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the 8 games I've completed in 2021 (mostly) ranked

i've played a lot of new games in 2021 and finished less than half of them. In part I'd say Monster Hunter Rise and Endwalker took a lot of my free time away. Also, I spent a lot of time streaming older games such as the megaman legends series, and a dive into a bunch of Yuji Naka games after Balan Wonderworld tried to destroy my sanity.

In general, this was year of the switch for me definitely.

I really hate making these kinds of lists, because it is rare for me to beat a lot of games from that year in that year.

There are some things I still want to check out or finish, but if I wait for those to happen, then I'd make my 2021 list in 2023 and would likely skip a 2022 list entirely....

I guess I'll think of a way to consider that next year.

I could consider some titles based on where I am, but it is SMTV specifically that makes me want to wait till after I finish the story.

List items

1. Monster Hunter Rise

I'm probably one of the few people that fell off on Monster Hunter World. In part, the Iceborne expansion did not click for me personally.
Rise tackles most of my issues with World while adding some of its own issues.
+ It is so much faster than world in a lot of ways
+ I feel more confident in being able to navigate the map
+ Each weapon feels more self sufficient imo compared to world
+ Bow is good again
- limiting multiplayer to 4 player hubs
- no one really uses hunter connect (related to above)
I've put well over 200 hours on it on switch and have started again on PC. Overall, this game is second to FFXIV overall to helping me thru this pandemic and will have many more hours to help me when sunbreak comes out this year.
Also, if this launched on PC and switch same day, I'd probably still prefer the switch version in of its portability. 60 fps means little to me. The main reason I bought it again is to play it again with more people (hell, I might be going back to the switch version against this year for the same reasons). This rant is just to say play it where you want to.
2. Metroid Dread

I've skipped out on Samus Returns remake that the studio behind this made, however I could not miss this one. A game that was mostly cancelled years ago had been brought back into existence on the switch.
The 2d metroid games are near and dear to me and to have a sequel to Fusion that... for lack of better words pumps up the existential dread of that game is exactly what I was looking for in a sequel.
I guess Metroid Prime 4 is still coming, but this release is more meaningful to me for a lot of reasons.
A great strength of this game is that it is incredibly good in guiding the player. As long as you aren't laser focused on collecting 100% of everything, it is really good at making sure you don't get lost.
The only other negative i'd call out is the counter system that I'd call out as mostly a wash. The tell that a move is counterable is very noticeable, but the timing isn't the same and will make newer players to this type of game struggle a lot.
3. Solar Ash

I kinda cheated to put this and It Takes Two on the list as both were completed this month, but I had started them in 2021.
Solar Ash is developed by the developer of Hyper Light Drifter. When I saw the initial trailer, I was already sold. It looks like a 3d version in some ways. It also has music by disasterpeace who did the score for their previous game. There is a lot that had to go wrong for this game to not hit the top of this list.
If I could , I'd put this as a tie with Metroid Dread and if these two were somehow combined, it would tie Rise.
Like Dread, Solar Ash is really good at setting a mood and ties well with the ending of the game.
I'll dip into the plot a bit here so SPOILERS
While playing the game, I had an urge to play Jet Set Radio, however this was entirely from the movement in the game. The protagonist you play as has movement akin to skating and grinding similar to that. Considering the intergalactic theme of them, I kept thinking of Jupiter Ascending for dumb reasons. However, plotwise, I found myself over time comparing it to Bastion and Transistor. Those games are two games that live in my head rent free despite my big gripe that there wasn't a true conclusion to it. Solar Ash does give a satisfying conclusion to things.
My big negative is that there isn't much to the combat in this game and I sorely wish there was more. There are a number of "bosses" in this game that progress in difficulty, however the enemies difficulty only really scales with there being more and more of them.
4. Gnosia

This is basically a VN single player version of Among Us. It is really good and I'm glad it finally got released out here in the US.
My only gripe is that I needed a guide to unlock the end of the story mode because of all the endings you have to do and the special triggers needed.
5. Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker

Spoilers and content warning (1-800-273-8255) for below.
From Metroid to this title, I feel like the common theme among those is dread.
Endwalker also hits that storywise. Unlike the other games with that theme, I honestly feel like Endwalker should've come with a disclaimer/alert about suicide. Plotwise, there is no suicide in the game, but the plot deals so much with dread and nihilism that it can invoke those thoughts for those dealing with it. I personally feel like the main villain of this expansion calls it out very well.
That aside, it isn't why it ranked lower in my list. The main thing is that tying all the loose ends didn't work for me. I feel like Xenos is possible path to what lies after Endwalker, but had no real attachment to the plot. Being that he was teased heavily in the patch updates leading up to Endwalker makes it very disappointing to me. Sure, we had a great solo fight, of which was the best solo fight in FFXIV next to Thancred's but leading up to it, I was all "why?". There were no real stakes. To give a bad wrestling analogy, it was like Xenos cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase for a solo match with no title on the line.
That said, I'm still playing it and will continue to do so as it is one of the things keeping me alive during the pandemic (despite the dread and nihilism leading up to the end of the main story quests).
6. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

yeah. this released in 2020, but the DLC came out this year and I didn't make a list in 2020 so I'm including it.
This game gets a lot of crap for its framerate, but it is a musou game. Like many games on the switch or the controversy of my top pick, I think I've proven enough that I don't care. Albeit, I was afraid this game would crash my switch on higher difficulties, but surprisingly the only game on this list to do that to me was Gnosia.
That aside, the Switch port of the original Hyrule Warriors still sucks air out of the room. FPS aside, the amount of content in that game (hell I've still yet to 100% it) is impressive, but at the same time feels unsurmountable. To give context, that game is a combination of the Wii U release and the 3ds port (the 3ds port ran better if you can believe) and several expansion packs that was more akin to content of old Dynasty Warriors game (grading included).
However, I'd argue that the first HW was not respectful to the time of the player (though slightly better than the Wii U version) while this one very much is. Though the roster is smaller than HW, AoC has a much more diverse set of characters. There are very clear goals in the maps, the game calls out what items are needed at any point of time.
Is there weapon degradation ? Yes, for one weapon and it is honestly one of my favorite mechanics in the game.
My biggest negative is probably most of Zelda's tool kit.
If I completed more games last year, it would be interesting to see if this would make my top 10. I think it would. It is more interesting that it beat 2 games that were definitively from 2021.
7. Mario Golf: Super Rush

I thought I was getting into a really good mario golf game with rpg mechanics. What I got was a meh golf game with a gimmick I never want to see again. (only on this list because I only completed 8 games)
8. It Takes Two

If you took away the story of this game, the voice acting of the book, and the last level, I might've liked this game. As it stands, I've only got thru this game to release catharsis of it being put upon me.
The gameplay is mostly great and that is kinda the frustrating part of it for me. It is frustrating to like how a game plays and dislike almost everything else about it. (only on this list because it completed 8 games)