Play This Set

StingX2 By StingX2.

Contents

Intro

This is a place where achievement creators (and sometimes their fans) can advertise their work and tell the community why they should play those games.

If you want to advertise your set (or a set you’re a big fan of), write a couple of paragraphs and send us a message (go to RAdmin page and then “Send Private Message”).

Kingdom Heart Re:coded (Nintendo DS)

Game Console Genre
Kingdom Hearts Re:coded Kingdom Hearts Re:coded Nintendo DS Action RPG

ReCoded has always been the odd one out in its series since its debut–remarkable for a series quite infamous for its odd ones out. The game is itself a Nintendo DS remake of a Japanese-only mobile game, one that apocryphally had its story importance tacked onto it afterward, of which there’s admittedly quite little.

The ending is where most players will get any of the additional new story bits they’ll be clamoring for if they’re playing the series in release order. To get there, players will have to slog through environments and story beats that seem to all but plagiarize those in the first Kingdom Hearts. However, when it comes down to it, this game’s beauty is borne first and foremost through its variety. Frankly, a lot of the game is the same compared to earlier games, but it’s the little mixups that keep things fresh.

Did you ever want to speedrun a world and get recognized for it? This game will let you, and does recognize it.
Did you think Traverse Town was a bit too normal? Well, now the boss segment is a sidescroller level.
Did you think Wonderland was too weird? The railshooter segment at the end makes it even weirder.
Did you love Final Fantasy VII? You can have more of it in Olympus Coliseum, where combat becomes turn based–and Cloud even comes along for the ride, too.

There are a whole lot of other oddities and quirks that make this game truly unique from the rest of the series, even if the coat of paint comes across as looking a bit chipped off at this point. For as much as the story lacks compared to its predecessors, the localizers definitely went out of their way to make the dialogue and journal flavor text truly enjoyable. It almost seems they couldn’t go two seconds without sprinkling alliteration in there somewhere, especially with the trophy names, and it’s quite delightful.

The achievement set will expect you to challenge yourself for a good part of the game, but you can be sure that you can adjust the experience as you go without missing most achievements. There are no worries about chaining yourself to an unchangeable difficulty level, for instance; you can change the difficulty pretty much whenever you like. Perhaps you want to lower the difficulty level and then retry a world later on a higher one, and at a lower level, to make another attempt at earning a missed achievement. You can do that quite easily with this game, unlike past games!

Recoded itself may not be a story that people will find all that engaging to tread through again. In fact, some players may be tempted to say that “nothing happens” at the end. It’s still a good game, though, and one easily worth a playthrough.

Animal Crossing: Wild World (Nintendo DS)

Game Console Genre
Animal Crossing: Wild World Animal Crossing: Wild World Nintendo DS Life Simulation

Sometimes life is exhausting. You may need to work or go to school, and the current world’s situation doesn’t make it any easier. But, even if these conditions take a lot of time and power from you, there is always a place your are welcome: The Wild World of Animal Crossing. In this game, you can live your life without limits. You can go fishing, catch bugs, talk and play with your neighbors, take care of your garden, or just enjoy the sun on your skin.

You get decide what you are doing, and when you are doing it. Every once in a while, there are events in the village you can participate in. From the Fishing Tournament to catch the biggest fish, the “Yay Day” where everyone hands out a compliment to one another, or a completely different festival: Live your life the way you want it.

The setting of the game helps to highlight the opportunities in your town. You get awards for winning competitions, as well as participating in events, becoming friends with other villagers, helping special guests, discovering new types of flowers, and much more. If you are uncertain what to do next, there is a list you can look at to find something new! This set also includes achievements for more unknown content, such as listening to the past of special characters, meeting special guests in the Roost or unlocking new haircuts at Shampoodle.

Sonic Delta 40Mb (Mega Drive)

Game Console Genre
~Hack~ Sonic Delta 40Mb ~Hack~ Sonic Delta 40Mb Mega Drive Platformer

When you think of retro gaming, there’s a few iconic characters that come to mind fairly quickly, including a certain sassy blue hedgehog. There’s no shortage of Sonic hacks around the web for those looking for a fresh take on the franchise or a return to its 2D roots, so what makes this one so special? To put it simply: scale.

