Platinum Report: Fe #29

PSN Name: wickednick94

Platinum Number: 29

Title: Fe

Publisher: Electronic Arts, EA Originals

Developer: Zoink Games

Difficulty: 2/10

Estimated Time: 8-10

 

Due to an extensive backlog, I’ve had to tone down my trophy hunting urges as of recent but after enjoying every last second of Fe (read our full review here) and being very tempted by it’s noticeably easy trophy list, I was just crippled by my lust to see it platinumed.

 

 

Fe possesses a relatively small and undemanding trophy list consisting of trophies which could be considered very typical of a platforming title. That said, do not misconstrue Fe for your standard run of the mill platforming game as it goes without saying, it amounts to far more than that. Fe is a compelling play that only grows more enjoyable and completely engrossing as you delve deeper into it’s proceedings. Falling for this title is effortless. Everything about it from it’s moving OST to it’s pleasant, rather mellow gameplay was a pleasure to experience. As a result, adding this platinum to my collection was nothing more than a simple extension of that same enjoyment and allowed me to savour this ingenious game a little longer.

This trophy list consisting of a grand total of thirteen pings (all of which being gold and silver besides the platinum itself) asks simply that you finish the story and gather all collectables with the odd trophy rewarding you for putting the skills you learn into practice.

 

 

Playing through the story naturally will have you spurred on by a few encouraging pings. Attaining skills and abilities by picking up some of the more easy to reach crystals that are scattered throughout the game will reward you with the odd gold or silver trophy, all of which being dependant on how keen of an explorer you are. It is worth noting that you may not earn all possible pings in a single playthrough thanks to two missable trophies which typically, I overlooked as I became completely ensnared in this gorgeous tale. One asks that you run a rather hungry bear into a camp of Silent Ones – the game’s foe, whilst the other asks that you pursue your fellow fox-like creatures and tackle them from the treetops during a specific encounter. Completion of these two tasks will reward you with two gold trophies however, it’s easy to surpass these events without triggering the trophies if you’ve a profound desire to explore and urge the story to it’s climax. Thankfully, after developing a knack for navigating the woodland setting efficiently and getting to grips with the different abilities and how best to utilise them, ploughing through a second playthrough to secure these two missable trophies was a walk in the park.

 

 

Four trophies are gifted to the player for utilising their skills and abilities to both traverse the setting in specific ways and using their songs to interact with the wildlife. Towards the tail end of the game you’ll find yourself far more familiar with your surroundings and whilst possessing a complete and if not almost complete arsenal of skills and abilities, it’s great opportunity to pick up these relatively easy pings. The most simple of which is the gold trophy which you receive from gathering 10 lizards for a conversation. A self-explanatory trophy that is easy to attain as you proceed to the marsh area of the map where these cute little creatures roam in abundance. On the other hand, I was most challenged by a further gold trophy that asked I jumped from one owls back to another. After scouring the map, I found a rather convenient place attempt this at base of the waterfall I needed to use to scoop up another gold trophy. This requires you to glide from said waterfall to the marshes without touching the ground. So, after hopping from owl to owl successfully and hearing the trophy pop, I proceeded to the top of the nearby waterfall to glide my way to the marshes using one of my songs to keep me elevated where at the bottom a second gold trophy popped. Although these trophies require you to somewhat settle into the game, they were four pleasantly easy gold’s.

 

 

There’s a grand total of three types of collectables in Fe. Distributed throughout the game’s sumptuous setting are an ensemble of crystals, hieroglyphics and Silent Helmets and although the hieroglyphics are great for attempting to comprehend the less obvious story of Fe, they are in fact an optional collectable and not one you should focus on if you are simply striving for the plat. Your map becomes the ideal companion when it comes to rounding up the collectables in the game as it allows you to identify how many of each collectable you’ve gathered in each segment of the map. The twelve Silent Helmets are relatively easy to find in being strategically placed at what could be considered milestones throughout the game. I believe this is to offer some story insight to the player due to lack of dialogue in this title but no complaints here as it meant I picked up this gold trophy come the end of my first playthrough without any need to backtrack. The developers are also happy to reward you with an encouraging silver ping for getting your paws on your very first Silent Helmet too.

 

 

I wish I could’ve had the same optimism when it came to gathering the 75 crystals that were sprinkled far and wide throughout the game. Upon gathering the required amount of crystals, they are to be returned to the whimsical tree in the centre-most part of the map to be exchanged for new skills. Once all skills are attained, a gold trophy will pop. At first I was determined to gather all the crystals by my own accord without turning to trophy forums for aid but as the hours I was putting into trying to procure these crystals began to overwhelm me, I caved to my frustration and sought help from a guide (here). Although the map is great for indicating which areas you are missing crystals from, some of them are very obscurely placed and it can swiftly become frustrating pacing back and forth through an area trying to snag the remaining crystals it’s hiding. Furthermore, a lot of the crystals require a combination of skills to be used to obtain them. In one instance I had to scuttle up a sequence of trees, take a leap of faith from the top and execute a number of simultaneous “boost glides” across a huge stretch of map to obtain a crystal that had taunted me for quite some time. Crystal collecting is definitely a task best tackled upon obtaining sufficient skills. After obtaining a huge portion of the crystals, you can exchange them for a skill that allows you locate the remaining crystals, even through obstructions in first-person however, it feels more like a kick in the teeth as opposed to an encouraging pat on the back by the time you finally receive this belated skill. Although Fe’s setting is glorious and wondrous to explore, patience is definitely a virtue when it comes to rounding up these pink menaces. It’s beyond alleviating when you return the last jumble of crystals to the tree and the gold trophy finally pops. I physically breathed a very vocal sigh of relief.

 

 

Fe isn’t a particularly challenging platinum and thanks to what an outstanding game it was, it’s a one of my more enjoyable platinums too. An assortment of solely gold and silver trophies make every ping as satisfying as it is rewarding. This cleverly constructed trophy list hopes to ignite the most intent explorer in all of it’s players and you should welcome every opportunity to explore this lavish and graceful setting. I’d definitely recommend this game to anyone who enjoyed moving titles like Journey or Abzu and hellbent trophy hunters alike.