2021 was a momentous year for me. I moved during a pandemic. Became a newly minted homeowner. Learned to live without a TV for 10 months. And used my Switch more this year than any other.
Because of the global chip shortages, I couldn't upgrade my PC or get a PS5 so I decided to go through my Steam back catalog, free games through Epic Game Store and any game that interested me on GamePass.
Trails from Zero is my GOTY. It is the perfect encapsulation of a standalone game. You don't need to play the other Trails' games to enjoy this one and unlike other JRPGs there is a very small roster of characters. The characters truly feel like a cohesive unit, who each have their own strengths: Lloyd is the detective, Elle is the politician, Tio is the computer wizard and Randy is the muscle. Not since Persona 4 have I played a game where each party member not only had their own distinct roles but genuinely felt like a team.
You know how in most JRPGs, the end fight is all about friendship and love overcoming adversity? Trails from Zero earns that right in spades.
Wait another Trails game??? While it is not flawless as Trails from Zero, Trails to Azure is the perfect example of how a series arc should end. It should be bombastic, epic in scale and feel rewarding. Fans of the Trails series will undoubtedly rank this game the best in the entire franchise. I ranked this slightly worse than Trails from Zero because it requires prior knowledge of the franchise and locks important narrative bits behind easily missed side quests.
Oh XCOM 2, how close you are to being my GOTY. I was enthralled by the strategy and depth of the gameplay. The variety of team compositions. The mission and map designs especially with the War of the Chosen expansion pack. If only the game wasn't so horrendously buggy. I had several sessions that were completely ruined by game breaking bugs where I had to reload an earlier save or restart the whole mission.
I haven't finished this game yet but from what I've played it is a significant step up from Xenoblade Chronicles, XC2 is an ambitious masterpiece in world design hampered by poor framerates, confusing quest design and a mess of Anime tropes. Each time I play the game, I learn something new, discover new secrets and come away thinking the game could be my 2021 GOTY. It's just the narrative irks me. It is tonally all over the place. It's pandering, shameless and groan inducing. One moment there is a serious conversation and in the other moment a dumb Anime trope about breast size rears its' head. If I could have the gameplay of XC2 and the narrative of the original, this would be a shoe-in for my GOTY.
This game about a teen's life unexpectedly won me over. If you can look past the anthropomorphic designs and the 'tudeness of the writing, Night in the Woods addresses anxiety and depression with such care that it should not be overlooked. It's not a video game in a traditional sense and I'm completely fine with that.
Nintendo are masters at making platformers fun to play and Super Mario Odyssey is no different. While I didn't collect every single moon on my playthrough, I was smiling and enjoying every minute playing this game.
A love-letter to platformers in the NES era. The Treasure Trove bundle alone is a ridiculous value for the amount of game you get, If you don't have time to play all of the games, I recommend playing OG Shovel Knight and Specter of Torment.
A delightful surprise. As the name implies, it's a short game and clocks in about an hour. A Short Hike feels like a game developed in a game jam because of how snackable it is. While it is small in scope, it is big in flavor.
Played this on a random whim and was completely hooked. The found-phone concept is such a great story telling device. It's way better than the typical amnesiac protagonist or the fish out of water tale. Also enjoyed the subtle commentary on the social media obsessed Gen-Z population.
I regret not playing Sleeping Dogs way earlier. The game was sitting in my Steam catalog for years but I never booted the game up until this year. Sleeping Dogs is the epitome of video game junk food. It's the perfect balance of serious narrative and goofy combat.
