Top 3-to-10 Games of 2021

[vanguard333]

Create a list of your favourite games of 2021. The list can be any length between three games and ten games (not including honourable mentions), and it can include any game that you played for the first time in 2021, even if that game was not released in 2021.

If you want, you can also write a list of your top 3-to-10 worst games of 2021, blandest games of 2021, most disappointing/pleasantly-surprising games of 2021, etc.

 

Here's my top seven games of 2021:

Spoiler

1. Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove

I've never been a fan of 2D side-scrollers, but this year, I played a ton of them, starting with Super Metroid and the Mega Man Legacy Collection. If I had to pick a favourite, it would be this. There are a number of things I dislike about it (I really dislike the "losing gold when you game over and only having one chance to get them back" mechanic, and the card game in King Knight's campaign is not good), but the humour and charm is fantastic, the game's combat and platforming has plenty of depth without sacrificing simplicity, the four campaigns provide enough variety to not be repetitive, and the game is just fantastic overall. I don't think it's the best game I played this year, but out of all the games I played for the first time this year, it's the only one that I've actually gone back to and replayed; it's just simple fun.

 

2. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

I have had this game for almost 20 years because of the Zelda Collector's Edition on the GameCube, but I never got very far in it because I preferred Ocarina of Time (and because it gave me nightmares when I was very little). I finally played it, and I absolutely enjoyed it. It would probably be number 1 if not for the fact that the game crashed on me around 3 times.

 

3. Valkyria Chronicles 1 Remastered

My first experience with the Valkyria Chronicles series was playing VC4 in 2019/2020, and I really enjoyed the game; I'm not normally a fan of games with guns, but the tactical gameplay and compelling story really drew me in. So, when I saw VC1 on sale, I decided to try the game that started the series, and it too was fantastic.

 

4. Bug Fables

I want to say right away that I have never played a Paper Mario game in my life, so I did not have any bias for or against Bug Fables going into it, or any experience with its type of turn-based combat. I had a blast; the combat is very fun with a ton of depth, Bugaria is fun to explore, the three protagonists' dynamic is fantastic, and it was just a great game overall.

 

5. Metroid Dread

I played Super Metroid this year as my introduction to the Metroid franchise and to the Metroidvania genre. The game is great, but I did find the experience rather awkward in a number of ways. Metroid Dread brought modern polish and refinement and, while it lacks the atmosphere and great music of Super Metroid, it was a fantastic game with incredible combat and exploration.

 

6. Monster Hunter Rise/Stories 2 (draw)

I played both Rise and Stories 2 as my introductions to the series, and I really enjoyed both games as they're very fun. I particularly enjoyed the exploration and the combat, and they came at a time when I was burned out by all the story-heavy RPGs with serviceable-at-best gameplay that I played in 2020 and I really needed something with deep combat, and these games scratched that itch. Sadly, my experienced with the former was soured by joy-con drift getting to the point of being unbearable; in fact, that was the reason I had to switch to playing 2D games that wouldn't need the control stick. Ignoring the joy-con drift coincidence, I honestly cannot say which game I preferred, so it's a draw between them.

 

8. Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King

I really like 2D Zelda, so I was interested in seeing this indie take on the formula. It's not exactly polished in terms of difficulty or item balance, with its idea of raising difficulty being to flood the room with enemies (and I mean flood the room), but the game has plenty of humour and charm to it, thanks in large part to the framing device of a grandpa telling his grandkids a story, and it's still fun.

 

Honourable Mentions:

SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated

I rented the original version of this game once when I was a kid and didn't play it much before returning it, despite being a big SpongeBob fan. I then learned about this game's reputation among platformers and about the remake, and I decided to give it a try. It isn't the most polished platformer ever made, the autosave is a lie, and I experienced a bug where the game wouldn't let me save manually after playing for a while, but it was overall a good game with plenty of good SpongeBob humour. It might've placed on the top seven had it not been for that bug.

Super Metroid

As I said before, I played this game as my introduction to the Metroid series. It was very fun; the main reason it's in the honourable mentions list as opposed to the top seven list is that there were a number of... I don't want to say "outdated" aspects of the game or anything like that, but definitely some things about the game that were awkward/clunky/unintuitive for me when playing it.

 

[Benice]

Let's see...

Spoiler

1. Yakuza 0. I don't think this will shock anyone who's seen much of me on the forums, but this game has moved me extremely deeply. The story and characters are absolutely wonderful, it's hilarious, subversive, epic and dramatic, and altogether my 2nd favourite game of all time.

 

2. Dark Souls Remastered. I was merely lukewarm to it at first, but over time, I've grown to love it with a great portion of my heart. Majestic bosses, great music, and it's pretty fun to speedrun.

3. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. I really do need to get to the DLC...

