Editor’s Picks: Flora’s Favorite Games of 2021
Last year, Epilogue’s co-founder Ben Vollmer infamously declared, “Death to the Backlog.” Despite acknowledging that he was right, I wound up saddling myself with several dozen new games, including 2021’s many releases. I might not have matched or surpassed my record of completed games from 2020, but I set a goal for myself of completing at least 52 games — one for each week in the calendar year — which I comfortably surpassed by November. As such, I think it’s worth taking on the impossible task of compiling some subjective hierarchy of 2021’s many games.
Honorable Mentions
In reflecting on these highlights from 2021, I realize that there are many other games that I’ve loved that just missed the cutoff for these picks. Predictably, Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars is a game that captured me for a weekend while I got sucked into this novel RPG composed purely of cards; the characters, the music, the engaging mechanics, and the charming visual aesthetic all made this Yoko Taro experience memorable. NieR Reincarnation and Pikmin Bloom are standout mobile experiences that kept me walking and playing in my idle moments each day. Severed Steel is one of the most cruelly overlooked games of the year, featuring mechanics that hooked me in a way that inexorably drew me back to feelings that Mirror’s Edge left me with. Final Fantasy 7 Remake: INTERmission was a treat to revisit on the Playstation 5, and the accompanying Yuffie story DLC was a loveable addition to one of my favorite games. UNBEATABLE swept into my life, becoming a recurring character when I wanted to kill 20 minutes jamming out to some stellar tunes; I’ve also enjoyed sharing this game with other people, vibing out to the band’s Sayonara Wild Hearts cover, amongst other things. And I was finally able to play Lost Words: Beyond the Page now that it released on platforms other than Google Stadia. You might be fooled if you closely followed the conversation surrounding the Game Awards this December, but 2021 was a massively diverse year for great games of all varieties.
Nevertheless, I don’t entirely disagree with people who lament that 2021 feels like a strange year for the “game of the year” conversation that sprouts each winter. There were some months where there wasn’t a single game on my radar, and other months like September where I somehow purchased ten brand new games in four weeks. There may not have been as many conversation-changing releases as the gaming press is used to, but when I started trying to narrow this list down, I realized how many impactful games I’ve ended up loving. Here are my ten personal favorites:
10. Returnal
I initially held off on Returnal, partially because it took over half a year before I could find a retail Playstation 5, and partially because the strong word-of-mouth for this game was always accompanied by caveats about storytelling structure and intense difficulty. On a whim, I picked up a discounted copy of Returnal and was blown away by the stunning environmental designs, the addictive gameplay loop, and the foreboding story. Returnal also features the best use of the Dualsense controller of any game I’ve played to date. While not my absolute favorite release of 2021, Returnal is a game that I frequently return to in between other games, and one I plan on chipping away at for many months to come.
9. Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Kena: Bridge of Spirits was always bound to be a game that I loved. Even so, I didn’t expect every aspect of this experience to land as gracefully as it did. From jaw-droppingly gorgeous animations, character and environmental designs, to polished platforming and tense combat encounters, Kena never let up until the credits rolled. I was worried Kena would be a mess, given that it’s the first game by Ember Lab studios, who didn’t send out a ton of review codes nor show much gameplay leading up to release day. Luckily, those red flags were a rare instance of smoke without fire. I would wholeheartedly recommend Kena to just about anyone who wants a well-packaged story that offers a heck of a challenge towards the end.
8. Psychonauts 2
Psychonauts 2 seemed doomed to development hell, facing delay after delay. Miraculously, Psychonauts 2 emerged from the proverbial oven in a near perfect state. I am not a die hard Psychonauts fan like our own Barry Irick, but the original game still holds up in my opinion – if you can forgive the dreaded Meat Circus level at the end. Somehow, Psychonauts 2 takes every striking design from that original game and improves or expands upon the whacky concepts explored inside people’s broken minds. The story of Psychonauts 2 is the strongest element of the game, but I’ve had to take it in small bursts since I’m not always in the right mental state for wise-cracking humor. Nevertheless, every time I finish another chapter of Psychonauts 2, I feel like I’ve just played my way through a mini-therapy session.
7. Before Your Eyes
The word-of-mouth surrounding Before Your Eyes is incredibly strong, but everyone who said I’d love it kept their secret as to why the experience was so profound. Thus, it took me several months to get around to sitting down and playing it. Back when I still streamed with regularity, I strapped in with my webcam and blinked my way through a game unlike any I’ve played before. The central mechanic of eye tracking is incredibly novel, and Before Your Eyes handles this mechanic with mastery. Before Your Eyes is short enough to play in one sitting, which I think contributes to the lasting power of this game, and why it’s one I still often think about. I foolishly believed that I was going to emotionally hold up until I opened my eyes one last time during the credits and started bawling. If you have a webcam, Before Your Eyes is absolutely worth the experience.
6. It Takes Two
I am not a massive multiplayer fan in general, but It Takes Two is an entirely different cooperative narrative experience. Focused on storytelling and novel mechanics, It Takes Two is like a highlight reel for fans of video games. I paired up with Epilogue staff member Travis Gibbs, and together we collaborated our way towards 100% of It Takes Two’s achievements, seeking out every secret and mini-game we could find. While some of the writing in It Takes Two feels cliche, most of the experience offers a perspective on relationships that is uncommonly addressed within the mainstream gaming space. It’s also quite funny. If you have someone that you don’t mind spending a good 15 hours with on the couch, I couldn’t recommend It Takes Two more highly.
