Plat Runner 05: Peasant Knight

I first purchased Peasant Knight when I bought my PS4 Pro. I wanted a swift easy platinum to get my collection started. My expectations were low and I had just finished My Name is Mayo. At first I was drawn in by its simplicity. Two buttons: Jump and stop are all that is required to play. The first few levels passed in mere seconds and then the real game started. 

As previously stated in my other articles I am a huge fan of indie gaming and spent most of my early days only playing Gameboy games and PC indie titles. Peasant Knight takes the runner genre of gaming and boils it down to its most basic form, then converts it into something else. Much like Zero Zero Zero Zero, the game has a perfect balance of frustration meets reward. The levels are no more than a few seconds and only 47 are required to gain the platinum.

The boss that I thought I could not beat, defeated.

Over on PSN Profiles the game is rated 2/10 for difficulty. I’m not sure why or how as the game is a challenge. On my initial purchase, I reached a point where I felt I couldn’t get any further and resigned myself to not getting the platinum. Yet, a few months later I picked it up and got that sweet reward and not only did I attain the trophy but I had a blast doing it.

Despite the games simplicity the constant introduction of new mechanics and hazards keeps you on your toes. The levels are short enough that you don’t have time to get bored. While not as hard going as Zero Zero Zero Zero it isn’t for the feint of heart or those with high blood pressure. You will die constantly. The more you die the more rewarding the victory will be.

All of the games trophies come through natural gameplay.

Out of all the Ratalaikia games I have purchased it took me the longest to finish in terms of start and end date. My friend tells me in the US it is currently on sale for $1. That’s a dollar well spent! 

Peasant Knight may not be the prettiest out of the companies releases, but it has an undeniable charm about it. For those into the gruelling punishment of games like Super Meat Boy, it’s a must play. A short sweet burst of arcade fun.

Tips and Tricks

• Persist you’ll get there

• You only have to do each level once

• It’s all in the timing. Learn how hazards work and adapt accordingly. 

• The moving platforms are a pain you have to stop in the air before you hit them. Otherwise you get left behind.

• The Platinum didn't pop for me but I had actually earned it, so don't panic!

That sweet Platinum Pop!

Plat Runner 02: Devious Dungeon

Ratalaika Games S.L. are seen by many as the perfect company for trophy hunters worldwide. With most of their games sold as a double feature (PS4 & PS Vita), they have two trophy lists per title. Most casual gamers will not even give these games a glance. I’ve seen them referred to on forums as “trash” and only used by “trophy cheaters”. Both terms are inaccurate and unjust.

                           
Every Ratalaika game I’ve played has been enjoyable, most also go way beyond the scope of the platinum trophy. Daggerhood for instance you can pick up the Platinum in 12 levels, which takes between 15 and 30 minutes depending on your skill set. But if platform gaming is your thing it’s stretches way beyond that. 

My shiny Daggerhood pop moment.

As part of Plat Runners I am going to feature their games along with others that are enjoyable and worth a play, perhaps not just to snag that easy platinum trophy.

The first is Devious Dungeon, a light fantasy set platform romp. So far out of all the easy plat games I have played it has been my favourite. Through 68 levels of hack and slash platforming you take your burly adventurer across randomised levels to cull as many of the dungeons inhabitants as possible.

Rogue Legacy is my favourite rogue-like platformer of its genre and Devious Dungeon is a very paired down version of this. Rogue Legacy I spent 68 hours playing and still was nowhere near getting the hundred percent mark, whereas Devious Dungeon is a 2-4 hour jog. 

Charming to look at, the levels as well as the sprites are delightful. The monsters you meet at the start of the game also still crop up on occasion in the later levels, which is a touch I’ve never seen in this genre before. There are no pallet swaps for stronger versions of the dungeons denizens, but stronger, larger enemies that often display a slightly different attack pattern to their smaller counterpart.

Despite being more simplistic than other titles, for a light arcade game it is perfect. I bought the game on sale for £2 and played it over the course of a week on and off. It made for the perfect light filler between pressing on with Uncharted 2. 

The bosses are challenging enough that you often won’t defeat them on first try and may require some light grinding if you’re not a seasoned platformer, but never fear, as due to the random level design it’s painless. For one trophy you also have to find 100 keys, which is essentially 100 levels. I snagged this right at the end of the game, just before the final few levels.

Tips and Tricks:

• If you get stuck go back to the start of the most recent area and farm kills.

