This is the third year I’ve actually had the gumption to post a Game of the Year list, and in the past two I’ve written a couple of paragraphs about the year and overall mood I had with the games I played. Well, fuck you 2021, you don’t deserve a couple of paragraphs. Let’s instead get right to my favorite games of a year I don’t want to talk about (yet).
(With apologies to Hitman 3, Resident Evil Village, Deathloop, Wildermyth, and Subnautica: Below Zero, all of which I didn't find time for but was interested in.)
Not Rated: KID A MNESIA: EXHIBITION (PC)
This is a game that would have made my top 10 list if it weren’t for one minor complication. Within the first couple of minutes of walking around, I found writing on a wall that stated “this is not a game”. Since this game experience has generously given me an excuse to put 11 things into my top 10, I’ll happily oblige them. I’ve only spent around 90 minutes in the exhibition, but that time included the “How to Disappear Completely” / “Pyramid Song” / “You And Whose Army?” triad, the latest of which was my personal highlight of the time I spent. I consider myself a casual fan of Radiohead’s music, to the extent where many of the references in the game interactive museum passed over my head. I also don’t love Kid A like a lot of the fandom does, but I do like Amnesiac quite a bit. If you have anything less than a total aversion to Radiohead, I strongly encourage dropping into this game thing for at least a half hour to check out the visuals and space out for a bit. Particularly for the price of “free”, I can certainly think of many worse ways to invest a small amount of time.
I played KID A MNESIA: EXHIBITION on the Epic Games Store, and it is also available on Playstation 5.
10. Age of Empires IV (PC)
Back in the early Aughts, I devoted entire winter vacations to playing through as much of the campaigns from the first two Age of Empires games as I could. I never got into the PVP scene, but I really enjoyed the unique pace of AoE compared to other contemporary RTS games. The latest entry in the series heavily leans on nostalgia for those games, to the point that it feels like a soft reboot of Age of Empires II. While I wish we could have seen more unfamiliar campaign territory (I didn’t need the Hundred Years War again), the stretched timeline for each nation drove the focus to their progression through history rather than great individuals. It’s a more mature take on a core idea that worked very well for me decades ago, and this approach works well for me in the modern day. I loved the documentary-style videos interspersed between campaign missions both for having very high quality production and being relevant to the story. I do wish there had been fewer “plop you into some stone walls and hold off a siege” missions, but I was overall satisfied with the objective variety. I haven’t gotten around to playing as the Mongols yet (which I’ve heard are the standout nation), so it may improve even further once I hit that campaign. If you’re time-poor and not a big RTS fan, you might want to skip this game, but I’ve certainly enjoyed it.
I played Age of Empires IV on the Xbox app via Game Pass Ultimate, and it is also available on Steam.
9. Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars (PC)
Now here is a game that absolutely surprised the hell out of me in a good way. It’s a simple traditional RPG-lite with the trappings of a card game, and also there are dice rolls. It doesn’t have the most memorable story or writing (although the latter is delightfully goofy), but I appreciated its character flourishes and simplified scope. In fact, that simplicity greatly enhanced my experience, because it gave me something to pleasantly wind down with late in the year when my mental stamina had been more or less completely spent. No big cutscenes or infodumps, no long battle animations, and no 80+ hour time to beat. There’s a lot to be said of having a neat idea and executing a relatively short game, well before the concept gets tired and tedious. The presentation of the cards, table, and dice rolls gave the game a cozy feeling that made it even more enticing on winter nights. My only complaint: you can’t show me four- and twelve-sided dice before every battle and then never use them! Those dice are so cool! LET ME ROLL YOUR D12; I WILL PAY YOU!
I played Voice of Cards on Steam, and it is also available on Playstation 4 and Switch.
8. Valheim (PC)
Crafting games are, generally speaking, a miss for me. I tend to prefer more macroeconomic genres like 4X games and park management simulators. Consider me quite surprised when Valheim ended up scoring much higher on my Game of the Year ranking than my most anticipated entries in both of those other categories (Humankind and Jurassic World Evolution 2, respectively). I grabbed this game on a lark after seeing the playdate streams earlier this year, then bought a copy for my brother so we could have a new game to play together. It turned out to be 90% of our co-op content through the end of the year, as both of us found something irresistible about the game. Building out our base was a fun exercise, as the space was open enough to let us get to our own tasks while collaborating and contributing ideas to the other person. Going on raids was fun, and exploring new biomes for better resources or potential base sites stayed entertaining for dozens of hours. I created my own Zoombiniville to the best of my abilities just because I could. Lastly, I want to echo a point Brad made on a Bombcast where he shouted out the graphical style as being reminiscent of early World of Warcraft. I had no idea that would be the aesthetic that triggered my nostalgia reflex (something pixel art has never managed to do), but it did, and the game is better for it.
