Play This Set March 2024 - RetroAchievements/RANews GitHub Wiki

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
Space Station Silicon Valley	Nintendo 64	3D Platforming, Action

• Set by: {% rauserpic televandalist %}
• Write-up by: {% rauserpic Ganymede %}

Space Station Silicon Valley is a game that has rather unremarkably stood the test of time. Rather than aging like a fine wine, it's exactly as cheesy, weird, and off-putting as it was when it first released. Your tiny playable character, so vulnerable that it begins to take damage if exposed to the open air, runs around inserting itself (often viciously) into the bodies of various robot animals, body-swapping as necessary to accomplish various goals. There's one optional goal to pursue per level, and little to no wasted space in stage design. For this reason, {% rauserpic televandalist %}'s touch in the construction of this set is appreciably light; the majority are simply a clear set of instructions for each stage's bonus objectives, which are not typically disclosed to the player. Only toward the end, after gameplay and movement have been built up and practiced, are non-diagetic time trial challenges introduced. Could more achievements for a set like this be drummed up? Sure, easily, but the tight level design and natural flow of the existing set would cause them to feel tacked on and extraneous. I like creative achievements as much as the next person, but I think the right call was made in polishing but not gilding this hidden gem. If an ideal set can be said to fully guide a player through what a game has to offer, I believe {% rauserpic televandalist %} has accomplished this with panache and restraint.

Game	Console	Genre
Dragon Quest V	SNES/Super Famicom	Role-Playing Game

Game	Console	Genre
Dragon Quest V	PlayStation 2	Role-Playing Game

Game	Console	Genre
Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride	Nintendo DS	Role-Playing Game

• Sets by: {% rauserpic Jamiras %}, {% rauserpic Gollawiz %}, {% rauserpic blendedsea %}, {% rauserpic Gudra %}
• Write-up by: {% rauserpic Chauckles %}

There's an urban legend that the Japanese government pushed a law forbidding (Square) Enix from releasing Dragon Quest games on weekdays because the citizens of Japan are so enamored with the series that children will skip school and grown men will call in "sick" en masse in celebration of a new mainline release. As far as I'm aware that's not true (the law part at least), but the series' massive popularity with Japanese gamers and RPG fans worldwide can't be denied.

Dragon Quest V in particular is largely celebrated for its story. It's a fairly simple tale of a boy growing up and learning some harsh truths about reality, but offers some interesting twists and turns that might even surprise people familiar with the genre and its tropes (and BOY does Dragon Quest love its tropes). As the subtitle divulges, partway through the game you'll be asked to choose between marrying your childhood sweetheart or a nice rich girl, and that has some minor ramifications for the rest of the game that adds a level of replayability, especially in the DS version where the Party Chat system lets you hear what your wife has to say about an impressive selection of events.

Mechanically it's not far off from the rest of the series, but introduces a monster taming mechanic (predating Pokemon by several years I should add, though Megami Tensei did beat both of them the punch) that allows you to fight alongside the cast of wonderful and silly monsters you encounter. There are some traditional party members, but you'll spend most of the first half of the game surrounded by creatures and building your team around their strengths and abilities.

There are three separate releases to choose from (RA supports all of them!), and all three are completely valid choices. The SFC version provides a classic JRPG experience that'll give you a feel for how the genre evolved, the PS2 release sports state of the art mind-boggling three-dimensional visuals and a beautiful orchestrated soundtrack, and the DS remake has a translation more in-line with the standards set by the eighth game in the series (for better or for worse) and adds an angry, rude Ojou-sama as a marriage option for those who REALLY want to be stepped on.

If you've never played a Dragon Quest game before, V is a fine starting point. The games aren't connected in any meaningful way, and V's pacing and story are great even for those who don't have much experience with or patience for the genre. If you've played the game before I suggest picking up a release you haven't tried yet; they're all great ways to re-experience it.

Game	Console	Genre
My QLDC Level	SNES/Super Famicom	2D Platforming

• Set by: {% rauserpic AuburnRDM %}
• Write-up by: {% rauserpic LordAndrew %}

This Super Mario World hack was the winning entry in SMW Central's second Questionable Level Design Contest. Would you like to see the level? It's just to the right. Keep going... OK, this may take a while.

