Game of The Year 2021 was a massive challenge to decide. Especially because 2021 continued 2020’s trend of the biggest budget publishers struggling to adapt to the difficulties of pandemic. But even against that there were hundreds of releases across all genres and scales. More games than anyone could reasonably play. But of those that did come out, and those I got to play, here’s the top ten.
An Early Sifu Preview shows Sloclap haven’t lost their touch as I get hands on in this gorgeous martial arts brawler.
Kena: The Bridge of Spirits is a beautiful debut indie title unfortunately frustrated by flat design decisions and storytelling.
Battlefield 2042 takes all the series components to date and slots them back together in new, bigger, different ways that won’t quite work for every fan of the series.
Unpacking combines artfully simplistic puzzle gameplay with a narrative so confidently delivered that it accomplishes in four hours what some games can’t do with dozens.
Wildermyth is the latest attempt to capture the spontaneity and creativity of tabletop RPGs in video game form. And thanks to a few mechanical tricks, it succeeds pretty well.
Sable is one of the most introspective, beautiful and captivatingly written games I’ve played all year.
Deathloop is a classic timeloop game, expertly refined through the lense of Arkane Lyon’s effortlessly cool writing and game design. A must play.
Life is Strange is one of my Favourite series. I was a little worried that True Colors would drop beneath a very high bar. I’m so very happy to be wrong.
It would be easy to dismiss Lake as another example of the “Pastoral Saviour” genre, akin to Animal Crossing/Stardew Valley. A stressed city slicker takes a break and goes out to the country to find themselves, their love and reset their life. They fix their life, and bring a little modern culture back to the boonies. You know this plot, because it’s also every other Hallmark movie. But that would be doing Lake a disservice. Because it is sort of that, but presented so beautifully and interrogated in such a meaningful way that it’s hard not to fall for the quiet pines and placid Lake.
