We all know the pain of going for a platinum trophy, only to find out that it has the most generic name and, even worse, a boring image to go along with it. It’s always very disappointing to earn the titular “Platinum Trophy” and see a basic logo or image. This is especially bad for games in a series, as they can make your platinum mosaics look dull when there is a long string of the same picture.
So, what games go above and beyond with their platinum trophy icons? Below, I share some of my favorite platinum images that are sure to brighten up anyone’s collection.
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10. Crystar
Who could say no to that face? The platinum trophy for Crystar shows off the best girl: Thelema. She is the main character’s pet and has a major role in the plot. Also, did I mention that you can pet her? (And you should! Not just because there’s a trophy for that—which there totally is, and it’s called “Dog Enthusiast”—but because she deserves it!)
Crystar excels at its story, art style and music, but I’d be remiss to include the combat among its strengths. The game is a hack-and-slash that lets you play as any one of 4 characters but doesn’t do much to set them apart. In going for the platinum trophy, you are likely to stick with one character as they are the most optimal. But don’t let that stop you from a potentially enjoyable game, or from an especially adorable platinum image.
9. Omori
This indie darling has a lot to offer completionist players. It has a great story, interesting and multifaceted characters, a beautiful art style, engaging music, and so much more. The platinum image shares an intimate moment between this happy group of friends with whom you will become well-acquainted with throughout your playtime. To be honest, the game is better experienced than described.
To add this one to your mosaic of platinum trophy icons, you will need to go through 2 distinct playthroughs. These are more like different routes than repeat runs, though; one sees you going about daily life in Faraway Town (the Sunny Route) and the other requires you to explore Headspace (the Omori Route).
This is a game that will likely require a guide, but it is supremely rewarding once you get it right. If the platinum trophy isn’t enough for you, you can also go for 100% completion in the way of its 83 badges (which serve only as in-game achievements for the PlayStation and Xbox versions). On PC, these are official bona fide achievements. They require a lot more grinding and mastery of the game to complete but will feel that much more satisfying.
8. Slime Rancher
Slime Rancher is well-known for its adorable and cozy gameplay. Although its sequel, Slime Rancher 2 seems to be a console exclusive for Xbox, PlayStation players are lucky to have this beautiful platinum image only for their version of the game. The silver colors and the wings on the slime are great touches.
Overall, this game is very simple to complete. Playing normally and exploring all the different zones at your leisure will unlock most of the trophies. The only challenge comes into play when you try the game’s Rush Mode. The trophy “Rush Plortmaster” requires you to obtain a relatively high score of 75,000 points in the mode. The difficulty lies in the time limit (up to a maximum of 5 in-game days). That said, it shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours, and if you get unlucky with which quests are given you can just reset the run and try again.
7. Stardew Valley
Your mind is filled with thoughts of platinum trophies. The Stardew Valley platinum trophy shows off the elusive Stardrop, which permanently boosts the player’s energy in-game when collected. There are only 7 of these in the entire game—well, maybe 8 after you’ve added this platinum trophy to your list!
But don’t get ahead of yourself. Although this is an extremely relaxing game that can be played at your own pace, the trophies are no joke. The “Journey of the Prairie King” is worth mentioning, as it is easily the biggest barrier to completing the game. It is an arcade game that can be played inside of the Saloon, and itself is incredibly difficult. The trophy “Fector’s Challenge” requires you to beat it without dying a single time. There are methods to make this more palatable; however, it will still likely take many attempts to succeed. Surprisingly, as popular as Stardew Valley is, only about 3.0% of players on PSN Profiles have managed to unlock this platinum trophy.
6. Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony
The Danganronpa games are well-known for their zaniness and humor in light of dark circumstances. The common plotline among the games is that a group of teenagers is forced to take part in a killing game which results in the player needing to figure out “whodunnit.” The platinum images all feature Monokuma’s menacing mug, but it is probably done best in the latest entry: “Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony.”
This type of portrait is often used to designate deceased persons at their funeral in Japan. In getting the platinum trophy for this game, you will be overcoming the evil mastermind himself and practically sending him to an early grave.
While the portrait would look great on a platinum mosaic, you should be careful. Unlocking this platinum will require a great deal of grinding, including in entirely separate mini-game modes. The author would like to draw attention to the “Monolithic Achievement” trophy, which requires getting an S-rank in an arcade game called TREASURE HUNTER! MONOLITH. This can take several hours if you’re as unlucky as the author in regards to what tile layouts you receive.
In addition, you will become well-acquainted with the Ultimate Talent Development Plan mode. It is a mini-game that starts with a board game mode and progresses into a simplistic take on an old-school RPG like Dragon Quest. Of note is the ”Masterful Development” trophy, which requires the player to complete the board game section with every character in the game. There are 53 characters, so you will have to make 53 unique and complete runs of the board game mode to earn this trophy.
If you ended up finding the Ultimate Development Plan section of the game rewarding, you should definitely check out the standalone title Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp, which is all about the board game and turn-based battles.
5. Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon: Every Buddy!
The Chocobo Mystery Dungeon platinum image is sure to make anyone feel like royalty. The Chocobo being framed in the photo is a nice touch and pairs nicely with the metallic platinum sheen. You also get an appropriately sized crown for your achievement. Now if that isn’t “Beak Performance,” what else could it be?
