In the past few years I have become quite an addict to video game achievements. This has seen my average game completion percentage on Steam jump from about 30% up to 64% (keep in mind that this is currently across 262 games!). However, for some seeking achievements, it’s inevitable that you are going to run into video game collectibles, a controversial topic for video gamers that has its origins in the early days of the medium. Knowing all this, I thought it might be interesting to examine video game collectibles and why I both love and hate them.
Video games have had a long history when it comes to collecting items whether it were the pellets and fruit of Pac-Man, the coins of Super Mario or the keys of Doom. These collectibles served as critical components to the gameplay by increasing the score, gaining lives or unlocking new pathways.
When people thinks of collectibles in video games, most will probably think of 3D platformers. Some of the earliest titles such as Super Mario 64, Crash Bandicoot and Spyro placed a great emphasis on this with the various stars, crystals, eggs and more determining where you can go and encouraging you to thoroughly explore each level. However, even these games had collectibles that were not necessarily linked to progressing the main story. Collecting the gems and relics of Crash Bandicoot saw secret endings unlocked while collecting everything in Spyro would see bonus worlds open up.
Since then, we have seen the introduction of formalised achievements in the seventh generation of consoles which has lessened the need for an in-game reward. People, understandably, question the need for these collectibles, calling them pointless, empty padding to extend game time. I can certainly understand this viewpoint. One of the more unpleasant collectible experiences I’ve had in recent memory came from a game called Yooka-Laylee. An alright 3D platforming game that sees you collect various items such as Pagies, Play Coins, Mollycools and many others. In particular, there are 1010 Quills scattered throughout the 5 worlds and hub world of the game and are collected to unlock new abilities for the titular pair. However, only about 470 out of the 1010 Quills are needed to fulfill this purpose. Instead, the search for all 1010 is pretty much only to earn the achievement stating that you have done so. While I did end up doing this task, I have vivid memories of frustration looking for a single missing Quill in Capital Cashino which took me nearly an hour to do.
Interestingly, I have fond memories of seeking out the gems and relics in the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy which many other people found intensely torturous. For me though, something that separates the gems and relics of Crash Bandicoot from the Quills of Yooka-Laylee was that I always knew what I had to do. For gems, I had to break every box in the level and for relics, I had to complete the level without dying in a certain time limit. While certainly difficult, I can enjoy a challenge and felt quite satisfied collecting these collectibles whereas I did not find it fun to search everywhere on a giant 3D level for a single Quill in Yooka-Laylee.
In my mind, in order for collectibles to be fun, several criteria must be met. First, the collectible should have some form of in-game function whether it be extra cutscenes, new abilities, bonus levels etc. An achievement is typically not a satisfactory reward in and of itself for all of the effort seeking out these collectibles. Secondly, the overall number should remain low. If the Quills from Yooka-Laylee had been reduced from 1010 to 101 or 202, I don’t believe it would have taken any satisfaction away from collecting them all and, in fact, can reduce frustration when you are searching for the last one. The last criteria is more of a personal preference than the other two but I prefer that collectibles be associated with specific tasks rather than combing the world. Exploration can be fun but having to look behind every nook and cranny can end up being quite tedious.
Collectibles have gotten a bad reputation in recent years and it’s true that collectibles in general have lost a lot of the purpose that they used to have in older titles. However, I believe that when designed and implemented correctly, collectibles can be fun and engaging to collect. Let me know your thoughts on video game collectibles, whether you love or hate them, how you think they can be improved and any other information you might have on the topic.
Thanks for reading and if you wish to seek any of the titles I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk or amazon.com for all of your needs! Also feel free to follow my curator page on Steam “JRPG Reviews” for thoughts and opinions on any JRPGs that I play and my YouTube channel “Victory Achieved Gaming” where I guide my friend through challenging games.