Play This Set January 2025
Play This Set is a showcase for our passionate community members to write about the games and achievement sets they love. Whether you're an achievement developer looking to promote your work or a player wanting to spread the word about your favorite hidden gem, we're always looking for new Play This Set submissions. If interested, submit your write-up as a private message to {% rauserpic RANews %}.
| Game | Console | Genre |
|---|---|---|
 Snatcher |
Sega CD | Visual Novel, Adventure |
- Set by: {% rauserpic televandalist %}, {% rauserpic WilHiteWarrior %}
- Write-up by: {% rauserpic jhonen124 %}
Snatcher is one of my favorite visual novels and probably one of my favorite cyberpunk themed video games, period. There's a whole lot of worldbuilding, character development, and growth that fits into just one small game, and it's through interacting with characters and objects that I think a lot of people tend to overlook, especially when going for Sweet Smell of Success. There's just something of a nice cozy, and at the same time sinister and eerie vibe to Snatcher that I think only its spiritual successor Policenauts could replicate. Getting to visit Plato's Cavern and almost enjoying a Neo Kobe pizza, or visiting Alton Plaza and soaking up the sights while visiting the local fortune teller or enjoying some ramen, to even going to the more seedier areas of town and helping a father reunite with his family through telecommunication - there's really a whole lot of worldbuilding no matter where you look. It makes the city feel alive, like a place that you could probably visit in person.
Of course, I also love the noir and sci-fi elements that Kojima and his team brought; hearing Creeping Silence for the first time actually gave me chills. There were some moments that bring horror into the mix as well that also made me feel uncomfortable. The game brings a lot of nods and references to not just Konami titles, but also 70s and 80s films as a whole, with references to AKIRA, Terminator, Blade Runner, and a dead body defenestration scene that reminded me of the common trope from a typical 80s slasher flick. The gameplay, as simple as it is, also has nice shooting moments where you can shoot insect robots or the typical Snatchers, and the difficulty for them increases such that by the 3rd Act there are encounters that are more fast paced and more punishing with reaction time. The game has a shooting range where you can go through three different levels and has several achievements related to those from the set itself, the hardest being The Neo Kobe Kid, but becomes less difficult (but still very challenging) once you get the hang of the reaction based gameplay and knowing how to spot disguised Snatchers.
My problems with the game would be the ramped up difficulty, as by the third act it was becoming very tough to focus on getting through two back to back encounters with enemies, and dying means restarting from the last save or from the first encounter. I also didn't like how the third act basically had one big lore dump that felt lazy and that it could've been implemented in the game better. Getting General is also something that I think is very tough on its own, especially since it requires minimum damage and seeking out a few optional scenes. The average player probably wouldn't know much about it by default since the game never tells you about ranking. It also means that you don't get the chance to interact with the world since that can lead to penalty, making the game feel kind of on rails.
So would I recommend the set? Yes, the set by {% rauserpic televandalist %} and {% rauserpic WilHiteWarrior %} was an enjoyable play from start to finish, and I would've never made it to General rank without the guide made by {% rauserpic PenguGG %}. So I would like to thank all three of them for the set and the guide. If you want play a good cyberpunk adventure game, then this game basically has you covered.
| Game | Console | Genre |
|---|---|---|
 Phalanx: The Enforce Fighter A-144 |
SNES/Super Famicom | Shoot 'em Up |
- Set by: {% rauserpic zaydoc %}
- Write-up by: {% rauserpic TrogdorTheBurninator %}
Do you like Gradius? Maybe Super R-Type or U.N. Squadron? Let's talk about "that game with the weird banjo box art", Phalanx: The Enforce Fighter A-144 for SNES, and why it's a set you should master today! Phalanx got a US release in October 1992, and immediately bolstered the growing lineup of side-scrolling shooters on the console. Boasting eight varied levels, from traditional sky/space environments to underwater, narrow caves, and even an assault on a colossal space cruiser, Phalanx also challenges pilots with a wide variety of enemy and boss designs. The plot is "all there in the manual": in the year 2279, humanity has colonized the distant planet Delia, but an emergency transmission from the planet reveals that a squadron of hostile bioforms have assaulted the colonies and are attempting to exterminate all other life. You are Wink Baufield, an ace pilot at the helm of the experimental modular fighter A-144, and it's up to you to investigate what has happened on Delia, and what threat these bioforms pose to humanity.