Sonic Delta 40Mb is an ambitious project, combining every Zone from the original Genesis releases into a single game, while also reviving cut and beta content. That’s a total of 37 Zones, now in the Sonic & Knuckles engine, ready for exploration. It also includes all Bonus, Special and Competition Stages from the series. Experienced Sonic players will still find plenty to discover as many of the old Acts have been reordered, or outright replaced by their beta layouts. There’s also content from the mobile ports of the series, which were originally done by the team that brought us Sonic Mania. One of the Zones revived from the cutting-room floor even features a fully custom Boss, created just for this project.

For the less confident Sonic players (Oh look, it’s me!), or just those looking to polish their best times, the addition of Sonic 3’s Data Select screen is hugely helpful; allowing you to return to any previously cleared Zone (I’m getting more of them, slow and steady). There’s also plenty of fun to be had in covering old ground in new ways, as all stages are now playable as Knuckles and Tails; complete with their abilities to fly, glide and climb. That’s what foxes and echidnas are best known for, right?

The Set itself is looking pretty comprehensive, with a good variety of goals and challenges. BahamutVoid has worked to highlight unique features of the hack where possible, like using character’s abilities to find previously inaccessible areas or evade hazards. This really helps celebrate the efforts of the hack dev and encourages players to discover all the hidden and easily overlooked parts of the game. Some parts of the set reward pure skill and should test even experienced players, but there’s plenty of chances for newbies like me to snag points too. (Some might take a few more tries, but I’m getting there!) No Sonic set would be complete without a speedrun, but the ones here are more about finding optimal routes and shortcuts rather than pixel-perfect play.

Want to see just how fast you can go though? There’s leaderboards too. 118 of them for speedruns and then each character has entries for high score and completing the game with as few deaths, jumps, spindashes or hits taken as possible. Finally, if any truly die-hard Sonic fans are worried this might not be enough to sate their appetites, did I mention there’s an Achievement for every single Stage in the hack? And a Bonus Set.

This month marks 30 years since Sonic dashed onto our screens, so there’s no better time to indulge in a little nostalgia. Go Fast. Get Robotnik. And enjoy the ride.

Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru | For the Frog the Bell Tolls (Game Boy)

Game Console Genre
For the Frog the Bell Tolls For the Frog the Bell Tolls Game Boy Action RPG (Top-Down View, Side Scrolling)

A lot of Zelda fans will know this story. Link’s Awakening was created initially as a side project by Nintendo staff members after normal work hours. They were all big fans of a Game Boy game they were into at the time, and loved it so much that when Link’s Awakening was created, they included characters and references from this game into it. That game was “Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru,” roughly translated as “For the Frog the Bell Tolls.”

The two are so closely connected that many consider one to be a spiritual successor to the other, even going so far as using the same game engine. Its gameplay is very simple, with a focus on having the right items equipped and ensuring you find all the upgrades to your stats that you can. The battle system is a simple matter of ensuring your hearts, defense, and attack points are more than the enemy you are engaging with, as the fights are automatic. There is very little guesswork involved, since the game tries to make sure you have what you need as you need it.

The story is one of a prince who must save his kingdom, while also constantly feeling underneath the shadow of his best friend, who always seems to have the upper advantage. Then, when an evil source invades the kingdom and turns all the King’s men (including our Hero’s best friend) into frogs, he must cast aside the feelings of smallness and perform his princely duties, all while meeting a unique cast of characters that only Nintendo could provide.

If you are a fan of Zelda games, Gameboy games, or just want to play something that doesn’t take a whole lot of mental strain, then this game is what you want. It’s simple, fun, and a full playthrough will run you 5 to 8 hours the first time. The set will require multiple playthroughs, making sure you have experienced all the nuances the game offers. Those wanting to 100% the set will have to prove they know the game as well as they think by performing perfect runs through 3 separate sections of the game. The next time you are craving a good old fashioned Game Boy game, I highly encourage you play Mutawarrior’s set. It might just become your new favorite Game Boy game.

Note: Please ensure you read the forum post for this game, as it requires a very specific checksum in order for all achievements to run properly.

~Hack~ Super Mario Balloon World (SNES)

Game Console Genre
~Hack~ Super Mario Balloon World ~Hack~ Super Mario Balloon World SNES Platformer [Normal / 79 Exits]

Many people think that this is “just another Super Mario World hack”, but this hack is a bit different than all others. This hack takes the concept of Luigi’s Balloon World from Super Mario Odyssey, and puts it into Super Mario World, which allows the players to find a P-Balloon in every level of the original game.