You see, the titular level is not the focus here. The gimmick of this hack is in the overworld map. You will have to find your way through a maze, dodge enemies and firebars, solve puzzles, maybe even fight a boss, all before ever setting foot in a level. It is an experience unlike any other Mario game.

It's a short and sweet experience, and {% rauserpic AuburnRDM %}'s achievements add replay value. Can you get through the Bullet Bill map without killing too many of them, or pass through the Diggin' Chucks without pressing left? Surely this time you can get to the game's only level in less than 7.5 minutes.

Oh yeah, that level. It's in here, and it's just as questionably-designed as advertised. Come see for yourself if you don't believe me. It should be just around the corner now...

Game	Console	Genre
Kabuki: Quantum Fighter	NES/Famicom	2D Platforming

• Set by: {% rauserpic SirVG %}
• Write-up by: {% rauserpic theelkspeaks %}

If you'd have told me about a month ago I'd be writing a Play This Set for this game, I wouldn't have believed it. When Kabuki Quantum Fighter was active as the AotW, I was incredibly frustrated with the game, and wasn't able to come anywhere close to completing it. Part of that was a core-related issue, as QuickNES does seem to have some rendering issues in stage 2-2, and I eventually used NESHawk when completing it. But part of it was also just needing to study and learn the patterns of this game, with the help of an LP, and learn to get the feel of the timing and spacing of some challenging sections.

The gameplay of this game is reminiscent of Ninja Gaiden - flashy jumps, quick stabs (in this case with hair - and I do recommend setting turbo-stab to bind to a controller trigger (in my case, R2) if you have one for easier access) and a set of magic projectiles - all set against a backdrop of (occasionally very cheap) enemy placement, spikes, fire, and more. There are, however, two key mechanics that will shape the learning process in the game and the enjoyment process. Moving platforms - which affect both how you're moving on them and the way your jump momentum is off of them, and hanging ledges - off which you will have to flip, fling, and kick your way through stage after stage.

All in all, this game is relatively short - 5 worlds plus a final boss, with 3 of those worlds consisting of one stage plus a boss fight, and the other two having two stages plus a boss fight. Broadly speaking, if you can get through the stages, you can almost certainly get through the boss fights - especially given that the game allows you to freely convert between health and weapon energy during the boss fights by pressing up/down while paused - though doing so will invalidate the no-weapon-energy cheevos if you're going for those.

The biggest roadblock in the game is Stage 3-1; once you get through it, the rest of the game is relatively smooth sailing. There's a series of jumps off tiny moving platforms, then under a damaging ceiling, then climbing a series of hanging ledges past flame-turrets, and you'll take damage and be knocked back down it several times in a row while you're learning the timing. A spread-shot from your weapon to clear out the first of the flame turrets can make it a little easier, and the weaponless clear of the stage will likely be one of the last achievements you get if you go for mastery.

The other main roadblock in the game is the final regular stage - stage 5-2 - which is hard for a different reason. You likely won't take much damage in this stage at all - it's practically a Getting Over It simulator - as you'll fall over and over again back down the climb of the stage, and have to redo one or more previous sections. Most deaths in this stage aren't to the relatively sparse enemies and hazards - but instead to the 350 second timer - which seems generous until you see just how many times you'll fall over and over and over again. Getting to the ladder where a spike protrudes from the wall with 190 seconds or more still on the timer is what I came to consider "par" for having a run on pace to finish on time - though it definitely became possible to finish with time to spare from there - as well as to reach it well before that. Using spread-shot to clear out some flying blue mouth-demons near the top of the stage will make a final section a lot safer, and put you on pace for a boss gauntlet that feels more like epilogue than final challenge.

From a game that I gave up in frustration during AOTW to a game that eventually felt like a rewarding beat - and even a rewarding mastery - this game was definitely a personal journey, but one that I consider well worth the time I invested in it. If you're up for trying a Ninja Gaiden-lite, Kabuki Quantum Fighter provides a real sense of mechanical learning and is a forgotten gem that deserves to be remembered.

