Man is not only hunters, but also collectors. While our ancestors are concerned primarily with the gathering of food, necessary materials and objects, today’s people gather all sorts of useless fashions. Collecting is no longer a necessity of survival, but is mainly turned into a hobby to show the collected objects as a status symbol or simply to master one’s own boredom. In games particularly hardworking collectors are often rewarded with special bonuses, rare objects or achievements .
The objects to be collected could not be more different. Sometimes it is the same object, as for example the energizing thermos in Alan Wake, or it is about objects of the same type, but they have different characteristics, like the Shanties in Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag. Sometimes you also need to find a certain amount of a collection item to exchange for a reward. Particularly hardworking collectors have been known in the field of games from then on as the so-called completionists – those players who explore every angle of a game in order to actually find all the collectibles that give the game.
In the following we have presented you some unique collectibles, which have been especially remembered.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Donkey Kong Country
N64 Jump’n’Runs
Yoshi’s Woolly World
Diablo, Torchlight, Borderlands
In my article about collectibles, it is not necessarily about the actual typical so-called achievements, which are displayed in a public profile of the world. I am more concerned about the Sammelsidenschaft in games, which besides the fun also brings mostly enormous advantages in the game: as in Diablo, Torchlight and Borderlands for example. There are the infamous legendary and the even more infamous set items. Both types of items usually offer bonuses that fundamentally alter the character of the player or give him abilities that he did not previously possess.
In Diablo, for example, complete sets sometimes bring abilities of the other classes, or make their own abilities function fundamentally differently. In Diablo 2 has started with me the Sammelleidenschaft. I do not know how many game passes I had to make to complete a set. I know, however, that I was unhappy when I finally completed my set. This spell also works in Diablo 3, but the chance to complete the set quickly is slightly higher than in the previous parts. I personally like it very much.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
It was once The Witcher 3. What many people besides the history, the characters and everything around was almost more enthusiastic, was the game in the game: Gwent .Already in the previous parts of the franchise we were allowed to prove ourselves in miniature and yield the mellickust. In part 1, we received a card for each “completed” bed story which should remind us of the woman of the evening. If that was too easy, he could also try to fight the fist. Or the cube pokers. Or when you’re drinking.
In Part 3, however, we should play cards. This does not sound particularly exciting, but the game proved that the more nerve-racking than the seduction of the young Maid can be. In order to become the best of all Gwent players, you must compile a good deck. To do this, you must face Gwent players across the country. You can buy some cards as well, but you’ll get the best ones from local champions, but you’ll have to defeat them to get their treasures out. If you have defeated all the players who are to be defeated, there is only one task for you. Grab them all. This is actually the name of the last quest that no less requires you to find than 199 Gwent cards in the game.
Donkey Kong Country
In addition to Yoshi’s Island, I grew up with Donkey Kong Country, another game full of collectibles, some of which were even more nasty than the little green Dino. I remember well that at a young age I spent some hours looking for the bonus level or the DK coins in Donkey Kong Country 2 and 3, and yet the eternal search has been fun to me and has been remembered to this day. Also in Donkey Kong Country the 100% -jagd was not for nothing, because in the end an additional world could be released, which of course also offered more difficult levels. As a child I had more time and patience and I took the trouble to explore these games extensively. Even after I had seen some levels already for the 100th time, it was not boring – a phenomenon that today only creates the fewest titles.
Collective objects can rob you of the last nerve, but some games manage to conquer the hearts of the players who find even the hottest hiding places, and finding the collectibles is all the more pleasing. Mostly, however, you are also just glad when you have finally found the search for the annoying objects behind you. It is, of course, up to you to decide which game you want 100% and which is not.
Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag
There is probably in hardly any other franchise as many collectibles as in Assassin’s Creed. In Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, however, there was a very special collective, which even influenced the feeling of the game: the shanties.
Yes, it was incredibly annoying to run behind a flying note, then just miss it and watch as she flees into the clouds and dissolves there. However, once they had done it, the crew on board sang the song found euphorically in time to the waves breaking at the ship’s bow.
The sailors also helped the real pirates to handle and survive the harsh everyday life on board a ship, usually with the help of lots of alcohol. Although you already have some shanties at the beginning of the game that accompany you during your journey through the Caribbean, there are still 24 songs waiting to be captured by you.
N64 Jump’n’Runs
In the subject of collectibles, my eye always involuntarily twitches nervously. I am actually a big fan of such content, if it is in the frame. However, this framework was not only blown up at N64 times, but was clearly atomized. While Super Mario 64 still had a comfortable number of coins and stars to start collecting, Banjo-Kazooie has already put a scoop on it. What would have been half so wild. But towards the end of the consoles cycle with Banjo-Tooie and Donkey Kong 64 two titles have appeared, which simply drove the collection madness to the top. Alone Donkey Kong 64 offers 949 Banana Coins, which you can collect, among many other items. By this time, I gave up collecting all the stuff in one game. As a suitable counter-example, however, A Link Between Worlds can be named, in which the collectibles were fun and fairly distributed. One of the exceptions, in which I myself searched and found everything.
Yoshi’s Woolly World
Yoshi has shaped my childhood, so it was all the happier when Yoshi’s Woolly World saw the light of the world and finally reached the level of Yoshi’s Island after all these years.Here too, of course, there are all sorts of collectable items that make the game interesting and challenging. This time, there are even two rewards if you take the trouble to track the sometimes difficult hiding places of the collecting objects. In addition to the familiar sunflowers, it is time to collect precious stones and woolen balls. There are five balls of wool to be found per level. As soon as you get together, you will get a new design for your cute wool Yoshi, which was a great idea and also motivated the players to find these wool balls absolutely. As soon as the player reaches 100% in all levels of a world, an additional level is unlocked in which the players can prove their skills again.
