After 13 Years, Someone Earned One of the Hardest Achievement Trophies in Gaming

Ninja Gaiden has always been defined as a ridiculously difficult game series. The relaunch of the series in the 21st century, in particular, was notable for just how hard the games were, with next-to-impossible challenges serving as a consistent part of the game’s action. Even compared to the rest of the series, though, 2009’s Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2+ stands out as an especially punishing title.

The PlayStation port of the game carries over all the difficult challenges of the original, quickly proving itself to be almost impossible to fully overcome. It’s so hard, in fact, that it took over a decade for someone to prove that they legitimately earned the final Platinum Trophy and 100% complete the game. Here is what makes Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2+ just so hard and how someone was finally able to fully beat it.

Why Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2+’s Final Trophy Was So Hard To Get

It took 13 years for someone to finally earn the final Platinum trophy in the PlayStation port of Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2+. The final trophy in question was “Dynamic Duo,” which it shares with other versions of the game. The trophy is awarded upon successfully completing all of Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2+‘s missions on the Turbo difficulty with a co-op partner. However, Sigma 2+ doesn’t allow for the co-op partner to be another player. The original release of Sigma 2 on the PS3 and the Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection released on PS4 both allowed players to team up online for a co-op experience.

Sigma 2+ instead forces players to go through the co-op mode with a CPU ally. As seen in Tqvry’s livestreamed video of attempting to achieve the final trophy, the CPU allies in Sigma 2+ are embarrassingly bad, with the ally decimated in a matter of seconds. This leaves the player alone in a battle with a massive number of enemies, including one mission prominent in Tqvery’s videos where they’re forced to contend with three bosses at once. The ten-hour video of that final battle also highlights how Tqvery finally won; on top of being genuinely amazing at the game, they also got lucky.

Tqvery’s Victory Of Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2+ Is Extra Impressive

During the video, a timely glitch kicks into effect that stalls one of the three bosses, giving Tqvery a chance to get far enough ahead with the other two that the player was then able to successfully overcome the challenge. Even that little instance of luck comes with a massive amount of determination, as the boss battle still forces Tqvery to the brink (and comes after dozens of tries). Notably, Tqvery is able to use their CPU ally as a tool in the battle despite the lackluster combat skills, reviving the ally at key junctions and allowing them to draw attention while they steadily cut down one of the bosses.

While a few other players have been able to claim the “Dynamic Duo” trophy, the markers that track players’ trophies online also include non-legitimate trophy unlocks. To date, Tqvery is the only player who can prove they actually beat the challenge. Tqvery’s skills are undeniable at the game, thanks to the livestream video, which underscores just how hard Ninja Gaiden 2 can be. Achievement trophies like this are all the more special because of just how hard they can be. Even though Tqvery got a lucky break with the glitch, the time and passion he put into the game, even that final battle that won the trophy, feels like a fitting trade-off for a lucky break.

Impressively difficult games have been a staple of the industry for a long time, with modern games like Elden Ring indulging in giving players the most absurd challenges possible. It can be frustrating for some players, but it’s also a major selling point for the Souls-like games that have become a dominant force in the modern gaming space. That’s what makes beating them all the sweeter, knowing that the players had to truly overcome a major challenge to earn that victory. As such, seeing a trophy that had been seemingly unearned for over a decade finally be taken is naturally exciting for any gaming fan.