Anyways, this one holds a great deal of sentimental value to me as it is the final Zelda game my family played before my sister left for college, and will ostensibly retain that status for a long time. Playing Zelda as a family is a longstanding tradition for us, and as a swan song, this game was fantastic. I really enjoyed the story, and although I know nothing about Warriors, this was a good time.

4. Cuphead. Great visuals, great music, great game. It has taken a few years off of my life from stress.

5. Ring Fit Adventure. I wasn't expecting much from this, but it's a really fun game! I haven't finished the whole thing yet, but I can heartily recommend it to anyone interested. It reminds me of Outdoor Challenge, a Wii game that is my childhood, and another game that I wish had attained a status as a classic, as it really deserved it.

6. Appropriately, 6th best is Tropico 6. I haven't spent too much time on it, but I really can't remember that many games I played in 2021... Despite my lack of capability, Tropico 6 has been a really fun sandbox game for me, even if I end up in crippling debt every time.

 

Honorable mentions to:

Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin. I really dislike this game, but I spent 216 hours on it. It had a few good moments, and it even though it caused a lot of emotional pain, it's a nice feeling to have it behind me.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. I just picked up the game a few days ago, and boy am I glad that I have. It's been phenomenal so far, just four hours in.

Xenoblade 2: I need to finish it. I had loads of fun playing it, but deleted it eventually to make space for Dark Souls.

 

[lenticular]

I'm honestly having difficulty coming up with a full three. Most of the new games that I've played this year just haven't done it for me. Either I've bounced off them super quickly without really giving them a fair chance, or I've wound up actively disliking them. I don't know whether that's because they've all been bad and/or not for me, or just because the year has left me craving the comfort oif familiarity more than the excitement of novelty. My top two are easy though:

1. Life Is Strange: True Colors. I played and liked the original Life Is Strange, but haven't played any of the rest of the series until now. So it was on something of a whim that I picked up True Colors, but I'm really glad that I did. There's not much to the gameplay, but I play walking simulators so I don't really care about that. The characters, setting, writing and music are all absolutely top notch and I was thoroughly absorbed for my whole time playing it.

2. Wildermyth. This is a cute little indie TRPG with more depth to its combat than I originally credited it for. I don't think that its procedurally generated storytelling really stands up to the scrutiny of multiple replays, but I had a ton of fun with it.

And for my third one... let's say New Pokémon Snap? That was OK, I guess.

[Etrurian emperor]

I have to think on it. I think its been kind of a barren year as far as games were concerned. 

[Fabulously Olivier]

1. Tales of Arise

2. Guardians of the Galaxy

3. Persona 5 Strikers

 

 

Honorable mention to Mass Effect Legendary.

[Reality]

1: Age of Wonders 3 - very impressed since I've had a rocky history with 4x games, I like that the strategic game doesn't waste time between giving you a starting army and most factions only "need" 1-2 of the production buildings for a city to be "functional" (a huge relief after the granary>builder hall > animist's guild > happiness building > military building > Maybe make your first unit) type of thing from Master of Magic or Civilization.

2: One Step From Eden - I think rougelike > RPG when it comes to Megaman Battenetwork style combat. It's fairlly good

3: Monster Sanctuary - Bought as a joke but actually really impressive for a monster-collection(pokemon) style game. I'm most impressed by how it isn't afraid to really make you learn how to make a team with good syngergy because the enemy gets teams that you simply aren't going to beat with mishmashed favorites (in the final 3ish areas and high levels of keeper chalenge)

4: A Hat in Time - I never bought it because I had the regular version wishlisted and it is still in TBA status to this day on the Switch store.. I skipped over the news so often I never realized that the Hat in Time + Nyazuko Metro version WAS available. Game is adorable and full of personality, love the Mario-Sunshine esque movement, makes Yooka Laylee eat its heart out. Only real complaint is that the co-op mode is beasically unsuable because it still uses the 1P camera.

5: Might and Magic : Clash of Heroes - a really clever puzzle game spinoff. Weirdly has difficulty spikes in the main campaign and I did run into a bug that softlocked the game about 3 seperate times in my 15 hour playthrough. I loved the core design and the high viability of  different staregties and playstyles of the different factions  except the wizards they suck

6: Monster Train - I enjoyed Monster Train (60 hours) but frankly it's just too easy in the end. Beating Covenant 25 in less playtime than it took to get 15 in Slay The Spire is one thing, but their is a surprisingly lack of diversity in multiple runs... the player simply has TOO much control compared to Slay The Spire, with the duplication and deck thinning options being the biggest offenders. Maybe the streamers can get to the same point in slay the spire but in Monster Train you arrive at that point super fast. 

