The 7 Levels of Platinum Trophy Hunting

Summary

Key Points

• Platinum trophies are technically equal on PlayStation, but the effort and skill required to earn them vary drastically, making some platinums meaningless and others legendary. 0:01
• Level one, 'shovelware,' consists of games designed solely to dispense easy trophies with no challenge or enjoyment, essentially acting as digital receipts. 1:47
• Level two, 'the freebie,' includes platinums from actual games that are still very easy, often awarded for simply completing the story, like in Telltale games or walking simulators. 3:12
• Level three, 'the casual platinum,' requires a moderate amount of effort, such as completing the game, collecting items, and finishing side content, representing a healthy balance for most players. 5:33
• Level four, 'the committed hunter,' demands real completion, potentially including harder difficulties, missables, or a significant grind, requiring planning and efficiency to achieve. 7:31
• Level five, 'the wall,' presents a serious obstacle like a brutally hard mode, a long grind, or difficult online trophies, testing a player's discipline and willingness to continue after the game stops being fun. 9:55
• Level six, 'the monsters,' features famously difficult platinums that require extreme execution, near-perfect consistency, and deep mechanical mastery, carrying significant weight among trophy hunters. 13:10
• Level seven, 'the forbidden zone,' is reserved for 'impossible' platinums that go beyond normal difficulty, demanding obsession, extreme skill, and mental fortitude, with Crypt of the NecroDancer being a prime example. 15:34
• The rarity and extreme difficulty of level seven platinums make them legendary and meaningful in an ecosystem often flooded with easy achievements. 22:22
• Ultimately, the value and story behind each platinum trophy vary immensely, from feeling nothing to undergoing a life-changing experience, despite the identical icon awarded by PlayStation. 23:10