Phalanx takes a unique approach to your ship's offensive capabilities. You have 3 hit points per life, and collecting Power Spheres can restore a single hit point. But these spheres also serve to upgrade your weapons up to three times, making collecting them even at full health a good idea. In addition to your standard shot and 3 kinds of automatically-firing missiles, you can collect Laser, Homing, Ricochet, and Energizer shot power-ups, keeping up to three at one time and cycling between them as needed. These power-ups serve a second, more strategic function in the Item Crash feature. By activating Item Crash, your fighter can sacrifice the currently equipped weapon to execute a powerful attack which lasts several seconds and often grants temporary invincibility, helping you clear a tough section or deal heavy damage to a boss. Dying is painful, as you not only lose your currently equipped weapon, but you also reset to power level 1, weakening your new ship. Lives and continues are plentiful, however, helping players learn the game without too much frustration.
With smooth music, sharp graphics and fast, furious gameplay, Phalanx should scratch any Gradius fan's itch while providing a fresh challenge for veterans and newbies alike. In addition to the standard Easy, Normal, Hard difficulties, Phalanx has a Funny difficulty which is much more reminiscent of "bullet hell" games, requiring careful and confident play and mastery of the item crash system. Fortunately, the set designer allows you to use the level select sheet to quickly return to a particular level, which will make grinding the Funny achievements much less of a pain.
A few special achievements also highlight the hidden bonus levels and Easter-egg developer cameos, rounding out the set nicely with a touch of Parodius-like humor. See you in the skies, pilot!
| Game | Console | Genre |
|---|---|---|
 Half-Minute Hero |
PlayStation Portable | Action RPG |
- Set by: {% rauserpic TeddyWestside %}
- Write-up by: {% rauserpic Wangfou %}
The PSP has a solid reputation as something of an "RPG Machine", with many games for the discerning Role-Playing gamer. However, I can say with confidence there's nothing else quite like the Half-Minute Hero series. Admittedly more of an "RPG flavoured" action game, Half-Minute Hero tasks the player with saving the world from a rotating cast of strange and charming Dark Lords before the world ends in a mere 30 seconds. Quite a challenge, but fortunately we can ask the Time Goddess to rewind time for us, so long as we have enough money to satisfy her greed.
Unsurprisingly, Half-Minute Hero is a game that operates at a breakneck pace. The player will be darting at high speed between towns, completing quests, grinding, and trying to make their way to the Dark Lord's castle, all while keeping the timer in check. While the core gameplay remains largely the same across its 50 stages, the game does a really solid job throwing curveballs at you to keep things interesting. In one stage you might have to navigate a strange cave system that changes depending on how much time is on the clock. In another you may be tasked with diverting lava from a volcano before it destroys a village. In another still the hero is trapped in indentured servitude due to debts incurred in the previous stage, requiring them to pay off their debts to make it to the castle. All these wrinkles, plus the game's silly writing, definitely helps give the game a sort of episodic feel, where the player just has to roll with whatever silly situation the game throws at them.
In terms of content, the game has plenty. One only needs to beat 30 of the 50 stages to finish the game, but if the player wishes to see everything the game has to offer they'll need to replay certain stages, and finish them under different circumstances to unlock plot branches with new stages. Maybe you failed to save that village from the volcano, resulting in a different path, for example. One particular branch midway through the game itself splits off into multiple sub-branches, before eventually all converging quite a few stages later. The game definitely wants you to explore the stages in multiple runs to get the most out of it.