7: Command and Conquer 3 : Tiberium Wars - gets a lot of flack for comparisons with its standalone sequel ( Kane's Wrath) but A: Has a campaign for all 3 factions instead of Only Nod, B: I feel like it encouarages playing with low tier units more instead of "Turtle until you get get Redeemer/MARV/Hexapod) Probbably my favorite RTS I played in a year where I intetinaolly palyed as many as possible as per my new year's resolution.

8: Age of Empires 2  - I stil think Comany of Heroes is the best RTS ever made, but I didn't have as much fun playing it year as usual, I think Age of Empires and especially CCommand and Conquer work better when playtime is limited by working Night Shifts.. also weird that I never played AoE2 before, only Age of Mytholgy  and  AOE1 (probbably because they came in ceral boxes instead of needing to look for them myself)

9:  Custom Robo V2 - the 2nd N64 game of Custom Robo - From the perspecive of someone who grew up on the 4th/5th game in franchise (Gamecube/DS) the N64 game is pretty interesting for slght quriks in its physics compared to the later games - the main ones being Global higher accleration - even the Metal Grapplers in this game feel more mobile than the Little Raiders in Gamecube. Combines with Explosions are huge.... I made a meme out of "using your gun lowers DPS" Being a grounded charather is a 1 way ticket to being low tier in the modern games and its even more extreme on N64. I think aesthetically and soundtrack wise it is shockingly good compared to the somewwhat genericness of the gamecube game. Computers let you have fun with variety of playstles but I think if the human tournament players I have to deal with did this it would be even more oppressie than currrent CR is.

10:IonAXXIA - I Beta tested 2 Indie games this Year (the other being the Custom Robo inspired Wizard Punk) and this was the better of the two. IonAXXIA was made by a fan of Star Control 1 - That's right not Star Control 2 - If you like the gravitywhips and the screenwrapping combat of Star Control you'll be all set... Just don't expect any story whatsoever. Personally I had some grpes with the fleet upgrade system, but otherwise I fairly enjoyed this

Some Bad Games

Warlock 2 : The Exiled - so out of morbid curisoity I decided to do another dive into seeing how far Majesty's good name was dragged into the mud after the Terrible Warlock 1... Warlock 2 is not as mechanically broken (no running around with negative upkeep and not caring anymore) but it's also quite possibly the most annoying map design of any 4X ever made. The seperate "island" design of the different worlds slows the game (especially considering that their are a lot of worlds that have ALL 2 cost movement terrain) is bad enough, but on top of that the much more diverse neutral monsters an the guranteed 1 supreme unit per shard world is really really bad - god help you if you try to explore with anything other than a disposable summon / scout  Overall I like it less than Warlock 1 because at least breaking the game gave some catharsis for putting up with the rest of it. (Warlock 1+2 are WORSE than Majesty 2)

Gotcha Force - I really wanted to like it because the charathers are so diverse and the promise of really letting you use things of such different scale (bowser being like 7 foot tall in melee versus fire dragon being 40 foot tall) was amazing. Unfortunately the game is padded out to an obscene degree, both in terms of the number of missions and how long an indiveal level can last... which unfortunately kills most interest in using any charather that costs over 500 points... when the enemy gets 4000-6000 point armies all the time you are basically being forced at gunpoint to use the most cost effiecent circle strafing charathers to cope with it. A lot of the "single target oriented" and other gimick charathers can be fun setting up in custom battle, but since it takes so much time and luck to earn things being good in the story mode environemnt is just too important (eg 4 plathroughs ust to get all non combination charathers) something like 8-10 for the combiners, and then theire are crystals/recolors of both normal chars and combiners). The game also has a bad camera and almost all melee charathers are cursed with really questionable melee homing.

Total War : Warhammer 1 - a bad prototype that is kind of annoying both on the starretic map and in battles. My biggest complaint is that compared to the historic total war games Archers/Artilery  are like 10 times better than infatnry at all stages and tech levels for practically every faction. Diplomacy and random events are practially non-existent as well.

[vanguard333]

3 hours ago, lenticular said:

I'm honestly having difficulty coming up with a full three. Most of the new games that I've played this year just haven't done it for me. Either I've bounced off them super quickly without really giving them a fair chance, or I've wound up actively disliking them. I don't know whether that's because they've all been bad and/or not for me, or just because the year has left me craving the comfort of familiarity more than the excitement of novelty. My top two are easy though:

If it would be easier, instead of writing a best games list, you could write another list, like a worst games list, blandest games list, etc.

 

2 hours ago, Etrurian emperor said:

I have to think on it. I think its been kind of a barren year as far as games were concerned. 

Yeah; I suppose it has been a bit barren. That's one reason I said that the games don't necessarily have to have released in 2021; they just have to be games that you played for the first time in 2021.

