Vinny's 2021 Top Ten Games of the Year

I’ll try and stick to gaming here since there’s an entire book I could write about my life in 2021. When I was putting together my list I was looking at a little over 60 games that I had played in some meaningful way. That included games like Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town, Scarlet Nexus, and even Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. That list came down pretty quickly and for a while it had Returnal sitting as my number eleven, but I axed it in the end. Why? Well, for all the reordering of my list that was doing it never seemed to move from that spot, so in the end I decided to go with the traditional ten games. I think it’s a pretty decent mix of big and small releases, but probably leans more into big release territory this year.

My lists usually favor narrative over pure gameplay, and this year is no exception. I need some narrative propellant to keep me moving, even with the best gameplay mechanic. It’s probably why I tend to fall off of PVP multiplayer so quickly. Well, maybe also because I’m usually terrible at PVP, but let’s go with the lack of narrative for now. I’m the best at video games there ever was and here is my list.

10. Kena: Bridge of Spirits

Kena is definitely a throwback game but it’s right in my hotzone of third-person-action-adventure-with-amazing-animation. The mechanics aren’t very complicated. You explore a beautiful world for a while, do some platforming, and then enter a combat arena to battle the baddies. Maybe I’m just a simple human, but if done correctly I don’t really need more than that to make me happy…sometimes. It doesn’t hurt that you collect these little Ghibli-esque spirits that hang around you the entire game and they help you solve some puzzles. Spoiler Warning: They are extremely cute.

9. Metroid Dread

I grew up with Metroid and I’m mostly caught up on them with some exceptions (Other M). I really liked Samus Returns on the 3DS so I was looking forward to Dread, and I think it delivered. The action and the controls feel great and the traversal feels snappy and fast. While the difficulty spike on the bosses felt rough at first, they were also very satisfying after a few rounds of pattern recognition. My biggest complaint is probably the default ability mapping and my fumbling around on the controller. While some of those controls never really felt natural to me I was able to deal with them and enjoy my time with it. It also has the added bonus of rewarding me with those ridiculous story reveals.

8. Life is Strange: True Colors

I had kind of cooled on the Life is Strange series, and when I saw the premise for True Colors I was fairly convinced I wouldn’t be as engaged in it as I was with the original. Turns out the power of “empathy” was much more interesting when you have a character as likeable as the protagonist Alex Chen. The rendering of Alex is not only fantastically done in-engine, but also in her embodiment of someone awkwardly trying to integrate into a small, social scene. Games like this can lose me so easily if they go too hokey, but True Colors managed to thread the needle and gave me choices I felt were true to the character and the situation. For the most part… Towards the end it does seem like the train goes off the rails as that deft touch on the throttle is replaced with someone slamming it down to barrel towards a conclusion. Does it replace the original Life is Strange as my favorite? Probably not, but it’s something I’ve thought about for sure.

7. The Forgotten City

It’s probably no secret that I’ve burnt out on Bethesda’s style of open world game. So, when presented with a game that has its origins as a mod for Skyrim I was ready to pass. Luckily, enough people kept telling me of its smaller, more focused scope, and that it’s really just a mystery game built on that engine that I finally picked it up. It’s a fantastic game that really stands on its own, despite its origins. Sure, it might be another timeloop game in a year chock full of timelooping, but it delivers a fun setting, interesting characters, and a story that actually delivers on its foundational premise of the loop. The scale of the game is just right for what it’s trying to do. It doesn’t become overbearing where you feel like you’re daisy-chaining tens of tasks in the perfect order to accomplish your perfect Groundhog Day timeline, but it also is about manipulating the events of the day, using your knowledge to accomplish a goal. The writing in the character interactions is sharp, the overall story is engaging, and the way they handle a person looping through time should be noted if other developers want to get aboard the Timeloop Express.

6. Hitman 3

Hitman 3 is not my favorite Hitman game, but it still delivers everything I want out of one. The maps are fairly unique, with entries like the crowded Berlin nightclub and a dang train! Agent 47 is back to his improbable disguise antics, as he infiltrates a world that has never seen anyone tell a lie. The “Hey… wait a minute” exclamation before 47 knocks someone out with a fish is still amazing. Leaning into the conceit that just because you are wearing someone’s clothes you are obviously that person is great and probably one of my favorite things about the entire series. So, while the game continues to mostly iterate upon the past, it still manages to keep things fresh with great locations, characters, and of course… secretly the best thing about the entire series, the fantastic incidental dialogue from a world full of naive yet horrific people.

5. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart

If you go back to my number ten on this list you’ll know that I’m a big sucker for a well-animated action/adventure/platformer. The Ratchet series has always been pretty solid in my book, especially on the technical front, so getting a fresh one to allow the PS5 to flex a little is a real treat. The game looks amazing (though I’d argue they always do) and it plays just as great. It’s a fun romp that does something the franchise  has needed for a bit, which is to expand the universe with two main characters in Rivet and Kit. Figuring out what to do with the series, especially after the reboots, was probably daunting so I’m glad we’ve opened up some new possibilities, even if I’m a bit “multiversed” out at this point. The game uses the fast loading of the PS5 to good effect with its dimensional hopping but I do feel like the wow-factor fades pretty quickly. That doesn’t diminish the overall enjoyment as there is plenty to do and collect, and except for some mid-game stretches, the pacing is well-handled. Getting those Golden Bolt upgrades though, that’s the good stuff.

4. Deathloop

What a fun premise and mix of genres. Some parts Hitman, some parts Dishonored, a fair amount of loot-game, and a whole lot of time-rewinding. Deathloop has such a great setup and I enjoyed it mostly the whole way through, with me only really stopping short at the end. Experimenting and collecting the powers in the game (Nexus and Shift were my favorites) along with the different weapons and mods was extremely exciting. There was a Mega Man-like thrill to gaining new abilities and slowly but surely becoming a god within the game. Things slowed down once I had collected everything and just had to execute on the story beats, but it was still a ton of fun because of the variety the game presents in terms of letting you accomplish those goals. There are parts that feel a bit clunky and repetitive, and I really didn’t like how it all wrapped up at the very end, but the journey through was one of my most memorable from this year.

3. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy

Add this one to the list of games I thought I was going to pan this year but wound up loving. I’m starting to think I’m a terrible judge of what I’m going to like. I have enjoyed the Marvel cinematic stuff, but like a lot of folks I’m mostly saturated at this point. There was and is a real feeling of enough already! Guardians somehow manages to feel from that universe but fresh at the same time. It goes deeper, with more time spent developing characters, and broader, with just… MORE than I would have expected. It has some heavy Mass Effect vibes regarding crew dynamics, loyalty-esque missions, end of the universe business, etc… but manages to put an 80’s soundtrack and a layer of goofball on the whole thing that works. Gameplay-wise, it’s a linear action game, but they do offer some interesting dialogue choices throughout that seem to affect the world and story, which I appreciate. The combat is enjoyable and ramps up throughout as you and your teammates gain more abilities, but without the solid narrative backing it up I probably would have bounced off it.

2. Inscryption

I feel like I never stopped talking about Inscryption, so it’s hard to think of what to write here. What hasn’t been said? If you haven't heard of it, definitely go look it up. On its surface it’s a card game with a ton of atmosphere. Digging deeper you’ll absolutely find more, but it will retain those card game elements, which was fine by me as I mostly enjoyed those parts, even when they got all shuffled up (pun intended) and varied. The real star of this one is the packaging and world you are in while playing. The whole thing presents such a cohesive atmosphere. The audio, visuals, and the tone of the game feel as near perfect in execution as maybe I’ve ever seen. It gives everything so much flavor that it goes far beyond its core as a deck builder. The story also delivers, and if you’re interested in reams of ARG material then this is the one for you! While I’m not sure I want more Inscyption per se I am extremely curious to see anything that comes next from Daniel Mullins and this team.

1. Psychonauts 2

I was actually going back and forth up until right this very moment on whether this would be number one or number two. In the end, I think it’s the game I most enjoyed from start to finish, and a game that just left me fully entertained and satisfied. I was a big original Psychonauts fan, and I still have my signed copy that a friend gifted me tucked away in a safe spot, but I was pretty skeptical about the sequel for a variety of reasons. I'm so glad it all came together! It’s got a fun, yet touching story. It has enjoyable and fairly tight platforming, though with maybe some work still be done in the combat arena. Most importantly, it retains that Double Fine magic that drew so many of us to the studio in the first place. The characters, style, sense of humor, and music are all there and I think they are maybe at some of their best here as they are gelling together in a way that they haven’t for me in a long time. There’s nothing disjointed about this game. It’s not only one of the best games of the year, but a game that, for me, puts Double Fine back in the fight as one of the most unique and talented teams out there.