Game	Console	Genre
Touhou Mario: Imperishable Night	SNES/Super Famicom	2D Platforming

• Set by: {% rauserpic YuriRod50248 %}
• Write-up by: {% rauserpic Panictotem %}

I'm a Touhou Fan. I got introduced to the series around last year. While going through the site's Touhou Fangame hub, I stumbled upon this romhack of Super Mario World, and on April 1st 2023, I completed it on Softcore. This is my review of the set for Touhou Mario: Imperishable Night alongside a general review of the game.

The hack itself is based on the 8th Touhou Game, Touhou 8: Imperishable Night, except with Mario as the protagonist. After completing the Extra stage, the game launches the post game content, which are mostly miscellaneous levels based on certain Touhou-themed media or characters. After completing the postgame and fighting off Flandre Scarlet, you get a level where you fight off against Bowser, who reveals himself to be a vampire with the name of Scarlet Bowser.

Gameplay is your usual Mario platforming, with a few gimmick levels in between. However, unlike the usual Mario games, there aren't any 1-ups, but rather Power. Power is basically your health bar, and making mistakes causes it to decrease. You can heal by finding P-Items around the stages or by giving away 100 point items at the Hakurei Shrine.

The main drawback is the lack of an ability to save, making this set a rather hard one for those playing on Hardcore.

The set itself is mostly progression-based with a few damageless and speedrun achievements sprinkled in. The hardest achievement for me was beating the escape sequence in Utsuho's Stage without taking damage, mostly due to the falling rocks from the ceiling.

Overall, I give this set a score of 7/10 on The Offical Totem Panic Ranking Scale™

Game	Console	Genre
Penguin Patrol	Nintendo DSi	Puzzle

• Set by: {% rauserpic Gudra %}
• Write-up by: {% rauserpic WanderingHeiho %}

It’s time to take a break from dropping penguins off of cliffs, and instead try saving some of them!

Penguin Patrol is a very simple puzzle game to get started with. Your goal is to rescue penguins that were kidnapped by a sunglasses-wearing walrus that are scattered across the ice-covered lakes and reach the end safely. There's a little catch, however; those ice panels you're stepping on? They break after you walk off of them. The challenge becomes how you can safely reach enough penguins while still being able to get to the end. But if that wasn't tough enough, there are a few more things that make these puzzles trickier than they seem at first.

Every stage will reward you with a maximum of three stars: one for clearing the stage, the second for clearing the stage with all penguins rescued, and the third for rescuing all the penguins and breaking all of the ice! Not only that, later stages introduce mechanics like slippery ice that causes you to keep moving and ice that breaks after walking on it twice. Not every penguin will just wait around for you to save them, either; some will run around when you get near them, always making right turns when they hit a wall, or falling into the water if there's nothing to stop them. Some penguins will act like blockades, demanding specific items to be rescued. And lastly, there are a few penguins so huge that you need to push them to the exit like a typical block pushing puzzle...I'm curious how that walrus was able to carry so many of these penguins in the first place.

While the game isn't the most detailed in its graphics, the puzzles themselves can really start to make you scratch your head on how to solve them with a 3 star clear (that final extra level took me a bit longer than I was ever expecting it to), but feels so satisfying once you finally find the solution. Definitely glad I decided to give this game a try.

Game	Console	Genre
Remote Control Shuriken	Game Boy Color	Action-Adventure

• Set by: {% rauserpic ladynadiad %}
• Write-up by: {% rauserpic Sutarion %}

I've mentioned before that homebrew games are one of the hidden gems on RA. They can provide shorter experiences that explore concepts that may not work out in a full length game. Some are feature length, while others are essentially demos created during Game Jams that have you wishing for more.

Remote Control Shuriken is a good example of a homebrew that is essentially a tech demo. This game was created for the gbcompo21 Game Jam and was made in under 13 days. The game features three bosses that you must kill using your handy remote controlled shuriken. While the shuriken cannot be destroyed, you are also in the boss arena and are vulnerable to attack. Victory depends on your ability to swap between offensive play and defensive play.

