Author: Rich Meister
What a year. 2021 has been arguably the best year and a string of horrible years. Sure, we’ve still got that whole pandemic thing, and our country’s moral and financial integrity is crumbling from the inside out, but VIDEO GAMES! Also, that Spider-man movie was really good.
Despite the horrible odds, I’ve made it through another calendar year as Sword Chomp’s EIC, and I played a lot of really cool games. Tons of people said there weren’t many good games this year; those people are dumb as shit. Here are the ten games I thought kicked the most ass in 2021.
10. Cyber Shadow- We go way back to January for Cyber Shadow for my first pick. This game was designed by Aame Hunziker and published by Yacht Club Games. You play as Shadow, a cyborg ninja striking down enemies in a city that blends cyberpunk aesthetic with imagery from feudal Japan.
This game draws heavy inspiration from games like Ninja Gaiden and others from the NES/SNES era. The soundtrack kicks ass, and it just feels fantastic to play—an easy but punishing recommendation for any fan of old-school platformers.
9. Monster Hunter Rise- I dig Monster Hunter, always have. It’s a complicated series but undeniably fascinating and fun to play. These games tend to be pretty overwhelming for new players, and Rise takes the best of the series’ classic formula while taking a lot of the ease of use changes made to MH World that made it such a breakout success back on the PS4.
Rise has the added benefit of being portable and having a far more comprehensive selection of monsters to hunt. You would be hard-pressed to find a game in this series I don’t like, but this one continues to bring the quality I expect from the team at Capcom.
8. It Takes Two- If you watched the many streams Josh and I did together this year, then you shouldn’t be surprised to see this here. Platformers are a favorite genre, and I also love a good co-op experience.
As you might expect from any Josef Fares project, this game goes all-in on the co-op premise. Presenting tight and responsive platforming while constantly introducing new mechanics that never get stale and only work in a co-op environment. I don’t put much stock in the game awards, but this took GOTY for a reason.
7. Ratchet and Clank a Rift Apart- Continuing the platformer hype is one of the few universally next-gen experiences I got to play this year. Everything Insomniac does resonates with me, and revisiting their classic franchise on the PS5 is no different.
The R&C formula is basically unchanged, but the beautiful worlds and technical fidelity soar on the PS5 rasing Ratchet and this cast of new characters to new heights and a new standard for the series.
6. Returnal- Up next is yet another PS5 exclusive. Sony Marque House has made its first big-budget game, and this bullet hell not only looks amazing and plays like a dream, it used the PS5’s Dualsense controller more effectively than any title of seen yet.
Unique vibrations and sound design utilizing this tech keep you engrossed in this rogue-lite without dividing your attention at all. Couple that with a weirdy trippy world and an addicting loop, and you have a winning formula.
5. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy- at the number five spot is my biggest surprise of the year. I was not shy about how much the Square Enix published Avenger’s game let me down not too long ago. With that in mind, I wasn’t expecting much of the next Marvel game they strapped their name to, but Guardians surprises at every turn.
It combines the fast passed action of games like Uncharted with ideas from things like Mass Effect. On top of that, the voice performances and surprisingly great script elevate it in ways even none Marvel fans will likely appreciate. This is one worth checking out.
4. Resident Evil Village- After the mess that was RE6, the series had some much-needed reinventing with its seventh installment. That reinvention continues and finds a sweet spot in Village. Combining the more horror routed tone and first-person viewpoint of RE7 with the giant arsenal, and more open progression of RE4 has made this one probably one of my favorites in the series.
It’s no Resident Evil 4, but the stupidly cartoonish characters’ dumb writing and a vast arsenal of weapons make it come pretty close.
3. Metroid Dread- The fifth entry in the mainline Metroid series came out this year. That is fucking weird, but I had a blast playing some classic 2D Metroid goodness on Switch and finally cleaning up that original story for Samus.
It tried some weird stuff but mostly excelled when it was sticking to the classic formula. There are a lot of Metroidvanias these days, but it’s cool that the original can still hold its own.
2. Eastward- This is the part of the list with the games you’ve never heard of. Eastward is an indie joint for PC and Switch heavily inspired by both classic topdown Zelda and Earthbound. Hell, it even has a roguelite game within a game.
This game has one hell of a look, an insane soundtrack, and some incredible writing and memorable characters. John’s frying pan won our iconic weapon award this year for a reason. I feel like every year, we drone on about the indie games nobody is paying attention to, and 2021 is no different.
1. Inscyption- Ah, the best and strangest game on this list. Do you like card games? You want weird augmented reality storytelling and weird FMV cut scenes. I hesitate to talk about this game because that ruins the charm, but it is a truly unforgettable experience.
Rest assured, if the roguelite deck builder this game presents itself to be were all it was, it would still make this list. The mechanics are just that good, but Inscryption goes places, and they are places worth seeing. Of everything I played this year, I’d most urge you to take time to enter this weird little cabin.