I played Valheim on Steam, and if you want to play it on Linux, good news.
7. Encased (PC)
I wrote up some early impressions on this game several months ago, and this is more or less where I figured the game would end up on my list at that time. In short, it’s a throwback to CRPGs from the late 90’s, particularly the first couple of Fallout games. There’s a good mix of active and passive abilities in each skill category, plus Perks that can greatly impact your play style. Better still, there was no level cap, so I could really experiment with off-build things late in my playthrough. The total length of the game was pretty reasonable (somewhere between 40-50 hours for a very completionist run, and it could have been finished in 20-30 hours). The writing was often not for me, but I would attribute that to cultural differences. However, the world-building was terrific, the story was engaging, and I was genuinely surprised at some of the twists and turns it took. The late game mopping-up of quests did get a bit tedious, eventually, but that was mostly because I was trying to do everything with a single character. There’s a high level of replayability, and I’m already thinking about starting a new game with a very different protagonist.
I played Encased on Steam.
6. Halo Infinite (Xbox Series X / PC)
If you had told me after that 2020 E3 showcase that this game would be anywhere near my top 10, or even outside of my Dishonorable Mentions, I would have laughed you off. When I finalized my list, this was the toughest cut from my top 5 games. I decided to give the game a shot after seeing the Unfinished for the single-player campaign, thinking I would occasionally pop into the multiplayer maybe once a week if my friends were online. Over a month later, I’m playing this game at least 3 nights a week, even solo-queueing PVP matches just for fun. No other first-person shooter has resonated with me in this way (with the major asterisk that I haven’t played Titanfall 2; yes, I know I really should). The online multiplayer, warts and all, has been one of my best gaming experiences of 2021 and the new year. The reason this game fell out of my top 5 is because I ended up not really digging the campaign all that much. The early-middle section of the game where it was 90% open-ish world was the highlight, but unfortunately it became very linear after a point. I did some mop-up of the armor cosmetics after finishing the fight, but I haven’t felt any desire to replay those early levels to collect skulls like some people have stated. No game subverted my expectations for how I would enjoy it quite like Halo Infinite. Since I can hop pretty effortlessly between console and PC, I’ll be playing it a lot throughout 2022 as well.
I mostly played Halo Infinite on the Xbox Series X via Game Pass Ultimate, but I've played a couple hours on PC through the Xbox app as well. The game is also available on Steam.
5. Psychonauts 2 (Xbox Series X)
Several years ago, I bought the first Psychonauts for some absurdly low amount on Steam. I got about 45 minutes into it and decided it wasn’t for me. So when its sequel finally got a release date, I can’t say that I was at all hyped for it. When one of the previews centered around Jack Black singing, I was more put off by the game than intrigued by it. Honestly, I’m not even sure why I decided to pick it up when it was released; sure it was on Game Pass, but I measure video game value more by time spent than on price these days. Whatever the reason, I’m glad I took the chance on this game, because it deserves every bit of praise it’s received from critics and on these forums.
Platformers are not one of my favorite game genres, but this was at worst a fully competent one. The visuals and characters are the standouts, particularly the psychedelic mystery brain segment. I was highly invested in the old weirdos that populated the Psychonauts universe, and Raz being an outsider to the organization despite his actions in the first game helped me engage with the story and world in a way I didn’t expect. On top of all that, the game is legitimately funny, which is a tightrope walk so many other games fail to manage for their entire length. There’s a ton of empathy for (almost) every character, which gave the final boss fight far more weight. Games can be nice and positive without having to be “for kids”, and Psychonauts 2 has raised the bar for what I expect out of them. Everyone should check out this weird and wonderful thing.
I played Psychonauts 2 on the Xbox Series X via Game Pass Ultimate, and it is also available on PC and Playstation 4.