[lenticular]

3 hours ago, vanguard333 said:

If it would be easier, instead of writing a best games list, you could write another list, like a worst games list, blandest games list, etc.

I did think about doing that, but in the end I decided it would be much more fun to talk about the two games that I really did like a lot rather than grumbling and being negative about stuff that I didn't enjoy. After all, nobody really needs to see "Hot take! Random person on the Internet thinks that Metroid Dread was actually crap!" (Though, honestly, I don't think it was objectively crap, I just think that it was very much not for me.)

3 hours ago, Reality said:

6: Monster Train - I enjoyed Monster Train (60 hours) but frankly it's just too easy in the end. Beating Covenant 25 in less playtime than it took to get 15 in Slay The Spire is one thing, but their is a surprisingly lack of diversity in multiple runs... the player simply has TOO much control compared to Slay The Spire, with the duplication and deck thinning options being the biggest offenders. Maybe the streamers can get to the same point in slay the spire but in Monster Train you arrive at that point super fast.

I agree with most of this (though Monster Train isn't on my list since I played it last year). I don't think I ever got to Covenant 25 though, since I lost interest before I reached that point. It definitely doesn't have the replayability that Slay the Spire does, but being worse than StS is no crime at all, and it was still a whole lot of fun while it lasted.

[BrightBow]

3. Sonic Colors Ultimate

2. Bolan Wonderworld

1. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition

[vanguard333]

3 minutes ago, BrightBow said:

3. Sonic Colors Ultimate

2. Bolan Wonderworld

1. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition

Just for clarification, is this a best games list, worst games list, blandest games list, etc.?

[BrightBow]

1 minute ago, vanguard333 said:

Just for clarification, is this a best games list, worst games list, blandest games list, etc.?

I had a lot of fun with those games.

Not that I actually played them, but they nevertheless provided very entertaining tire fires.

[vanguard333]

6 minutes ago, BrightBow said:

I had a lot of fun with those games.

Not that I actually played them, but they nevertheless provided very entertaining tire fires.

…Unfortunately, I must point out that the rule I gave was that the list had to consist of games you played.

[BrightBow]

Just now, vanguard333 said:

…Unfortunately, I must point out that the rule I gave was that the list had to consist of games you played.

Such a shame.

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

The only games from 2021 I have played, have been "Persona 5 Strikers" and "Tales Of Arise".

Both were excellent.

 

As for games I played in 2021:

Spoiler

1. A Hat In Time
2. Persona 5 Strikers
3. Ys Origin
4. Hollow Knight
5. Mario Odyssey
6. Mario Galaxy
7. Kirby And The Rainbow Curse
8. Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
9. Tales Of Arise
10. Kirby: Battle Royale

 

Edited December 26, 2021 by Julizan

[Zapp Branniglenn]

I've played quite a few games that came out in 2021, and I have determined the theme to be: Games that have no business existing - let alone being this good. Just look at the lineup of GOTY contenders at the Game Awards and bask in the niche realms of Survival Horror, 3D collectathon, a Co-op only game, and a literal Metroid game. That's a far cry from the prestige action and open world contests of previous years. It's like the corporate masters of this industry just decided they're okay sinking some money into higher quality, riskier projects. Maybe because they lost the space race? And in what other year could we see Suda's unfiltered No More Heroes 3? Even the other AAA titles came with some surprises. Pokemon Snap got a sequel, The Square Enix Marvel game is lovably crafted and has no microtransactions, Halo has overcome the memes to be really solid, people tell me that the Tales of and SMT games ended up being good. There weren't a lot of low lows this year either. Certainly nothing on par with Cyberpunk 2077. What's the highest profile flop this year, some rereleases of grand theft auto and Sonic? Will anybody remember that come January? 

Anyway here's my Top 10 games of 2021

Spoiler

 

1. Metroid Dread
2. Psychonauts 2
3. Resident Evil VILLAGE
4. No More Heroes 3
5. *Omori
6. Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
7. UnMetal
8. Blaster Master Zero 3
9. Cyber Shadow
10. Axiom Verge 2

* = This is a bit of a cheat, since Omori technically released on Christmas of 2020, but even if I had started it, I doubt I would finish it in those six days. So I think it's fair to push this december release to the following year.

I should mention that numbers 1-6 far surpassed my expectations and I could spontaneously bump any one of them up to the number one spot if I sat down to play them again while writing this. This was a stacked year for me. I also want to give honorable mention to the Mass Effect Legendary Edition and the Castlevania Advance Collection. A good collection of re-releases is hard work to put together, but these two do a lot to streamline those games while staying true to their core design. I played every bit of Castlevania, and watched a streamed playthrough of Mass Effect 1, good work to both of them! I also want to shout out Crash Bandicoot 4, a 2020 game ported to Switch this year. I've been waiting for that particular version and the wait was worth it. I did play Back 4 Blood and Halo as well. However I haven't yet dived too deep into the former (they only JUST added single player, so I couldn't go at my own pace), and for Halo I'm waiting for them to add co op before I go through the campaign.