• Only buy one ring and one necklace, the stat increments are not worth the money. Focus your money on weapons, armour and the odd potion.

• If this breed of gaming is something you enjoy and you like to gain some easy trophies it is a more respectable choice than a lot of others out there. It’s a good game, it takes a few hours to finish and you have to get to the end to obtain every trophy. 

The Plat Pop!

Woblyware aren’t known for much in terms of game development but I am glad they designed this little gem. I’ve already started on the sequel and Random Heroes is on my list to get soon after.
Happy hunting Plat Runners!

Plat Runner 01: Resident Evil 6

So far in my delve into trophy hunting I haven’t tackled anything at the elite levels of difficulty and I’m not sure if I will. Resident Evil 5 had a couple of really nasty moments on Professional difficulty and Uncharted 2 almost made me cry on Crushing mode, but it was doable.

Uncharted 2 shot by me

I’m pretty sure 5/10 is the hardest difficulty platinum trophy I’ve collected so far (judged by PSN Profiles). I’m not afraid to admit that I am more of a casual gamer. Gone are those days in my early gaming ventures where I could slam myself into the brick wall of a games hardest settings over and over until I came through the victor. Nowadays I prefer to focus on enjoyment over pain, a rewarding and expansive narrative over damaged control sticks and rage quits. 

One of our many deaths during Professional mode.

Today I’m going to discuss the journey of Resident Evil 6, a game sidelined by a lot of Resident Evil purists and the reason we now have Resident Evil 7, followed by a glut of remakes. 

Initially my venture into the world of PSN gaming started out as a casual affair. I was enjoying exploring the exclusives and playing Read Dead Redemption 2 online, then I lusted for a decent couch gaming style co-op adventure. After finishing Boarderlands 3 I suggested to LeonardoxAngel that we play Resident Evil 5. We ended up finishing it in just over a week and hungry for more we dived into 6.

Having already finished the game to 100% (yes including the online multiplayer) on the Xbox, this was my fifth play through of the game. We tackled it on Normal and then Professional. Unbeknown to us the game didn’t change the second players difficulty in line with the first player. Therefore on our second playthrough Leo was still on normal while I was on professional, meaning he got an easier ride. Regretfully we did not realise this until we finished it and he did not get the trophy. 

Leon's Chapter feels much more like the classic Resident Evil compared to the other chapters.

Being suckers for punishment we did it again for a third time. In total to get the platinum took me 84 hours, far longer than the predicted plat time, also the longest it’s taken me to get any platinum so far.

As far as two player co-op gaming goes I really don’t think it gets much better than Resident Evil 5 and 6. They are challenging, achievable and beautifully cinematic. Resident Evil 6 will take roughly 30 hours to complete in a first play though. It is the longest and most ambitious Resident Evil to date. It has a wide scope and is wonderfully entertaining. 

Jake admiring a rather lavish fountain.

Tips and tricks for the Platinum

• Get all of Leon’s medals first try in Chapter 1. It’s the slowest and most painful chapter in the game to replay, with a lot of unskippable scenes. The rest are fine to do in chapter select if you miss them. 

• Your first skill should be Item Drop Increase. 

• Focus on Defence and Firepower in terms of skills, they make professional a walk in the park. 

• Don’t waste skill points on lots of infinite weapons, just purchase the infinite machine gun. It’s more than enough and every character has one. 

• Don’t be too concerned about medals, they are quickly farmed in Mercenaries No Mercy. Don’t pick up the timer and you should be able to chain a 70 kill streak within two minutes easily, granting you an S rank. 

• Quick time events have been made easier in the re-release and a lot you can even fail in some instances and you continue regardless. 

• If you don’t care for the experience find someone who loves the game and has done it all. Get them to run you through on professional while they play on easy. It saves you replaying the game and allows you to just clean up the rest of the trophies. 

• Lastly the Skill point grind is hideously long. You can farm mercenaries if you are good. I used the first level and the catacombs, but if you don’t mind a tedious run, replaying Chris and Piers final chapter is ideal. Clear the big conveyor belt room get to the checkpoint and repeat.

That sweet pop moment!

Having just finished my eighth play though of the game with Enthusiast Gamer I can safely say I enjoy the game a lot. It is a large time commitment but also a very respectable trophy. Rare and shiny it sits on the virtual top shelf of my collection. 

Happy hunting Plat Runners!