4. The Forgotten City (Xbox Series X)
My latest entry to this list, this is a game I finished* on December 31st, the date of my self-imposed cutoff. I was instantly impressed with the game, and unlike other loop games, my interest never flagged near the end. I greatly enjoyed exploring the world, talking to each of the unique characters, and trying to solve mysteries big and small. Danny said on a Bombcast that it was clearly the developers’ second pass at this game (after the Skyrim mod I haven’t played), and I think the tightness of the experience was on full display. For the 8 hours I spent with the game, my attention was fully locked to the point where it was noticeable to the people around me. I consider that a huge credit to the skill of the writing and voice acting, as well as how compelling the story was. I fell out of love with Outer Wilds before completing it, which ended up diminishing my overall experience. There was no such problem here.
It’s virtually impossible to fully talk about why I love this game without offering heavy spoilers, so you may want to be careful when you hover your cursor / finger. My asterisk above indicates that I finished endings 1, 2, and 4, with a general goal to circle back to grab ending 3 sometime this month. Ending 4 has been the one I think about most often, for obvious reasons, but one takeaway I had was that it felt like a supremely well-written comic book (specifically, the DC universe). Figuring out how to win a logical dialogue with a godlike alien being was a really fun twist on final bosses, particularly when my first attempt ended in a sprint through five heavily-guarded halls to get back to the time portal. I love how the game allowed me to pick up on the Karen / Charon connection well in advance of making it explicit, and the gradual reveal of where you were was a lot of fun. It’s a credit to the game that even after Hades set the bar super high for use of Greek / Roman mythology, this one managed to clear it. I can’t wait to try out the Skyrim mod and compare / contrast with the creators’ final vision.
I played The Forgotten City on the Xbox Series X via Game Pass Ultimate, and it is also available on PC, Playstation 4/5, and Nintendo Switch.
3. Forza Horizon 5 (Xbox Series X)
The last time I really enjoyed a racing game was Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec, which came with my Playstation 2. Maybe it’s because I hadn’t played any Forza Horizon games before, but this one absolutely blew my mind with how incredibly FUN this is. The set races are tremendously enjoyable, especially the offroad point-to-point ones, but the open world aspect is what ended up cinching this game’s position near the top of my list. I’ve bounced off far more open world games than I’ve stuck with, and there was something insanely playable about speeding from race to race, grabbing XP boards, and most importantly: ramping it. I took so many videos of driving off ramps in increasingly absurd vehicles to share with friends and family. I’m not sure there’s been a game in recent history that made me cackle like a complete idiot as often as this one.
A great indicator that this game is more than the sum of its parts is how it was one of my least favorite stories and voice acting performances of the entire year. I found every character beat grating, the festival people even more annoying than the Fuser DJs, and the dialogue to be fundamentally idiotic. Because of these factors, it became a perfect podcast game. Some of my favorite gaming nights of the last couple of months came courtesy of catching up on my favorite podcasts while speeding around like a stupid dirtbag. I’m not good at the game, but I feel like it’s my go-to choice when I just want to unwind and enjoy myself now. One thing that helps is how quickly the game loads on a Series X, and also how absolutely gorgeous everything is. It’s very clearly a labor of love, and a cool perspective on a country I live next to and have seen almost none of. I just hope their inhabitants aren’t mad about all those soccer goals and fences I’ve destroyed.
I played Forza Horizon 5 on the Xbox Series X via Game Pass Ultimate, and it is also available on PC.
2. Inscryption (PC)
Ever since I saw the trailer, I knew I was going to be grabbing Inscryption as soon as I could. A creepy deckbuilder with environmental puzzle elements sounded crazy in the best way possible. The final product had all of these aspects and more, including metatextual layers on top of metatextual layers, found footage horror, and truly jarring sequences that merged the real world with the game’s. But most importantly, the execution of the core elements didn’t suffer for all of the factors that elevated the game beyond other card-based video games. I’ve bounced off of more roguelike deckbuilders than I’ve enjoyed, and this was fortunately one of the latter cases. Last year, Hades provided the gold standard for how to use player failure productively. This game may not have been quite as effective, but I got value from every loss and failed run. It’s an extremely difficult balance to strike, but Inscryption was successful while providing a far more compelling story and world than its peers.
(Extensive spoilers to follow)
My main complaint with the game is that I enjoyed the first phase (Leshy’s cabin) more than the subsequent phases. In particular, P03’s lair felt very thin compared to its predecessors. It was balanced by the card game itself being checkpoint-focused, which kept me seated at the table for longer periods of time than Leshy’s cabin did. However, the highlight of the game was the portion of P03’s lair when I wagered my computer’s files on my own abilities. The game stuck the landing in a big way, particularly in the final Scrybe arena battle with Magnificus. I would have liked to see more escape room elements later in the game, but I can see why they were largely left out of P03’s factory given his personality. I haven’t seen the extra ARG stuff yet, but considering how engrossing the story was, I’ll definitely seek it out at some point.