The set was created by {% rauserpic ladynadiad %} and features 3 achievements for beating the bosses and 3 achievements for beating them under specific challenges. These challenges are a great example of the creativity that RA can bring to otherwise simple games. While it isn't a difficult set, the toughest part is avoiding crashes during the 3rd boss. Unfortunately, the game dev was unable to fix this during the Game Jam so that just adds some additional challenge to mastering the set. If you can handle that sort of frustration, check out the set!

Game	Console	Genre
Legend of Zelda, The: Pumkin Tower	Nintendo 64	Action-Adventure

• Set by: {% rauserpic AlexGatao %}
• Write-up by: {% rauserpic Bendyhuman %}

Upon first glance, you'd probably assume that this is just a dumb meme hack; I know I did. From a gameplay perspective, however, the quality is undeniable. It's not only the best Majora's Mask hack by a landslide, but easily ranks highly among my favorites of all the Zelda hacks I've played. And no, I'm not exaggerating or trying to be funny - this seriously, truly, genuinely is a great game.

First off, the level design is fantastic. The entire game takes place within the titular tower, and it's absolutely MASSIVE. I've played through the various hacks for the recent Hylian Modding Escape Room competition over the past weeks, and as excellent as many of those are, this one trumps all of them by far in terms of scale. It doesn't waste your time, either; each room is designed with purpose, and they each feel both visually and mechanically distinct from all others. Speaking of the visuals, the game absolutely nails the N64 aesthetic, and I especially loved the dreamlike look of the later areas. The combat is a lot of fun as well. Link takes double damage, making each heart container and bottle you find feel meaningful, and the game includes enemies not only from MM and OOT but new entirely custom foes as well. The puzzles, too, felt like a great encapsulation of what I love about the N64 era, with lots of focus on observation and exploration rather than the sorts of "place blocks on switches" puzzles that have been done to death. There's an incredible level of polish throughout, lacking any of the sort of usual jank I've come to expect from even the best hacks.

The hack's sense of humor certainly won't land with everyone, but I personally found it hilarious, if mean-spirited at times. Much of the dialogue consists of hot takes about various Zelda games. Whether you agree or disagree with these viewpoints, you can tell they're presented in a tongue-in-cheek way meant to rile people up, and the idea of people taking these games way too seriously and genuinely arguing about these points is precisely why I find it so funny. There are also lots of jabs made at other hack creators, and this where it perhaps crosses the line, as those familiar with the hacking community will know exactly who each of these statements are directed toward, even if they aren't addressed by name. Still, there are some real truth bombs even in these moments; they're a lot of the kinds of thoughts I've had while playing through various bad hacks, even if you probably shouldn't say them out loud. Regardless of your thoughts toward their inclusion, I think it's for the best that the jokes are mainly restricted to the dialogue, rather than getting weird with the areas or enemies you encounter. It helps make the game world grounded and believable, as opposed to the unpredictable nature of most meme hacks.

It's been a while since I've written a long review like this, but hopefully it comes across that I really am passionate about this game. And even if you find its attempts at comedy eye-rolling, I still believe there's something to enjoy here for all Zelda fans. If it wasn't obvious by now, this game gets my highest recommendation.

Game	Console	Genre
Sonic Riders	PlayStation 2	Racing

• Set by: {% rauserpic DanB %}
• Write-up by: {% rauserpic PenguGG %}

Riders is most certainly the most memorable title among all of the spin-offs of the Sonic series, not more than Shadow the Hedgehog though, best game ever. Compared to most of the kart racers, it comes with mechanics that despite requiring a bit of learning are really satisfying to pull off.

Similarly to Sonic Adventure 2, the story mode presents itself with two options in which you play as either the heroes, the main cast of the series, or the new cast of characters belonging to the Babylon group. While completing races in story mode, you'll unlock new challenges in the mission mode, which can range from collecting stuff to tricks, time attacks, etc.

