2022 is really coming to an end, huh? I’d love to sit here and say I managed to accomplish everything I set out to, but…things didn’t exactly happen that way. Looking at back at this past year, however, I can remain satisfied in what I was able to achieve – of course, I’m talking about gathering more PlayStation trophies. PLOT TWIST: I’m also being joined by fellow trophy hunters and blog friends – Solarayo and GamingDiaries, who have graciously agreed to take part in today’s year-end trophy post and write up their own respective recollections from this past year(links above). So…let’s fucking go!
First Trophy of 2022
First Weapon(Donuts ‘n’ Justice) – One of the very first memories made in 2022 involved some trophy collecting as my wife and I spent New Year’s Day relaxing at home with loads of snacks and video games. One of the games we decided to play together was the short, retro-inspired indie game – Donuts ‘n’ Justice. It only took about an hour or so to complete the entire game and collect all the trophies for an easy platinum. Only one day into 2022 and I was already off to a decent start…surely that momentum would continue throughout the year, right?
Most Recent Trophy
Pontiff Sulyvahn(Dark Souls 3) – The most recent trophy I unlocked was for defeating Pontiff Sulyvahn in Dark Souls 3. Shortly after arriving in the wintery, picturesque city of Irithyll, I entered the main cathedral where my next test of patience was waiting for me. Pontiff Sulyvahn proved to be a challenge as he has a number of sweeping(almost graceful) attacks with greatswords, which sort of resembled dual-wielding a pair of lightsabers. Hell yeah. It took me a few attempts but I managed to finally claw my way to victory and the trophy to prove it.
Proudest Trophy Unlocked
Sekiro(Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice) – If you asked me at the beginning of 2022 whether or not I was gonna attempt a challenge as daunting as beating Sekiro, let alone getting the platinum trophy, I would have laughed at you. Well…through some strange sequence of events, I did just that. I had made a couple previous attempts to complete the game, but, for whatever reason, it wasn’t until this past August that the fast-paced, rhythmic combat FINALLY CLICKED for me. I managed to not only beat Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, but finished the game NEARLY FOUR TIMES on my way to what I’d consider my biggest achievement of 2022. I can easily call Sekiro my *other* favorite From Software game, right next to Bloodborne…
Regret *NOT* Getting
The Wasteland(Cyberpunk 2077) – I had played a few hours of Cyberpunk 2077 on PC right at the game’s launch in December 2020, but due to having plenty of other games on my plate at the moment I decided to shelf the Cyberpunk for the time being and focus on other things. The long-awaited next-gen update was released for the game this past February; the shipping for my copy of Horizon: Forbidden West had been delayed, so I decided to return to Night City, this time on the PS5. CD Projekt Red has done a remarkable job turning around what was an utter dumpster fire of a game launch for Cyberpunk, and the game is much, much closer to what the devs had first announced years ago. While the game is a VAST IMPROVEMENT, I was unfortunate enough to encounter a couple glitches during my playthrough. A bug that occurred while returning a stolen vehicle to a fixer’s garage prevented the mission from showing as completed, making it impossible to get the trophy for completing all side gigs in the Badlands. Of course, this was the final trophy I needed…one glitch away from another platinum trophy.
Platinum Trophies Acquired
Despite feeling like I didn’t accomplish much in 2022 other than a handful of FromSoft games, I did manage to acquire 14 more platinum trophies. I’ll acknowledge that roughly half of these are from indie games that took me anywhere from an hour to a few hours to grind out another platinum, but I’m also gonna point out that the three FromSoft platinums – Elden Ring, Bloodborne and Sekiro, accounted for just about 300 hours of PlayStation playtime this past year, so…
Here are the games in which I managed to grab those sweet, sweet platinum trophies:
- Donuts ‘n’ Justice
- My Name is Mayo
- Life if Strange: True Colors
- Tesla vs. Lovecraft
- My Name is Mayo 2
- The Last of Us Part II
- Elden Ring
- Bloodborne
- The Pizza Delivery Boy Who Saved The World
- Distraint
- Control
- My Name is Mayo 3
- Hoa
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Next Platinum Targeted in 2023
Dark Souls III – Despite my best efforts(well, not really), I’m STILL working my way through pretty much every modern From Software game. I started playing Dark Souls III about a month ago now and have been really enjoying it so far; the overall movement and combat is significantly less cumbersome than Dark Souls: Remastered and feels closer to Bloodborne, which was released the year prior to Dark Souls III. Hopefully the grind for covenant items isn’t *as* tedious as it can be for some as I’m aiming for the Dark Souls III platinum trophy in the beginning of 2023, if not, I *did* just so happen to express interest in another trophy hunt with Solarayo as she is planning to go after the platinum trophy in Dark Souls II…which I may regret?
Trophy Hunter Shoutout
Solarayo – Extremely Solid(Metal Gear Solid 2)
For those who follow Solarayo on her blog site – Ace Asunder(if you don’t, I recommend doing so), she emerged victorious last year in her long-running quest to get the elusive Metal Gear Solid 2 platinum trophy. This feat of patience and determination involved playing through the game numerous times AS WELL AS completing a literal shit ton of VR Missions, each with their own set of requirements. And she was worried about Dark Souls…go ahead, just ask her about the giant elephant boss!
Gaming Diaries – Master of Fate(Final Fantasy VII Remake)
Despite her humility, GD is quite the accomplished trophy hunter and has accumulated a number of trophies that I doubt I possess either the skill or patience for. One such trophy is ‘Master of Fate’, the platinum trophy for the Final Fantasy VII Remake. I’ve played through the FFVII Remake and have wanted to revisit the PS5 version and maybe, JUST MAYBE make an effort at the platinum trophy. The biggest hurdle from what I can tell is needing to play through the entire game on Hard difficulty. Yeah…I had a devil of a time defeating Hell House on normal difficulty, thanks.
I want to throw out a big THANK YOU to both Solarayo and GamingDiaries once again for agreeing to join me in this half-baked idea. I’ve been a little directionless lately in regards to blogging and hopefully this will help me to regain some lost momentum.
Here’s to a better year in 2023 and plenty more trophies ahead!
Gaming Omnivore 