This hack unlocks every level at the beginning of the game, allowing the player to select any level at any time. Players do not need to worry about being stuck on a specific balloon. For the people who obtained almost every balloon, this hack unlocks four bonus levels which are harder versions of previous balloon challenges, pushing players to their limits.

Additionally, this set contains leaderboards for every balloon, so players can race collecting them the fastest against each other. A small warning in advance: Like in Luigi’s Balloon World, some balloons require small and easy glitches to obtain them.

~Bonus~ Legend of Zelda, The: Ocarina of Time (N64)

Game Console Genre
~Bonus~ Legend of Zelda, The: Ocarina of Time ~Bonus~ Legend of Zelda, The: Ocarina of Time Nintendo 64 Action, Adventure

So, you think you know The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time? Think again! Welcome to the Bonus set where logic is irrelevant and points don’t matter!

This Bonus set pushes players past limits beyond what was thought possible to accomplish in Ocarina of Time. Rather than targeting only glitches, I give players a general goal. For example: Take the “Equip a Bottle on B” achievement. The idea behind this achievement is to lead the player into Bottle Adventure and/or Reverse Bottle Adventure.

Now there are multiple ways in which the player can get bottle on B. They can learn “quick equip” paired with precise inputs, or they could learn to steal the fishing rod and perform a series of events in order to replace your sword with a bottle on the B button.

By mastering this set, you will be introduced and asked to practice glitches and tricks that range from easy to downright insanity. If you are an avid Ocarina of Time player, and want to expand your horizons, this set should give you the achievements to make that happen.

Rhythm Tengoku (GBA)

Game Console Genre
Rhythm Tengoku Rhythm Tengoku Game Boy Advance Rhythm

Rhythm Tengoku (Known as Rhythm Heaven in North America and Rhythm Paradise in Europe) is a series of Rhythm-Variety games where you play through dozens of short rhythm-based minigames, each with different rules and objectives. This is the first game in the series, and while it never left Japan, there is a fan-made translation available.

The first quality to note is this game is very charming. In addition, the characters are cute and likable, the small amount of written text is amusing (The translation does a great job of keeping the spirit here), and I guarantee you will not be able to finish the game without some of the soundtrack stuck in your head for days.

The stages are organized into 8 “worlds”, with 5 small minigames followed by a “WarioWare-esque” remix stage that has you rapidly swapping between previous games to play along with a new song. The main games act as fun tutorials, while the Remix stages test all the skills you’ve built along the way. You’ll find yourself training a karate man to punch flowerpots, studying a microorganism under assault from bacteria that move to the music, or even joining a group of mice in a great cheese heist under the watchful eyes of an angry housecat. Trust me, there are many more weird ones in this game.

After clearing a stage, you’re free to return to it at any time. You will want to return to some stages, as clearing them above a certain accuracy threshold nets you a “Superb” ranking, with a nice shiny medal. Medals unlock extra mini-games and toys to play with, making for a fun extra objective. On top of this, gaining enough medals will occasionally trigger a “Perfect” mode, where you will be given the chance to complete a game without making any mistakes to earn a bonus reward. And boy, there’s nothing more heart-pounding then approaching the end of a difficult stage with the perfect badge staring you in the face (And nothing more heart-wrenching then beefing it at the last second…)

…But I’m going to be honest, the real reason I’m writing this recommendation is for one achievement in particular: Drum Master. To earn it, you must complete the drum lessons earned by getting Superb medals in the main mini-games, with the final lesson unlocked after getting all 48 medals. The lessons themselves consist of watching a cool teacher dude’s drum loops, then following his example using basically every button on the system. It starts simple, with only a couple of A and B presses per loop but by the end becomes a fast-paced (and surprisingly cerebral) event where your fingers are flying across the controller to keep up with the beat.

Since this write-up, a whopping 10 people out of 700 total players have earned it, a completion rate of 1.5%. Brutal, but understandable as the conditions to even unlock the lessons can get a bit tough. Despite that, earning this has probably been the single most satisfying moment of my time in this community (Plus the point reward is pretty sweet!), and I highly recommend anyone reading this to give it a shot. Even if you can’t make it all the way, Rhythm Tengoku provides an enjoyable, memorable journey the entire time, so you’ll have a blast regardless.