Overall, Inscryption was one of the most memorable and enthralling video game experiences I’ve had in years. It took me a while to figure out whether it belonged at #1 or #2 on my list. Maybe I’ll consider them 1A and 1B; I already cheated with the number of games in my top 10, after all.
I played Inscryption on Steam.
1. Chicory: A Colorful Tale (PC)
I largely avoid talking about the ongoing COVID pandemic for a lot of reasons. First, I’m aware that I’m extremely fortunate and privileged to be able to work from home and keep myself and my family safe, as well as afford both time and money to play video games. Second, it’s an extremely bleak situation that still inflicts an enormous physical and mental toll on a lot of people, and it’s easier to avoid trivializing it by not speaking. Lastly, it has changed my life and mental health for the worse, and 2021 was even less kind than 2020 on that front. Most of my daughter’s life has happened during the pandemic, a fact that stresses me out just typing it. The lines between home life and work life blurred more than ever, and it became way easier for my brain to punish me for “not doing enough” even in my leisure activities. I got so burned out late in the year I felt like I could barely think at times. A source of comfort during these low points of my year was one game above all others: Chicory.
Yes, this is fundamentally a game about burning out and dealing with imposter syndrome. But it’s also relentlessly positive, literally introducing brightness and color into a dismal world as its core game mechanic. This brilliant marriage between an indie drawing game and a 2D Zelda-like works in concert with its wonderful characters and writing, and I was constantly impressed while playing. It helps that I’m a completely garbage artist, because I felt every half-hearted compliment for my terrible work the same way as my protagonist (“Pretzel”). Her supportive family, her budding relationship with Chicory, and even her interactions with borderline-obsessive fans were all so charming and life-affirming. I enjoyed the puzzles and exploration, eventually grabbing most of the collectibles because I wanted to keep playing. It was fun to zoom out and see how I’d colored the world, and it also helped backtracking more than the majority of other games.
One aspect of the game deserves its own paragraph: the music. Lena Raine is a brilliant composer, and the Chicory soundtrack is my favorite work of her already impressive discography. I haven’t been this in love with a game’s soundtrack since Later Alligator, and the track “Dinners, the Big City” gets stuck in my head on a near-daily basis months after finishing the game. Some of the songs (particularly “Supper Woods”) evoked the legendary soundtrack of Chrono Cross for me, a comparison I don’t make lightly. There are 60 tracks listed on Bandcamp, and it represents a massive variety of musical styles and moods. Listen to the two tracks I named above, then listen to “MONSTER”; it’s crazy that they all fit so perfectly into the same game. Even if you’re on the fence about the game itself, the music is a must-listen.
I know better than to look at this new year and think, “well things have to be better this time around, right?” But it’s games like this one, with deceptively simple but actually quite intricate mechanics; engrossing characters, themes, and story; and an absolutely killer soundtrack that make me look forward with anticipation instead of dread. I don’t know what games I’ll fall in love with this year, but I hope they’ll make me half as happy as Chicory did.
I played Chicory on the Epic Games Store, and it is also available on Steam, Playstation 4 / 5, and Nintendo Switch.
Honorable Mentions: If not for technical performance issues, Sable would have made my top 10 for its excellent world and fun protagonist… I spent some time highly frustrated with Jurassic World Evolution 2, but the gameplay loop hooked me in a huge way… The visual style and soundtrack merit The Ascent a mention here, even if the gameplay left me wanting… Dorfromantik was the first game I had trouble quitting this year, and I’m looking forward to its full release… Finally, Mundaun had an extremely cool aesthetic that I’d like to see more of (and in a less frustrating game).
Dishonorable Mentions: Outriders was often frustrating to play, but its nihilistic story and utterly nonsensical story were some of the worst narrative moments of the entire year… I already blasted this game in my daughter’s GOTY list, but I Am Fish was simply terrible to play… The Medium was cool until the Maw showed up, and then it became laughably bad; not enjoyable enough to finish, though… Lastly, a special place in my heart is reserved for Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance for not just being the worst game I played in 2021, but somehow being the worst D&D-branded thing I’ve ever experienced. I think Hasbro needs to lie down for a while.
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