This adorable character from the Final Fantasy series stars in a plethora of side games, ranging from dungeon crawlers to racing. This title in particular hails from the mystery dungeon sub-genre and involves taking on procedurally generated dungeons, fighting tough bosses, and collecting sick loot. Chocobo Mystery Dungeon sets itself apart from other mystery dungeon games with its use of the job system, in which you can choose different classes for your Chocobo buddy to enlist and develop. These jobs can include mage, beastmaster, or even ninja classes.
As far as trophies go, the only ones that posed trouble to the author were the various collector trophies: “Collar Collector,” “Talon-ted Explorer,” and “Saddle Up!” The game asks players to find every single type of collar, talon, and saddle in the game, but there is no way to track your progress. If you didn’t keep track as you collected new items while playing, it is entirely possible that you will spend many hours tracking down whatever you happened to miss at the end of your trophy hunt.
Readers should also be warned that the game can also be quite difficult in its own right, especially in the earlier dungeons when you haven’t unlocked everything yet.
4. Digimon World: Next Order
What better way to display a trophy than with your Digimon partners? The Digimon World: Next Order platinum image stands out for its unique way of using a literal trophy, but not making it the sole focus of the composition. The sparkle effects are also a great detail that help make it feel like a special achievement. The other Digimon games have similarly gorgeous platinum images, including the Cyber Sleuth duology and Survive.
If you’re interested in old-school Digimon World games, Next Order is likely to be the best option for you. If you’re interested in more traditional monster-catching RPG’s, then Cyber Sleuth (and Hacker’s Memory) would be up your alley. But if you’re looking for a darker take on Digimon with scaled back combat and more of a visual novel vibe, then you should check out Survive. For this entry, the author will address Digimon World: Next Order in particular.
The first thing a prospective player should know about this game is that you do NOT get to control your Digimon allies. Your two partners are AI-controlled in battle, and your only role is to give commands or to provide support. This can often lead to some very frustrating moments.
As you might expect, the game includes a trophy titled “Revivalist!” which requires the player to fully repair the game’s city, Floatia. In other words, this means finding all 200 or so Digimon residents out in the world and convincing them to move in. Easily the worst trophy, however, is “Card Master!” The player must find and collect all 540 DigiCards present in the game. In practice, this means you will be running back and forth between screens and searching the same few glowing search-spots and hoping you get lucky. Which cards you receive are completely random, so you will be at the pure unadulterated mercy of RNG.
3. Made in Abyss: Binary Star Falling Into Darkness
Fans of the anime will recognize Lyza’s white whistle as the platinum image for this game. These whistles are extremely rare in the Made in Abyss universe, with only 6 people known to own one. You must be a master-class cave raider to even have a chance at getting one of these. And, at the time of this writing, less than 70 people have this platinum trophy on PSN Profiles, too.
To be perfectly honest, this isn’t a game I would otherwise recommend to anyone. It has some unique survival mechanics but is plagued by baffling design decisions and some extremely frustrating moments. The author would like to draw attention and ire on the expedition through the third layer of the Abyss, the Great Fault. You will be traversing through dozens of pitch black caves with little means of navigation, supplies, or lighting to be had. Many promising runs were snuffed out here simply because I’d gotten turned around in a cave and couldn’t find either the way to progress or the path I’d taken to get there.
That said, there are some genuinely funny moments in the game to be had. The author’s personal favorite moment was a skit with the following quote: “Marulk, bring me more liquor!”
Made in Abyss: Binary Star Falling Into Darkness is a game that should be played by only the most dedicated fans or those that know not to take it too seriously. If you can enjoy things for being “so bad they’re actually good,” you may find some value here. Plus, there is that sick looking whistle you can show off on your platinum trophy icons collection.
2. Spiritfarer
Susan the Walrus adorns this platinum image. She is surprisingly satisfied here for a character that actively despises the protagonist’s incessant need to collect things. She runs a museum and (begrudgingly) rewards the player for completing various collections, such as cooking and fishing. It only makes sense to show her off for a player that has completed everything and earned the platinum trophy.
Keep in mind that there are two trophies at odds with one another: “Sealed Lips” and “Loose Lips.” These are both earned based on a choice that you make during an event, but you can only earn one. It is possible to earn both in one playthrough, thankfully; exit out of the game before completing the quest fully and you will be loaded to a point before the pivotal choice. Otherwise, you will have to play a large chunk of the game all over again to get another chance.
1. Fallout 4
Among this list, Fallout 4 is easily the most popular and well-known entry. The platinum image shows the Vault Boy being paraded around with a trophy, something that we can all easily appreciate.
To get all of the trophies, you need to align yourself with each of the various factions in the game. With some smart save states, this can be done fairly easily. The most likely to give you trouble would be the “Benevolent Leader” trophy, which requires reaching maximum happiness in a large settlement. There are some good methods out there to make this task easier, but frankly it will still be annoying and likely take up more time than you would like. It is also worth noting that Fallout 4 comes with a large amount of DLC trophies, including:
- The Automatron
- Wasteland Workshop
- Far Harbor
- Contraptions Workshop
- Vault-Tec Workshop
- Nuka-World
Several of these are actual story expansions that are worth experiencing. Far Harbor in particular is often praised for its narrative. On the other hand, the various Workshop DLC’s add more to the game’s crafting and base building mechanics. The trophies here are not too difficult, but may require some grinding to collect the necessary materials.
What platinum trophy icons on your list bring you joy when you see them? If you’d like to see more platinum trophy icons, take a look at my personal trophy list. Comment down below with your favorites!
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