Everything is based around the air tank; jumping, boosting, and drifting requires an amount of air to perform. Emptying it will force you to walk, making you really slow and losing precious time. Managing air becomes really important to win races, hence why you can't just boost all the time. There are different things that contribute to air. Tricks can reward you air, even more depending on how good your tricks are. Rings can level you up, extending you air tank and giving you better boost, but if you get hit or drop from the track you lose all of them. Classes are also in the game, each one determining how the track will play out: speed lets you grind through rails, fly lets you fly through rings, and power lets you smash obstacles. Doing all of these will reward you air and give you access to shortcuts in the tracks. Of course, items are also present, which can give you air and rings, and others can either hinder you or help you.

The achievement set, outside of featuring many achievements about everything you can do in the game, also features unique challenges that require certain boards and certain settings to be checked. One example is Thirsty for Blood, requiring you to play with the Berserker, a board that always attacks other adversaries but doesn't let you gain air in any way outside of attacking other players, and of course items and rings. Another example is Living Up To Its Name, that has you earn 100 rings with the Gambler, which does double the rings you get if you're first but also doesn't let you use any abilities and consumes more air than the normal board. These kinds of achievements are the highlight of the set, going for even more than 25 points in some of them, and will put your skills to the test.

Kart racers don't usually have an emphasis on driving skill, and are more centered towards being simpler to make it more playable for everyone. Sonic Riders, while really simple and the game doesn't tell you everything (I mean, did you know while you charge your jump to jump off a ramp you can also either press up to make a longer jump or down to make a higher jump to make it possible to take certain paths in the track?), it is still a really fun racing game, even just as good as the best kart racing games around.

Game	Console	Genre
Jesus: Kyoufu no Bio Monster	NES/Famicom	Adventure, Visual Novel

• Set by: {% rauserpic Sines %}
• Write-up by: {% rauserpic Prota %}

The RA Roulette event tasked me with finding a set released in February to write a Play This Set about. After keeping my eyes opened throughout the month, I finally found a game that caught my attention. Jesus: Kyoufu no Bio Monster, or Jesus: Tale of the Dreadful Bio-Monster, is a sci-fi horror visual novel. I know the first question probably on everyone's mind (it was mine too), no it's not that Jesus, it's name of the space station you're stationed on in the game. But that was the only disappointment I felt, as after starting the game it turned out to be quite a fun and thrilling experience.

You play as Musou Hayao, part of a team traveling through space on a mission to investigate Halley's Comet. Before starting the voyage you get a little time to meet the other crew members, all from different parts of the world, and get to know them a bit better. While there is a cliche or two in there, most of the crew are interesting enough and leave an impression. Now the mission involves splitting into two groups; one leaves first for the comet, while the second, which Hayao is a part of, will follow after two weeks. The game truly begins once the second crew arrives at Halley's Comet to find that communications are down for the first crew. Hayao is then sent as a scout to investigate their ship and determine what is causing the issue.

At this point the atmosphere really starts to set in, full of suspense, mystery, and dread as you explore the ship. This is only heightened by the great anime styled spirtework and eerie music. The game looks fantastic for the NES and the cutscenes pulled me in almost as if I was actually watching an anime. Exploration is pretty simple - you can explore the four levels of the ship, each with multiple rooms. You have movement control during this part and can move forward or backwards in a circular corridor that loops around that level. Once you go into a room, it goes into typical first-person visual novel mode, where you can select interaction options and objects/areas to interact with. And as is common in visual novels, you'll be examining a ton of things (many of them multiple times) and piecing together clues to be able to progress.

Even though I was able to see some things coming, I still found myself audibly gasping once or twice and found to story to be very enjoyable. And on that note, I highly recommend NOT looking at the achievement list when playing the game. Most of the achievement names, descriptions, and images are spoilers, so if you want to best experience the story you should go in blind. All achievements except one are progression, and that one missable achievement can be obtained fairly early in the game (especially with a guide), so if you want to really get into the narrative then avoid the achievement list at all costs.

The game length will likely be around 2 hours if you don't use a guide and the game keeps a good pacing throughout. I had a blast and would recommend it to anyone who finds the premise intriguing. So if you're in the mood for some good old fashion sci-fi horror, grab a snack, sit down, and prepare to go on a ride with Jesus.