to pick something up for next to nothing, play it for an hour and be done with it. Just like the arcade games of the past where you put a quarter in, play for a bit and then you're done. Are they my favorite games of all time? No, but they are relaxing enough for me that it's worth it, regardless of what anyone else says.

 

This whole Rata concept/argument... issue... thing... stems from the fact people put way too much stock in others online profiles instead of getting enjoyment out of what they play, belittling others while they do it. Including the ones at the top who openly state they hate playing these games/make fun of it. Seems like a lot of wasted effort to me, to be doing something you don't enjoy. If you like playing these games, then play them. If you hate them, then don't buy them. If you wanna play them for trophies cause that's what you like to do, hey, go for it and when someone asks, just tell the truth that you're doing it for trophies cause that's what you love to do. Just have fun with it... and stay away from Little Adventure on the Prairie. Because that game... is absolutely terrible, on a comical level of bad.  

Edited February 24, 2020 by SanctifiedSword

[Rally-Vincent---]

5 hours ago, SanctifiedSword said:

I think one of the interesting things these Rata games have done is expose people's mentalities on both sides of the isle about how they feel about trophies.

 

5 hours ago, SanctifiedSword said:

This whole Rata concept/argument... issue... thing... stems from the fact people put way too much stock in others online profiles instead of getting enjoyment out of what they play,

 

That is just what I take from those ever-repeating Ratalaika/easy-games threads. So many people seem to be unable to draw joy from their hobby in any other way than through the "recognition" of others. Regardless if for high numbers or "rarity" or whatever factor - it doesn't seem enough to play the game and enjoy it.

 

The ez vs "worthy" has another end. I am pretty sure there are people who play "UR" games not for the joy, but only because they are UR. It's not much different than stacking short games, only from a different angle. Then I so often read that people play games with a guide from the start so they don't lose time with a second playthrough. Is that fun, getting the story spoiled because you know your best pal will betray you 2/3 into the game from the guide because a trophy is tacked to killing him?

 

What I learned from this site: Even though I am putting quite some time into playing games, it could be way worse. I feel relieved that I actually enjoy playing games, not caring what people think of me. I learned that from dealing with people in real life, who mostly look down on the hobby. I just never thought it'd be a helpful attitude with other people who play video games. Only after joining PSNP I learned better.

Edited February 24, 2020 by Rally-Vincent---

[Sword]

7 minutes ago, Rally-Vincent--- said:

 

 

That is just what I take from those ever-repeating Ratalaika/easy-games threads. So many people seem to be unable to draw joy from their hobby in any other way than through the "recognition" of others. Regardless if for high numbers or "rarity" or whatever factor - it doesn't seem enough to play the game and enjoy it.

 

The ez vs "worthy" has another end. I am pretty sure there are people who play "UR" games not for the joy, but only because they are UR. It's not much different than stacking short games, only from a different angle. Then I so often read that people play games with a guise from the start so they don't lose time with a second playthrough. Is that fun, getting the story spoiled becaiuse you know your best pal will betray you 2/3 into the game from the guide because a trophy is tacked to killing him?

 

What I learned from this site: Even though I am putting quite some time into playing games, it could be way worse. I feel relieved that I actually enjoy playing games, not caring what people think of me. I learned that from dealing with people in real life, who mostly look down on the hobby. I just never thought it'd be a helpful attitude with other people who play video games. Only after joining PSNP I learned better.

I have a bad habit of rambling in my replies on these threads sometimes, you put what I was trying to get at in a much better fashion. Can be dangerous on the extreme on both sides. Kudos.  

 

I have to mention though, that middle part there hit me deep: scanning trophy lists for missable trophies only to spoil parts of the story for myself. Definitely guilty and I talked about that in another thread. There's been some small times where I wish I didn't care as much about my % completion as I do, but I have too much fun with it in the end. Maybe if these RPG's had less grindy or less "miss one item and you're screwed" trophies I'd be more inclined to do a completely blind play-through of these games. Ah well. Guilty is me. I still have fun chasing the % though, so it's all good. 

 

You echoed my thoughts exactly about my mentality when it comes to this whole trophy thing/other peoples thoughts. The world is already stressful enough/people look down on games/time spent playing/hunting stupid virtual icons/whatever. Then I come to a site to talk to others who have the same hobby as I do, only to find the same sorts of negative attitudes? Nah. If I wouldn't want others to judge me on what I do, I sure as hell won't judge others on what they do. These are real people who come from different backgrounds/lives. Everyone has a different goal/gets fun out of games in different ways. It's why the only question I'll ever ask is "Are you having fun?" If the answer is yes, then keep on keeping on, within reason of course. That's all that ever matters. Just don't make it the epicenter of your life to where it becomes an addiction.  

[Venocide]

Nope, and I can't say much more or my post will get deleted again. 

[SuchRemorse]

28 minutes ago, Venocide said:

Nope, and I can't say much more or my post will get deleted again. 

I didn't delete your post? ? 

28 minutes ago, Venocide said:

Nope, and I can't say much more or my post will get deleted again. 

I didn't delete your post? ? 

[MikeCheck--]

I enjoy them, for what they are! I quit Playstation for 4 years for X360 (friends) and missed a lot of 100% on games. That said, the Ratalaika games are quiet enjoyable. I've only purchased ones that were appealing to me and on some of them, beat all the levels

 

Zero zero zero zero is pretty cool

[MidnightDragon]

Some of them are fun, I admit. I really enjoyed the two Devious Dungeon games and hope there's a third.

[SuchRemorse]

1 hour ago, MidnightDragon said:

Some of them are fun, I admit. I really enjoyed the two Devious Dungeon games and hope there's a third.

I actually really liked those too! 

[DeadlyPerfume]

I've played Just Ignore Them and Red Bow, and I'll probably play My Big Sister eventually to complete the set. Just Ignore Them is the worst game I've 100% by far, and I have the platinum for the Monster High PS3 game made for literal children so that's saying something. Red Bow was much better but extremely short. Overall not too impressed or interested in future releases. 

[closertim]

Yea I like them. Nothing like a quick and easy platinum while playing harder games . 

[ChimJiminie]

-deleted-

Edited April 3, 2023 by ChimJiminie

[charxsetsuna]

I wont lie , the tank game actually looks fun. I used to play wii play tanks years back and it looks like a similar game.