Magical Delicacy aims to “avoid obscure achievements”
We always love the chance to hear about the achievement design process from a developer point of view, and Skaule explained the thinking behind the Magical Delicacy achievement list in a little more detail for us. “I’m no achievement hunter, so making those was tricky. There are a few obvious choices, but apart from those, I aimed to create a set of achievements that can be gained in a single playthrough. That had its caveats and might make some achievements seem dull, but it still offers things to do for completionists. With a rather lengthy game, I wanted to avoid obscure achievements that could be locked out in a playthrough.”
As for what makes for an ideal achievement list? “It should be a healthy mix of milestone achievements (having completed major game events and turning points), completionist achievements (collecting 100% of various things), and, depending on the type of game, a few situational ones unlocked by doing or finding rare things. As with Magical Delicacy’s achievements, it’s nice to give the option to gain them all in a single save game.”
So, it sounds as though there’ll still be a challenge there for completionists, but not as much of a worry about multiple playthroughs. We’ve only got to wait a little longer before Magical Delicacy launches into Game Pass on July 16, and if you’re looking for more info, be sure to keep an eye out for our longer interview with Skaule about Magical Delicacy’s story, gameplay, and more!