PlayStation Trophies are present in every major game on Sony’s platforms, meaning that fans have had many kinds of objectives over the years. Difficult Trophies task players with beating games without dying, speedrunning, or completing lengthy grinds. Strange PlayStation Trophies are surprisingly common, with developers sneaking in jokes or rewarding gamers for doing something goofy. Every once in a while, gamers can come across Trophies with sad requirements as well.
Not every Trophy list on PlayStation will feature sad objectives, as not every game includes tragic moments. Still, the ones that do have a variety of tasks that tug on the heart strings, from killing a kind enemy to being deliberately rude to a beloved character. For those that love hunting for achievements, looking back at some of the Trophies that pushed players to their limits can serve as a fun history lesson.
Dark Souls’ “Art of Abysswalking”
On first glance, Dark Souls’ “Art of Abysswalking” Trophy is not sad in any way, as the description asks gamers to acquire the skill referred to in the Trophy's title. Unfortunately, to do this players first need to kill Sif, the beautiful great wolf defending the grave of its friend and master. Fans of FromSoftware’s games will often point to this fight as one of the most tragic in all the studio’s games, as fighting and killing a giant dog is rough. Things only become harder partway through the fight when the large beast begins limping, as players will likely be filled with regret when seeing it injured.
The Last of Us Part 1’s “Left Hanging”
While The Last of Us Part 1’s Trophy list is quite simple and unimposing, “Left Hanging” does ask gamers to do something they will likely regret after. When going to Tommy’s, Ellie and Joel will work together to complete a task, and once said objective is finished she will reach out for a high five. To get this Trophy, gamers will need to deliberately ignore the prompt to high five Ellie, being cruel to a character that many will be attached to at this point in the story. Though players can reload the section and give her a high five, being mean to her in the first place is definitely not easy.
Heavy Rain’s “Perfect Crime”
For gamers looking to get an idea of what Quantic Dream is capable in the lead-up to Star Wars Eclipse, Heavy Rain is worth a playthrough. The game’s Trophy list tasks players with seeing every ending, and with so many different scenarios, it is no surprise that there are some truly bad endings on offer. For instance, “Perfect Crime” sees players going out of their way to murder good characters and cover up the Origami Killer’s tracks so that they get away. By the time the credits roll, most players will likely be ashamed for what they did to obtain this ending.
Until Dawn’s “This is THE End”
While there are choice-based games with far more moving narratives, such as The Walking Dead, most of these titles do not offer Trophies for deliberately killing off the entire cast. Supermassive Games' Until Dawn, on the other hand, does just that. Unlike Heavy Rain, where at least the Oragami Killer lives on in the worst ending, not a single soul makes it out of the game alive if players go for “This is THE End.” Failing quick time events and letting Wendigos murder multiple characters will see players earning this gold Trophy, but with some members of the cast being likable, it would be best to save this Trophy until the story has been beaten once.
Animal Killing Trophies in Various Games
One of the most consistently sad Trophy types sees gamers rewarded for killing animals. Unlike some of the Shadow of the Colossus bosses or the aforementioned Sif from Dark Souls, these animals do not fight back, with differing degrees of sadness attached to the Trophies. For instance, killing a field of cows for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s “Moo-derer” doesn’t feel great, but at least the funny title makes the moment a bit more lighthearted. On the other hand, Red Dead Redemption’s “Manifest Destiny” is deliberately cruel to Native Americans, as it sees players going out of the way to kill off the final, sacred buffalo in the Great Plains.
Ubisoft takes the cake when it comes to animal-killing Trophies, though, as Assassin’s Creed Syndicate’s “What is Wrong With You?” sees players flipping 5 carriages. This is only achieved by killing the horses carrying them, meaning that players will need to kill 10 horses in total. However, nothing is as sad as “Tears of Shame” from the Far Cry spin-off Far Cry Primal. This is because players need to deliberately tame an animal and make it their friend before killing it. For those that spend a long time with one companion, ending the critter’s life is no small task.
Though there are surely some other PlayStation Trophies that will make players sad to collect, these are some of the standouts. Going forward, fans can expect more tragic Trophy tasks to appear from time to time.