5. Chicory: A Colorful Tale
Chicory: A Colorful Tale is one of the few games on this list that didn’t catch me by surprise, sweeping me up in release-day hype. I was sold on this game from the moment it was announced years ago, featuring collaborators like Greg Lobanov, Lena Raine, and A Shell in the Pit, which is why I excitedly backed the game on Kickstarter as soon as it was announced. There’s an inherent risk in literally buying into the hype around a game that isn’t out to the public, but luckily that risk paid off and Chicory delivered perhaps the most genuine, heart-warming, vulnerable story in a game this year. From incredibly novel mechanics that feel like the natural, clever extension of coloring books, to a willingness to directly tackle difficult subject matter like creative burnout and impostor syndrome, I was compelled to spend as much time with Chicory as the game had to offer.
4. Lost Judgment
Lost Judgment kickflipped over my head before punching me in the face and biting me with a detective shiba inu – in a good way. It’s an open secret at Epilogue that I’m obsessed with the Yakuza games, and Lost Judgment is no exception. In fact, as I’ve written, I think Lost Judgment is one of the best games in the entire series. Lost Judgment consumed a few weekends of my life as I got sucked into mini-games, school stories, and side cases; I practically forgot about the high stakes main story until completely clearing out the city of distractions. By the time I hopped back on board, I was blown away with the severity of the subject matter that the game decided to tackle. Lost Judgment succeeds both as a standalone and an expansion of the beloved Yakuza series.
3. Life is Strange: True Colors
Life is Strange was one of the games that I first played when I decided to focus on the storytelling capacity of video games, and resultantly became the subject of my first two articles for Epilogue. That said, my turbulent relationship with its polarizing sequel, Life is Strange 2, is well documented. I still eagerly pre-ordered the ultimate edition of Life is Strange: True Colors, but I had low expectations. Within the first few minutes, however, I fell properly in love with True Colors, lingering in scenes taking screenshots and notes about these wonderful, lively characters. Each episode of True Colors was somehow better than the last, and I feel as though the developers learned all the right lessons from my critiques of Life is Strange 2. My favorite part of True Colors is the turn-based LARP that Alex Chen and her friends embark upon, only rivaled by my massive crush on Steph (something Alex and I had in common). I spent most of my time with True Colors with tears rolling down my face, and I must have gone through a case of tissues in the finale. Life is Strange: True Colors and its excellent DLC “Wavelengths” are must-plays if you’ve ever had an interest in character driven emotional storytelling.
2. Disco Elysium: The Final Cut
I was late to the hype around Disco Elysium, and I vividly recall it coming out of nowhere, topping many game of the year lists from people I highly respect. At some point, I acquired a copy of Disco Elysium and was elated to learn of the re-released expansion coming with The Final Cut. When people sing the praises of Disco Elysium, they are underselling some of the most interconnected and thought-provoking game mechanics in recent memory. Furthermore, the writing of Disco Elysium is easily the most articulate and dense that I’ve encountered in a game – and I’ve written about how Disco Elysium made me constantly pause to screenshot and open the dictionary for various vocabulary words. Not only is Disco Elysium engaging and thought-provoking, but it is infinitely replayable by virtue of its narrative choices, offering twists and turns unlike any dialogue-based game that I’ve played. I cannot wait to replay Disco Elysium, and as soon as I reach a point of feeling satisfied with the diversity of 2021’s releases, I will sink my teeth back into Revachol once again.
1. NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…
NieR Replicant is my personal favorite game from 2021. While my history with the NieR series is comparatively recent, starting with Automata and working my way through Drakengard 3, I approached Replicant with reverence and took time off work to complete all the game’s five endings. NieR Replicant hangs a little over my head in shame, as I am one achievement away from unlocking 100% on Steam, but the prospect of grinding for another few dozen hours for randomized loot drops from enemies is too exhausting to continue. That said, what other games give you five endings and still leave you begging for more?
Like Life is Strange: True Colors, I spent a lot of time with Replicant in tears. It’s an incredibly emotional game once you crack it open, and the gradual narrative changes and reveals never fail to leave me with a mixture of devastation and hopefulness. I can say the same thing about Replicant‘s hauntingly beautiful soundtrack. Replicant interrogates morality and epistemology in the same stroke that it fractures your identity, like an interactive philosophy text. It’s a game that I’ll often think about and one that I’ll certainly return to for years to come. For these reasons and many more, NieR Replicant is my game of the year.
Final Thoughts
There are games that appear on this list that I wasn’t quite able to finish in time, but hitting the credits is not the end-all-be-all for appreciating a creative piece of work like the games I’ve written about above. Psychonauts 2 and Returnal might be spectres on my horizon of unfinished games, but I’ve nevertheless derived dozens of hours of enjoyment from each. I’ve also sunk upwards of 20 hours into my first Tales game, Tales of Arise, which deserves every bit of critical acclaim it has received. Many more 2021 games sit atop my pile of shame, like Inscryption, NEO: The World Ends with You and Scarlet Nexus. Alas, I will get around to them next year.
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