 

 

[TheChoZenOne]

1. Persona 5 Royal

2. Metroid Dread

3. A Link Between Worlds (Didn't play for the first time this year but came back to it, started over, and completed it for the first time this year)/If it doesn't count, then either Castlevania: Circle of the Moon or Deltarune 😁

[vanguard333]

8 hours ago, TheChoZenOne said:

1. Persona 5 Royal

2. Metroid Dread

3. A Link Between Worlds (Didn't play for the first time this year but came back to it, started over, and completed it for the first time this year)/If it doesn't count, then either Castlevania: Circle of the Moon or Deltarune 😁

Eh; I'll let it count. How far did you get when you first played it?

[TheChoZenOne]

1 hour ago, vanguard333 said:

Eh; I'll let it count. How far did you get when you first played it?

About half way through, if not then just count Castlevania or Deltarune instead.

[vanguard333]

6 minutes ago, TheChoZenOne said:

About half way through, if not then just count Castlevania or Deltarune instead.

I guess I'll count it then. It would be a bit hypocritical if I didn't; I listed Majora's Mask, and I did start playing it several times when I was around five, but being a five-year-old playing Majora's Mask, I didn't get past the first three-day loop.

[null]

Here's a top 9, with very brief thoughts on each, not in any specific order for the most part:

1. Ghost of Tsushima and its expansion, Iki Island - Excellent action/adventure game through and through. Top 5 game I've ever played.

2. Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War - Finally finished this and absolutely came to love it. Top 3 FE game.

3. Final Fantasy XIV - Fantastic MMO experience. Great community.

3. Tales of Arise - Great RPG. Likable cast, stunning visuals, slick gameplay, somewhat lackluster story. Great overall.

4. Touhou Luna Nights - Unfortunately short but an excellent Metroidvania Touhou fangame.

5. Scarlet Nexus - Banger new IP from Bamco. It's got its share of flaws, but it shows a lot of promise. I love the cast of characters especially.

6. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - Took me way too long to finish this, but it's a top 3 Zelda game for me now that I have finished it. A masterpiece.

7. Monster Hunter Rise - Fantastic game, especially for its multiplayer experience. Wasn't my first, but it is my favorite MH game.

8. Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate - My first MH and, archaic it may be, a great experience that made me the MH fan I am now.

9. Tales of the Abyss - My first Tales game, but not the first one I finished (that would be Arise). Ended up finishing it very recently, but it's a lovely game.

[vanguard333]

1 hour ago, twilitfalchion said:

6. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - Took me way too long to finish this, but it's a top 3 Zelda game for me now that I have finished it. A masterpiece.

I also finished that for the first time this year. Just wondering: how did you play it? Were you playing the original version or the 3DS remake? If the former, how?

[Imuabicus der Fertige]

Hm. I haven´t played enough games to even make a top 3 list. How sad. 

The good:

1. Dark Souls 3. What can i say? First fromsoft title and the grand world design, some interesting bosses, a few meh bosses and some great bosses and the absolute fantastic mods make this game pretty good. 

2. Sekiro. Another fromsoft title and one where I don´t actually know what I´m doing but whatever I´m doing it does get me through the game? I have no idea how I beat some of these bosses. The cheese is certainly strong in this one. The areas are a sight to behold though, with Mt. Senpou being my favourite. Not yet done though and at least a second playthrough seems to be in order.

 

The Bad:

Tales of Arise - probably my only dip into that franchise - as by the time I even got the full squad I had grown so profoundly bored of the game, that I didn´t even finish that chapter? Arc? W/e it´s called.

 

The Neutral:

Nier Automata: repetitive combat incarnate, though not entirely without it´s fun. Then again, I only just did A2´s desert battle and we´ll see, maybe the big turn around will come for me sometime soon.

[Etrurian emperor]

Right. Lets give this a try. 

1: Nier Replicant. 

I actually don't entirely want to put it on number one. When thinking back on the game its really easy to recall just how flawed the game is. The side quests are all really basic and while the game requires you to beat it several times the game really isn't designed for this since enemies and bosses barely scale with you. Throughout the playthroughs your character just keeps getting stronger and stronger so that long before the fourth playthrough its kind of a tedious slog. Even the story, the greatest asset this game has is often told in a startlingly clumsy way. 

