For some unknown reason, trophy/achievement hunting has stirred up controversy lately. While this isn’t exactly an unusual occurrence, it is always weird to see such pushback against one of the coolest features in video gaming. I know trophy/achievement hunting isn’t for everyone, but The Outer Worlds 2 gives a reminder of why it’s so much fun.
The best part of trophies is when you are forced to go out of your way to do something you’d never do, and you get a little reward to let everyone know that you conquered this interesting challenge. Trophies don’t detract from gaming. Instead, they can give a game more attention or even encourage more playtime.
Within The Outer Worlds 2 is a trophy called Anti-Consumerist that tasks players with completing the game “without spending a single bit.” This means an entire playthrough where you can’t rely on shops for anything. No heals, no new weapons, nothing.
This isn’t just a little challenge, either. It is something that forces a whole different strategy. Sure, someone could have come up with this on their own and done it for fun, but this way it spreads to more people who are willing to try something new in a game when they otherwise might not. Plus, you get a reward that directly signifies you did it.
One of my favorite games of this year, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, had a whole trophy (Lent) for not eating meat or killing a single animal. That’s something I never would have done on my own had it not been for a trophy, but I still greatly enjoyed doing it. It challenged me to be more mindful of things I did, which is really the point.
I’m not saying everyone needs to be a hardcore trophy hunter or even care too much about them, but they add far more to games than I think the average gamer acknowledges. There are whole communities (including on reddit) where people seek suggestions for games with fun trophy lists that they might not even think to play otherwise.
As silly as this offshoot hobby is, there is merit in it and I’m glad that trophies and achievements aren’t always just something thrown into a game because Sony and Xbox require their inclusion. Those like KCD2 and The Outer Worlds 2 that use trophies to add entertaining wrinkles to great games are always welcome.