Surprisingly, all of this is only the game's Main Mode, referred to as "Hero 30". There's a handful of other bonus modes on top of that, including "Evil Lord 30", which is more of a simple RTS, and "Princess 30", a sort of shoot 'em up. None of these bonus modes are nearly as robust as Hero 30, but they do help round things out a bit.
As far as the set goes, it's mostly focused on carrying you through a more or less 100% run of the game, with just a few extras on top of that. This makes sense for a game like this, as the game already has so much to do within its own content, such as collecting all the gear in each stage, beating stages under a specific par time, attaining the best rank on every stage, defeating all enemies to fill out the bestiary, and collecting all titles, which are sort of mini-achievements in each stage awarded for doing obscure or strange stuff. There's more than enough to do, without it feeling bloated.
Overall, this game is a delightful experience. It really is a perfect handheld game experience, where you can easily sit down and knock out a stage or two in short bursts. It's definitely worth a shot if you're looking to explore the PSP's library.
| Game | Console | Genre |
|---|---|---|
 Sabrina: The Animated Series - Zapped! |
Game Boy Color | 2D Platforming, Action |
- Set and write-up by: {% rauserpic DrewMHax0r %}
Sabrina: The Animated Series - Zapped! is a fun little 2D platformer that isn't too long, but does have enough substance to be worth your time to experience. Before WayForward was developing games like Shantae, most of their catalog came in the form of licensed IPs. This game is one such title. To put it simply, it's a game based on a cartoon spin-off of a live-action TV series that itself was based on a comic book series. Now to a lot of people that may sound like a recipe for a cheap throwaway game, but if you give it a chance you might be surprised at how much it can stand on its own as a quality title in the Game Boy Color library. I mentioned Shantae earlier for good reason - those of you who have played the original Game Boy Color entry of Shantae will immediately recognize that this game is built in the same engine and contains a lot of concepts that were iterated on and later incorporated into Shantae. And if that wasn't enough, Sabrina Zapped is just the first of two Game Boy Color titles, the other being Sabrina Spooked, which is also built in the same engine and predates Shantae by a year or so. And yes, just in case you were wondering, I also developed a set for Spooked and you should totally play that one too!
Let me first talk a little bit about the premise and mechanics of the game. At the school variety show, Sabrina turns to magic to impress the crowd. But as is usually the case, the spell backfires - this time turning all of her classmates into animals! The game is comprised of 16 levels and 4 bosses - one boss after every 4 levels. Each level has an exit that you must reach with Sabrina, but before you are allowed to exit you must find each of her animal classmates and turn them back into humans. You do this by first stunning them with a jump and then using your zap ability to transform them. In each level you can find various magic spells that improve your mobility in different ways. Sabrina's cat Salem is also present, and can be used to reach certain areas of levels that are inaccessible to Sabrina.
The achievement set for this game is completable in a single playthrough; however, I would recommend just enjoying your first experience with the game as is and without much thought to the achievements. One feature of this game is that it uses a password system to track progress instead of individual save files. What this means to you as an achievement hunter is that you can keep track of all your level passwords along the way and use them to jump back and retry any level at any time to go for any achievements you may have missed. And you should totally keep track of the passwords yourself by writing them down on an actual piece of paper and not just take pictures of them with your phone or look them up online. The passwords are comprised of icons of the various characters in the game - as a child I was not familiar with the names of all the characters from the cartoon, and so when it came time to save a password I had to do my best to draw the characters on a piece of paper so that I could pick up where I left off the next time I played. I bet some of you 90s gamers out there can sympathize with me on that one!
