When Bethesda first announced Skyrim for the hybrid console Nintendo Switch, I’ll admit – I rolled my eyes a bit. Not because Skyrim isn’t a fantastic game, it’s beautiful, but because it seems like Bethesda is fixated on this title versus taking that next step. As more and more information was released about the port – I became intrigued, eventually excited. Traveling a lot makes it difficult to lug around platforms (which I still do anyway) and my gaming PC is not a laptop, so that set up is out of the question. Finally after the positive reviews for the port kept coming in, I caved and I couldn’t be happier that I did. That being said, it really makes me go back to my initial desire for Nintendo: achievements.
PlayStation, Xbox, Steam, Origins – all of these provide almost a game within a game. Not only do players get to take on the challenge of a new title, but the achievements/trophy system creates a new layer of immersion. A reason to strive for completion, go that extra mile, push those gaming limits. While traversing through the wonderful world of Tamriel once more, I found myself wishing that that same system was implemented in the latest Nintendo console.
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As a huge completionist, I love taking on every side quest available. Making decisions I wouldn’t normally make, taking on difficulty levels I wouldn’t normally chose. I love it. Seeing that achievement pop-up on the screen gave a tangible reward for that feeling of accomplishment. As I completed these now familiar sidequests throughout the world of Skyrim, there was one thing noticeably missing. Whereas in previous playthroughs that welcome pop up message sprung up baring news of accomplishment, there was nothing. Is this game breaking? Absolutely not, but it did put it into perspective how much my inner gamer thrives off of that push to keep going.
Achievements, to me, are much more than “oohh, you’ve got a gold star, good job,” or whatever people say to make fun of trophy hunters. To me, it’s evidence of accomplishment behind my own experience. It’s a neat way to compare progress with other players, have proof of conquests conquered, a trail of adventures taken. With multiple playthroughs of Skyrim under my belt, and on multiple platforms, the Nintendo Switch port made it painfully obvious that this would be the first time that that little additional pick-me up wouldn’t be there.
For other games behind Skyrim, the achievement/trophy lists also provides insight into what the game has to offer. So many times I didn’t realise that there were entire factions of gameplay hidden away until I saw the locked achievement for it. It pushed me to explore, or in games like Mass Effect – it pushed me to play another playthrough and experience the story from a different perspective.
There have been numerous reports stating that Nintendo was actively working on an achievement system, and Microsoft has unveiled their plans for their Xbox Live service to extend over to the Big N as well. After replaying an old favourite, it makes me really hope to see these features see full fruition.
What do you think? Would you like to see an achievement system within the world of Nintendo? Sound off in the comments below!
