Another month has passed us by, and with it, some big hitters in terms of game releases. Developers are understanding a lot better now that huge releases don’t just need to be saved for the last quarter of the year, which is why we saw the likes of Resident Evil Village and Mass Effect Legendary Edition release in May. But do these AAA titles make an appearance on our list of the easiest Xbox achievements to be gained from the games released in the month just gone?
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster – 15G – A Journey’s Catalyst
Let me pre-empt the first achievement this month with a massive caveat; this achievement contains major plot spoilers for Final Fantasy X as it bridges the gap between the two titles available in this remastered package. Why am I including this achievement then? Probably just so I can write a little bit more about Final Fantasy. Just try and stop me.
Dropping into Xbox Game Pass this month was the duology of Final Fantasy X and X-2. Originally promised as arriving into Game Pass back in late 2019, it has taken a while to arrive. But as it contains one of the best Final Fantasy’s, better late than never.
Whilst the majority of the rest of the achievements for Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster are drip fed to you over the course of many hundreds of hours, here is a very easy 15G for you. From the main menu, select the second option of ‘Final Fantasy X – Eternal Calm’ and then press A again when prompted. Then, you can either watch it and have the entirety of Final Fantasy X spoiled for you or disappear for 25 minutes. At the end of the cutscene though, you will be 15G better off.
Rabisco+ – 100G – How to walk
No spoilers involved in unlocking this achievement, just some healthy Gamerscore bank balance boosting. Well, it is from Ratalaika Games, so what more do you expect?
Rabisco+ has a cutesy hand-drawn aesthetic to it, as many of the backgrounds you cruise over appear to be pages of lined paper. It is a top-down platformer where you must recover missing stars whilst avoiding obstacles and over 20 types of enemies. It comes complete with a Bossa Nova soundtrack to create a relaxing and charming atmosphere.
Also, achievements. Now for this 100G whopper, simply direct Ms. Rabisco from one end of the screen to the other in the first level. Pop, achievement earned and as an added bonus I bet you are now lying full horizontal from all this laid-back gaming.
Karma. Incarnation 1 – 2 for 55G – Learned Zen and Astal visitor
Okay, three things I need to get off my chest. Firstly, add Karma. Incarnation 1 to the ever-expanding list of stupid video game names. Secondly, the two achievements in this doubler are worth 22G and 33G respectively, which is why you are getting both. And finally, no that isn’t a typo for the second achievement name ‘Astal visitor’. Yes, it should be ‘astral’ but the achievement is spelled incorrectly so let’s go with it for now.
If there is one other achievement type we love in these lists – along with tutorial ones – it is the achievements for idling. And Karma – as it shall be henceforth referred to – has a 22G achievement called Learned Zen for not doing anything for three minutes. To balance your Gamerscore not ending in a 5G or a 0G though, there is the 33G achievement to follow. For Astal visitor, complete the first puzzle and then on the second puzzle – after unlocking the ability to see into the astral plane – press B 33 times and have a peek in.
Karma does redeem itself by also having a 50G achievement with a reference to the band Queen, that does go someway to quelling the queasy feeling from that abomination of a game title. But still, come on guys!
Infestor – 2 for 100G – Colonist and Worker
Next up is another doubler with a perfectly round 100G for the 2D platformer Infestor. And it’s another Ratalaika game making an appearance!
In Infestor, you control a green alien blob/bogie/ball/pea – it is never really implied what exactly – that has the ability to latch onto humans and have them help him complete the levels. In the second level you will take control of a colonist and will be awarded a 30G achievement the first time that you do. Play on to the fifth level and you will have to take control of a worker, and this will net you 70G. Each human you encounter will have a different ability that you need to utilise in order to complete the levels. And being a Ratalaika achievement list, expect the rest to be just as simple.
Skate City – 100G – First Run
Remember what I said earlier about loving achievements for completing tutorials? Well, here is this month’s obligatory ‘complete the tutorial’ for an achievement, only this one comes in at an impressive 100G!
Skate City is the latest title in the renaissance of skateboarding gaChroma
Anyways, the achievement; as soon as the game starts up the tutorial will load up alongside it and take you through the basics of Skate City. Completing the objectives will take around two minutes and you will have 100G to show for your efforts upon completion.
Chroma Quaterion – 10G – One Day Morning
Not quite idling, but achievements unlocked for watching the opening cutscene of a game will always guarantee them a slot in our monthly lists. This month’s example is the KEMCO RPG Chroma Quaterion.
No explanation required. Start the game, watch the cutscene, unlock a 10G achievement.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition – 5G – Missing in Action
Our final achievement of this month’s list comes with the same caveat as the first one on the list; unlocking this one in Mass Effect 2 will have major plot spoilers for the first Mass Effect game. And at 5G, it’s barely even worth it, some would say.
Likewise to the Final Fantasy achievement though, it’s just another excuse for me to talk about a franchise I adore that has recently released in the form of Mass Effect Legendary Edition.
Load up Mass Effect 2 from the main launcher menu. If you haven’t got a finished Mass Effect 1 save, then skip the character creation and start with the default John/Jane Shepherd model. I cannot begin to describe how much of a kick in the teeth the opening to Mass Effect 2 is, regardless of how many times you play it. But, as Commander Shepherd you must save your team from the imminent destruction of the Normandy. Once you save Joker, watch the cutscene that follows and the 5G achievement should pop around the time the Mass Effect 2 logo pops up.
5G definitely isn’t worth the heartache that comes from this opening to Mass Effect 2. I’d rather have no achievement than a pity 5G. Still, an easy cheevo is still a cheevo.
And that’s our list! 385G on offer for the month of May is not a bad investment. And there are some truly exceptional games on offer this time, along with the usual achievement fodder to bump up the numbers. June seems a bit of a quieter month in terms of AAA games but as for what games make the list, well you will just have to wait and find out.