Now as for the individual challenges represented in this set, I'll start with the Zapped! series of achievements. In each level of the game starting with 1-4, there exist 5 power star items that Sabrina and Salem can collect. Upon collecting all 5, Sabrina will be granted the ability to instantly zap her animal classmates back to human form without the need to stun them first. For each Zapped achievement you must complete the corresponding level by collecting all 5 power stars and getting the upgraded zap ability before transforming any of the students back into humans, all without losing a life. These achievements will change how you navigate around the levels and will test your ability to dodge attacks and ration your health pickups. One tip I can share is that you can still stun the animals before collecting all 5 power stars, you just can't transform them back into humans. Depending on the enemy, you may choose to attack them instead of just avoiding them. But remember, the zap button is shared with the run button, so you will have to be careful when moving around animals that have been stunned so that you don't accidentally transform them! Some of the standouts in these challenges are Zapped! VII and Zapped! VIII taking you through levels 3-2 and 3-3 of the game. The extreme verticality of these levels results in a unique challenge when having to avoid enemies - especially when you run into the chameleons, which can disappear out of sight and reappear when you least expect it.
The other challenges of note are the 4 Master achievements, each of which require you to play through the 4 levels and boss of a world without losing a life. To be successful here you should know the general layout of each level, particularly if/where bottomless pits are present. These are not too difficult to avoid, but rushing leads to careless mistakes, so you'll always want to take things slow. Additionally, like the Zapped! achievements, knowing how to ration the health pickups in each level is crucial. Greendale City Zoo Master features some of the longest and most complex levels in the game - completing this challenge will take some effort, but is perfectly doable with some effort and persistence.
| Game | Console | Genre |
|---|---|---|
 Parasite Eve |
PlayStation | Action RPG, Survival Horror |
- Set by: {% rauserpic televandalist %}
- Write-up by: {% rauserpic Eeveelution %}
I've known about Parasite Eve for a long time but avoided playing the game, seeing it as a horror game like Resident Evil or Silent Hill. I am so grateful that this Christmas event pushed me to experience the game for myself, because this game really surprised me with its fun combat system intertwined with an innovative upgrade process and an immersive narrative.
Despite my preconceptions, the combat system of Parasite Eve functions more similarly to Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger. The game has you control your character, Aya Brea, and dodge enemy attacks while waiting for your own turn to come to retaliate. I enjoy the turn-based combat of games like Pokemon, so I appreciated the interactability of this control, and while I wasn't a dodge master, the game was forgiving enough with healing items and abilities to aid players like me such as using Haste and Full Recovers. The game was really able to keep my attention with this gameplay.
While the story isn't necessarily anything new, its presentation really drew me in between combat sequences. There are quite a few cutscenes in this game, and this is where the game fits into the horror genre. The game doesn't pull its punches when showcasing its mitochondrial apocalypse and shows grotesque transformations and fatalities. I appreciated and was entertained by the absolute CINEMA, but I can absolutely understand this turning away more squeamish players.
I really enjoyed being able to fully customize my weapon and armor and make something that suited my gameplay style. From the achievement ...Another Person's Treasure, I learned that even on the first playthrough, you can get one of the best weapons of the game by grinding out Junk from enemies. While some players may disagree with this approach, I added about 5 more hours in this playthrough and got the machine gun that carried me through the game. No doubt this affected the difficulty of my entire game, but I really found myself enjoying the fruits of my labor. You can then use other weapons/armor and add their stats and abilities to your main weapon/armor, elevating your power much higher. This might be an awful comparison, but I found myself caring for my gun and armor in the same way I would with my favorite Pokemon!
As for the achievements for this set, I found that it was very easy to complete as long as you are willing to finish both routes Parasite Eve has to offer. You will receive about two-thirds of the achievements by completing the main story, while the final part is dependent on whether you choose to start a New Game Plus and complete its endgame dungeon, the Chrysler Building, and reach the game's alternate ending. I found this dungeon extremely time-confusing as it is a 70-floor dungeon (technically 77, but the last 7 floors are straightforward) with checkpoints only on every 10 floors after completing that block's boss monster. Each floor is procedurally generated, and if you choose to leave the dungeon, the floors are generated with a different floor plan. As such, I found that each 10-floor increment took me about an hour to navigate and if I died against that block's boss, that was an hour I lost and I would have to try again. Needless to say, I was very happy when I completed those 70 floors and it is something I do not wish to experience again.