And yet its the game that stuck with me the most. The game I thought of the most and the game that I found the most admirable of this year. Its a very flawed game but its also a one of a kind game. You won't play anything like it and while the low points in Nier are very easy to note the high points are some of the highest of the last few years. When contrasting everything that doesn't work with the game with the things that do then the balance starts easily swinging into the positive end of the spectrum. The big moments all really hit home. How the game gets to its grand story moments can be clunky but when they finally get to the big moment the game easily nails them all. The world is conventional but interesting and charming to be in, the characters and their interaction with each other are all fantastic and the basic Platinum gameplay is fun(until it isn't), the soundtrack is among the best of the last two generations and Nier even manages to outshine the much more polished Automata in some regard. And naturally playing the game allows you to get treated to the glory that is Grimoire Weiss. 

Nier requires you to put up with a lot, but you also get a lot in return. Accompanied by all the flaws is a set of fantastic characters and a great amount of charm. And its also a breath of fresh air in an industry that's gotten increasingly stale.  Its not the objectively best game.....boy, is it not the objectively best game but it is my favorite of the year.

2: Neo the World Ends with you

Like Nier Twewy gets carried a lot by its charm but its gameplay and design philosophy are more solid. The game feels very fresh, one of a kind and quintessentially 2021. The characters are all lovable, incredibly expressive and the game has an artstyle just as expressive. Compared to Nier the story quality is more evenly spread out. The story doesn't have the clunky aspects of Nier's story but the highs also aren't nearly as high as with Nier. But overall the story is a very strong package. Like Nier the soundtrack is easily among the best of the last two generations. I know it sets Twewy fans off but in terms of setting, tone and atmosphere the game really is akin to Persona 5, and that Twewy stands very favorable in this comparison speaks well of it. Its not just discount Persona 5, but a game that can stands to to toe with Persona 5 with a lot of that game's more acclaimed aspects. 

The gameplay system is kinda unique in that you control every single party member at the same time, with each having a specific button and attack badge associated with them. Its a fun little experience though it never entirely grabbed me. The combat is fine but the story and characters are the main draw, not the combat.  

Where the game struggles is its budget. Its very clear that somewhere in the development process time and money simply ran out. Not all the story beats were handled as neatly as the devs might have liked and the enemy variety is downright pitiful, and the bosses likewise also tend to repeat themselves from time to time. 

3: The Great Ace Attorney:

Its an Ace Attorney game. I was thinking of giving it just an honorable mention for ''just'' being an Ace Attorney game without doing anything new, but as it turns out just being an Ace Attorney game is exactly what a game needs in order to get in the top five(especially when we're in a particularly weak gaming year). It also helps that the game stands out as being rather good even by Ace Attorney standards. Its charming, its goofy, and its interesting. All the things it needs to be.

4: Persona 5  Strikers

Its not the genre defining masterpiece that Persona 5 was but it was a very fun time. It was nice to have more time with the Phantom Thieves. They were such a strong ensemble cast that I'd be up for anything that allowed me some more time with them, and it being an official sequel story rather than some non canon spin off made it all the better. The antagonists individually weren't all the greatest, but as a package they neatly contrasted the villains from the main game. The gameplay is as Warriors games tend to be: Enjoyable but nothing truly remarkable and I'm fine with that. It helps that the game doesn't entirely play like a Persona Warriors, but more like an action Persona game with some Warriors elements. This sets it apart from other Warriors spinoff games. 

It was an all around good time, but sadly the budget obviously ran out somewhere during the later half of the game. 

5: Metroid Dread

Probably on the low end compared to many other top 5 list but Metroid Dread was never a game for me. Metroidvania as a genre isn't for me and Metroid Prime did nothing to convince me that the genre was for me. 

But I had my fun with it, and I didn't regret buying it. Its undeniably a high quality game and when I was into a session I was really into it. Blasting around the map with Samus was great. The controls were(except for Shine sparks) excellent, the combat was fun and the bosses were epic in all the right ways. But this fun was accompanied by a lot of mindless wandering across the map, getting lost, not knowing where to go and worrying about whether the next path finally gets me on track or whether its going to set me back. 

Edited December 31, 2021 by Etrurian emperor

[Saint Rubenio]

I'm still in time to do this. I'm thankful that older games that were played for the first time in 2021 are allowed, because I've played exactly 3 games from 2021. It's been a pretty dry year in that regard.

So here's a list comprised almost entirely of non-2021 titles. Aside from number 1, in no particular order. I've loved all of these games and I can't really pick between them.

10- Great Ace Attorney

Two games, but I count them as one because that's how I played them. While I don't think it tops my favorite, Investigations 2, it came really close. One of the best, most competent Ace Attorney games.

If you're familiar with Ace Attorney, you know what you're getting. Over-the-top characters, "anime" humor, bickering, screaming and plot twists. There's just more of it and it's better than usual. Well, less in the case of "anime" humor, but that's what I would call better anyway.