In summary, for anyone looking for a new game for this Christmas 2024 event or just to get achievements on, I highly recommend playing Parasite Eve. This game was my favorite to play this month and I truly believe it can be yours as well. Thank you to {% rauserpic televandalist %} for the set and to {% rauserpic RAEvents %} for including the game for the event!
| Game | Console | Genre |
|---|---|---|
 Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V Tag Force Special |
PlayStation Portable | Collectible Card Game |
- Set by: {% rauserpic Bryan1150 %}
- Write-up by: {% rauserpic ZuperG7 %}
I'm a big fan of the Yu-Gi-Oh! games; however, the Tag Force series has never been very appealing to me, especially because of the pace of the game, but Tag Duels I've always found cool, so Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V Tag Force Special was perfect for me. Another positive point of the game is that it also allows Single Duels, where you can build historical, fun, or meta decks. As a negative point, after a while the game gets a little repetitive, as it's basically a dueling game (a little predictable, given that it's a Yu-Gi-Oh! game), so the main fun becomes discovering and building new decks. As a last tip, there is a texture pack that makes the game much more beautiful, and I recommend downloading it to enjoy this beautiful game even more.
In conclusion, it is a very fun game, especially if you grew up seeing or playing Yu-Gi-Oh!, as it has all the characters from Duel Monsters to Arc-V. As an extra positive point, there are many achievements in this game, so have fun mastering it!
| Game | Console | Genre |
|---|---|---|
 Harvest Moon GBC |
Game Boy Color | Life Simulation |
- Set by: {% rauserpic Rewsifer %}, {% rauserpic Bryan1150 %}
- Write-up by: {% rauserpic KelleyBean %}
Anyone who's familiar with the Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons series knows that...well, calling them obtuse about some of the things that they want the player to accomplish is an understatement. Naturally, when your character's grandfather tells you to become the Ranch Master and wait for his spirit to visit in the winter, one wonders — how do you do that? Is it like Stardew Valley, where there's a miscellany of tasks you'll naturally do, and if done well enough you'll succeed? Is it like Magical Melody or A Wonderful Life where you have discrete tasks that integrate with the story?
Or, does this game expect you to plow 1600 tiles, regardless of whether you plant anything in them? For many players, myself included, arbitrary requirements like this are deeply frustrating, but just looking up the solution spoils the fun. The RA set for Harvest Moon GBC cuts a nice balance between the two: mixed in with the silly challenges and expected milestones are several actual requirements for becoming Ranch Master. The set's structure naturally guides the achievement-hunter minded into working on Ranch Master requirements, without explicitly spelling all of them out. I can't recommend this approach enough; it makes the whole experience so much less confusing.
| Game | Console | Genre |
|---|---|---|
 Star Fox Adventures |
GameCube | Action-Adventure, Beat 'em Up, Third-Person Shooter |
- Set by: {% rauserpic blendedsea %}
- Write-up by: {% rauserpic Mogul %}
There's a lot of games that deserve a second chance at life, and this is one of them. Star Fox Adventures is rather infamous for being Dinosaur Planet and not a Star Fox game. It's pretty much an expansion of the 64 timeline, being the sequel to Star Fox 64. The set covers pretty much everything in relation to progression, extra boss challenges (Drakor and Andross being the hardest ones since you have to mash A really fast), and finally some timed achievements. Be sure to look out for the energy cells and cheat token wells, there are some that are in areas that you can be locked out of! This is actually one of the more chill sets in regards to Star Fox you can master without much trouble.