9- Mario vs Donkey Kong (Kinda cheating again, as I'd played this as a kid, but I never finished it and I barely had any memories of it, so I don't really want to count that)

Fun little puzzle platformer. You press switches, carry things around and do some platforming with Mario's surprisingly diverse move set.

Well, "little" is what I thought at first, but then I kept unlocking new modes and level sets that I didn't even know existed. The game's deceptively long.

A real shame this game's been forgotten and its series derailed into mediocrity.

8- Fire Emblem: Storge

A fangame, yeah. I'm still including it in this list, what are you gonna do about it? I've played my fair share of FE fangames in my time, and this is one of my favorite, second only to Sun God's Wrath at this point.

Storge is a super unique take on the FE formula. In the first map, there is no combat. Instead, you get a set amount of money, and you go around hiring mercenaries for cash and purchasing equipment. Then you use these units and gear in the five maps the game has to offer.

Short for a FE, yes, but this is no regular FE. There's a high emphasis on replayability, trying out new units, there's even a New Game + system where you can start over in the same save file and get achievements to unlock new goodies. Add to that the incredibly unique and creative unit concepts, the simple, yet heartwarming story and a great choice of songs and you've got a short and sweet game that I would recommend to anyone. Hey, it's only five maps!

7- Disco Elysium

I woke up in an unknown location. My character couldn't have looked any more pathetic. I tried to retrieve my tie from the ceiling fan. I failed twice over and almost killed myself in the process.

That was when I realized I was in for something unique.

If you feel like reading for anywhere from 20 hours to 40, pick this game up. At first glance, this looks like one of those "dystopian steampunk" kinda deals, but that's actually completely false. It's no more dystopian than real life, and that's a can of worms I don't want to open here, of all places. Ultimately, it is the tale of a broken mess of a man finding it in him to turn his life around and try to redeem himself. With tons and tons of humor thrown in. I was not expecting that at all, seriously. This game is a riot.

It's "sort of an RPG" in that you have stats to level up, which you then use to try and pass RNG checks to accomplish things as diverse such as stealing a sandwich from some old guy, convincing a woman that someone in her family is missing even though you don't even know her, opening a container with rhetoric, blowing a child's brains out for no bigger reason than she's an annoying twat, entering a random number into a payphone and randomly getting one of the most emotional scenes in the game, and saving multiple people's lives. All while trying to make your partner proud, for no greater reason than Kim Kitsuragi is the best character and nearly everyone's favorite in the game.

One hell of an experience, this one. I can't think of anything quite like it. It gets my recommendation.

6- Bloodstained: Ritual of the Moon

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia may be the best platformer I've ever played. Bloodstained, as Iga's latest outing, did not quite top it, but it's still an incredible metroidvania, filled with varied and stunning locations to explore, amazing bosses that are really fun to fight, all sorts of secrets to pursue, and an awful story that doesn't matter in the slightest because it's not what anyone's here for.

This is one of those games that is just fun to play. That's the word to describe it, fun. It's super fun. I don't recommend it more than Order of Ecclesia or Rogue Legacy 2, because those games are something else, but still, this is great. Do consider it if you're in the mood for some platforming.

5- Rogue Legacy 2

The first game is one of my favorite platformers of all time. I never knew it could be this much better! Rogue Legacy 2 takes everything that works from the first game and cranks it up to 11, while fixing just about every flaw it had and boasting a clearly higher budget.

The fluid and responsive controls remain, coupled with far superior level design and a much better class system. Even the progression system, at its core identical to the first game's, feels a bit deeper in this game. Gone are the "cute but rough around the edges" visuals from the first game, replaced by beautiful, hand-drawn-esque, cartoonish graphics that are a joy to behold. The soundtrack... well, it was great in the first game, it's great here. Even the story, while clearly not the focus, is way better than it has any right to be. Some interesting lore going on here.

Now, keep in mind, this game is still in Early Access. The final boss is still not out, for instance. However, at this point in time, it has enough content that I would say it's worth the purchase.

4- Vandal Hearts 2 (Technically cheating here, as I've not finished it yet, but I'm almost at the final battle, so... close enough)

When you say Vandal Hearts, most people will go "what?" The rest will remember the first game. Fondly, most likely. The second game was divisive even back when it came out. Many people bashed its bold changes to the formula and lamented that it was so much worse than the first game in every regard. At this point, most have forgotten it entirely.

But, personally? Nothing further from the truth. All the criticisms I read online did nothing but pique my interest, and now that I've played it (almost) to completion, I can safely say - Vandal Hearts 2 is one of the best strategy games I've ever played.

The battle system is incredibly unique and experimental, and as a result, ends up being one of those "love or hate" type of deals. For me, it was the former at first sight. See, your units and the enemies move simultaneously, meaning you might try to attack an enemy only to end up swinging at the air because they moved, but likewise, you could predict the AI's moves and pull an "omae wa mou shindeiru" on the enemies. This system ensures that even during the easier battles you have to stay on your toes and think your moves through to stay one step ahead of the AI.

Combined with the unique equipment system, the wonderful soundtrack, the great story with multiple endings and the not as good as the first game, but still fine visuals, it all comes together to create a true hidden gem. Absolutely amazing game. I hate the fact that it has so few fans.

3- The Banner Saga series

It's technically three games, but they really feel like three parts of one bigger whole. They tell one continuous story, the gameplay is identical save for some minor improvements and tweaks between games, and you can import your saves from the previous game to the next to maintain your team building and your story choices. At this point, with the entire series out and wrapped up, there's zero reason not to buy and play it all at once as if it were one longer game. As such, I will refer to the entire series as one game from here on out.

A rich story with decisions that do matter, wonderful Norse-inspired Disney-esque visuals, a fun and unique combat system and a subtle but irrepleceable soundtrack come together to make a truly beautiful game. I've already replayed it once, and I probably will do it again. Really fun, at times incredibly emotional experience... Just be sure to pick it up on sale. I love it, but 75 euros for the whole package is too much, and the games feel incomplete on their own.

2- Fire Emblem: Fates

Yes, Fates as a whole. Having at this point played the entire series (well except for 1 and 2, but FE3 proved to me that I cannot handle interfaces THAT ancient), Fates was one of the last FEs I played, as I spent a long time held back by the stigma of "modern FE bad" and "too much fanservice." Then, at a point in time when I'd almost given up hope of finding another FE I would enjoy as much as the first few I'd played, I was convinced to give it a shot.

Guess what, I loved it. The gameplay is among the best FE has seen, and that's really all it needed for me to love it. I play FE for the gameplay, everything else is a bonus. The pair up system adds so much to the gameplay, skills are at their best in this game, and the capture system is unironically the best thing about Fates for me. Putting generics and throwaway bosses in my team is so much fun, every time I play Fates I end up having half my team invaded by them. Heck, my (so far only) Revelation run was generics only, straight up! And my experience was improved for it, too. I didn't have to deal with Rev's piss poor balance, because I just avoided the cast and put enemies in my team.

Yes, yes, I know, story bad. Well, yes, story bad, absolutely! That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. I'm a big fan of "so bad it's good", and Fates absolutely fits the bill. Heck, these days I find myself calling Garon one of my favorite characters in the series. No other FE character has made me laugh as hard and as consistently as him. He's just the best. I rate this game 10 Garons of increasing discomfort / 10.

 

1- Omori

I watched a playthrough for roughly two hours. Then I stopped as it became increasingly clear to me that this was something truly special that I wanted to experience for myself. And so I did.

This game made me feel emotions no other game has managed since my early childhood. Nothing comes even close.

Standard-fare JRPG gameplay, which I'm usually allergic to, did nothing to decrease my enjoyment of this game. It's one of those games that I can safely say should be played for the story. And what a story. Not only is it extremely emotional and well-written, the game utilizes the medium masterfully to tell it. This is a story that works as well as it does partly because it's a videogame. It is not text and cutscenes interrupting a completely unattached gameplay loop, as most games are when you really think about it - the two come together to tell the story, and one would not work without the other.

Amazing experience. Do yourselves a favor and play it... Just don't disregard the content warning. This game gets super heavy at times.

 

Honorable mention: Beard Blade

This was recommended to me as a joke by someone else in these very forums. Someone that I seem to disagree with about everything, as every game he's recommended to me I've hated, and viceversa. The game hadn't even come out yet and he knew nothing about it, he only recommended it because I'm vocal about the fact that I like beards. I ended up buying it when it came out.

Fun little game. Really short, but it has an interesting day-and-night system where levels are drastically different depending on the time of day, which increases its length a little bit if you're willing to play them. I'd say 3-4 hours if you go fast, and something like 6-7 if you go for the 100% and play both versions of each level. And you hit things with your beard, I mean, how amazing is that?

Edited December 31, 2021 by Saint Rubenio

[BrightBow]

3. Tunche

Fun little beat-em-up rougelike. But I have to admit, the main draw of the game was for me to be able to unleash the true power of Hat Kid.

2. Monster Hunter Rise

I skipped World, so I don't know which changes can be attributed to Rise specifically, but it's a truly wonderful game.

1. Vestaria Saga II - Beta

Thanks to Holy Sword of Silvanister being currently remade under a different name, I can put Vestaria Saga in here. Woho! 
I only played until the 3rd map, since I have no idea what I'm doing and all. But it was already a lot of fun. The game most certainly assumes you played the first game and already know your way around, so it throws a lot of different mechanics at you very early. Which makes it really engaging right from the start.