As for things I don't like, as mentioned you can get yourself locked out of Volcano and Ocean Force Point Temples if you're aiming to get every fuel cell and cheat token well achievements. Drakor and Andross "Krazoa God" can feel rather spammy, with both bosses being on-rail sections when trying not to get hit within a few amount of times. Not in a good way either.
| Game | Console | Genre |
|---|---|---|
 Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards |
Nintendo 64 | 2.5D Platforming |
- Set by: {% rauserpic GalacticSpear %}
- Write-up by: {% rauserpic mrmistermistermr %}
Before Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is the series' first outing in 3D. A fun, planet-hopping adventure to end the scourge of Dark Matter across the galaxy using the power of the titular Crystal Shards.
This title might have one of my favorite main-series Kirby achievement sets so far. Between the typical progression achievements tied to defeating the boss of each planet and recovering their Crystal Shard, there are some great challenges for defeating bosses with specific ability combinations, and some of these really are challenging, requiring you to approach bosses in ways you probably haven't done so before. The main one I want to point out is Melting Ice Cube Against Shark, which requires some tight positioning against a target that's always moving around.
A major sore spot for most players is The TRUE Arena Champion. Usually boss rush challenges in Kirby sets will require you to simply beat them, or to beat them without healing, but the no damage requirement for this one really is intimidating. Luckily, the bosses are very predictable and most have very little randomness in their attack patterns. Once you learn how the bosses move and attack, it just boils down to execution. Whispy Woods, Pix, HR-H, and 0² are pretty much entirely non-random, and Magman has some minor randomness that is very easy to react to. However, the more random bosses like Acro and Miracle Matter definitely make this achievement worthy of its 50-point value.
Of course, though, the major elephants in the room boil down to the minigame achievements, which require beating each of the 3 minigames against Intense level CPUs. More egregious, though, is Gotta Catch em All. Make sure to always aim for these enemy cards during the end-of-level jumping game through your playthrough so you don't have to resort to too much grinding at the very end. But if you're like me and held off until the very end of the game, the easiest way to grind it is to play through the first level (make sure to pack an ability like fire/fire to speed through it), get to the end, play the jumping minigame to grab the enemy card, and then pray it isn't one you already have. It doesn't take too long compared to some of the other grinding achievements out there, but it does put a bit of a damper on what is otherwise a really fun set.
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards still holds up as one of the most unique and chilled-out Kirby experiences, and the achievements for it really continue to bring out the best of the game. It will forever be a classic of the franchise, and that's why I think you should play this set.
| Game | Console | Genre |
|---|---|---|
 Snow Bros. |
Genesis/Mega Drive | 2D Platforming |
- Set by: {% rauserpic Falconburns %}, {% rauserpic JAM %}
- Write-up by: {% rauserpic Carcosa %}
This is a port of an arcade game, so you should expect high difficulty and a lack of fairness. Thankfully, the game is split into stages which can be accessed using passwords.
Focus on completing each stage on its own. Don't try and power through. You'll net the points achievements by the end of stage one, so if you enter a new stage with fewer continues, you can always restart using a password and get full continues again. Aim to work through to the boss of each stage without losing a continue, as continuing restarts the level you're on. Make sure to set your lives to '4' on the options menu.
The regular stages each have their own style (slopes, vertical loops, inescapable pits), so figure out that mechanic and play to it. Try to get to the top of a level before snowballing enemies so that they roll down the level into others, chaining for extra points and power-ups. Going into the boss level with power-ups is vital for later stages.
Once you've got the basics under your belt, you're essentially trying to figure out and conquer the bosses. Some can be hurt with projectiles, others only by snowballs. Some look like they get hurt by projectiles but actually aren't. Take time to figure out the attacks and movements of the bosses. Many can be defeated by positioning yourself properly and anticipating their movements. Bosses, 2, 4, and 7 are great examples of this.
If a stage is annoying you, feel free to change. Some later stages are easier than others, so you may end up reaching mastery through a less than straightforward route. Remembering, you're aiming to reach a given boss using your first continue, and using the rest to attempt the boss. Good luck.