This is the next step in my journey to eventually release a top 50 games of all time list. 2021 was one of the weaker years in recent gaming history to me. The pandemic slowing down work for a while is a pretty logical explanation as to why. Despite that, there was enough good where I have a top 10 list I really like, though this is not as top heavy of a year as most. With that said, here is the list!
10. Returnal
I’m sure there will be many readers who will be disappointed that Returnal is this low on my list. This is an ultra rare AAA roguelike game, and it excels in many ways. The mix of bullet hell and third-person shooter is pulled off wonderfully. The action is super satisfying. The story is also pretty dang interesting, especially in a genre with very few great stories. It’s not like any other AAA game out there, which I view as a good thing.
More of my issues with the game come from the roguelike elements. Runs are super long, and the game is relatively difficult, so I slowly got more and more tired of seeing some of the early environments over and over. This would have been easier to stomach if the game let you upgrade your character more, but the amount of upgrades you can do are extremely limited, so you will have 30 minute runs where you lose, and feel like you accomplished absolutely nothing.
I still had a lot of fun with Returnal, and I probably have to jump in again one day and give it another chance. This is a really fun action game, but also not the kind of roguelike I usually love.
9. The Artful Escape
This is such a joyful game. It’s a crazy narrative musical adventure that also dabbles in sci-fi. The dialogue is consistently funny, there are a lot of entertaining characters, the story is rock solid, and there are a few really fantastic moments that perfectly blend all of the elements of the game together.
It’s a breezy adventure and one of the better narrative games I have played in recent years. I feel like it got a bit overlooked on release, and if you like this genre, I can’t recommend it enough.
8. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
If you have ever played a Ratchet and Clank game, you know what to expect here. This is mostly a third-person action adventure game that gives you boatloads of interesting guns to fight enemies with, and they all feel great to use in their own ways. You also get some nice set piece moments, boss fights, and platforming, too. The dialogue and characters are also fun. Like pretty much any game in this series I have played, it executes on all of the fundamentals nearly flawlessly.
It also never quite blows me away in any capacity, but I had a pretty great time the entire time I played, and I’ll take that all day. Hopefully, we will get another Ratchet and Clank game this generation, as I will gladly sign up to play any of them on day one.
7. Deathloop
Deathloop is a tale of two games for me. You are stuck in a time loop and need to kill all the main enemies in one loop to beat the game. In the first 75% of the game, where I was learning about this fascinating world, and investigating to figure out the best way to accomplish my goals, I was having an absolute blast. The core stealth and action are both solid, and there were a lot of interesting things going on.
Then, there is the last 25% of the game, where I had done most of the work I needed to do, but had to keep replaying through loops to round out the last few bits of set up in order to complete the game. At this point, I had seen almost everything in the game several times, and replaying through loops had become a bit of a nuisance, especially when I didn’t have tons to accomplish. To make things worse, the ending the game came with at launch was really lazy and disappointing. I believe that was fixed in a later patch, but those of us playing day one were not so lucky. Despite the game kind of leaving a sour taste in my mouth, I can’t forget how much fun I was having in the early going. I spent something like 15-20 hours thinking this was going to be my game of the year, and thus, it gets rewarded with a solid spot still.
6. Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Kena: Bridge of Spirits was made by Emberlab, a studio only really known for its animation work . I was not optimistic about this one because of that background, but they somehow pulled it off and made a positively charming action adventure game in their rookie outing.
First off, of course, the visuals are absolutely striking. A few years later, this is still one of the most beautiful games I have ever played. They also did a nice job with the story, as there are several heartfelt moments throughout.
The big question was with the gameplay, and they actually did a great job there, too. It’s not groundbreaking, but this is an extremely competent game with fun and surprisingly difficult combat. Exploration is also quite rewarding. Everything about this is just really polished and fun, and you can’t ask for much more from a rookie outing. I can’t wait to see how they grow for their next one.
5. Tales of Arise
I’m not sure why, but I have quickly gotten bored with pretty much every Tales game I have ever played. I had zero desire to buy Tales of Arise because of this, but the strong reviews made me decide to give it one more chance. That ended up being a fantastic decision.
This is easily the best game in the series to me, with a more adult story that has big things happening fast, some excellent characters, and the trademark series strong action combat. Combine in some great visuals, and this had me very invested for most of the journey. I do think it drags on a touch too long, as I felt pretty done with the game by the last 5 hours or so, but it was still a phenomenal experience that has me invested in the Tales series going forward.
4. Forgotten City
This is easily one of my favorite narrative games ever. Forgotten City is the third game on this list that uses a time loop mechanic, as you get transported back to the Roman empire, in a city where if one person sins, everyone in the village dies. This fascinating concept is aided with a great plot, several mind-blowing moments, and some solid characters (especially one of the villains). There is also some player choice that is well implemented too
The game also has one of my favorite endings ever. This was a 6-7 hour experience that had me entranced throughout and left me completely satisfied.
3. Death’s Door
This indie mix of Zelda and Dark Souls really excels at everything it wants to accomplish. The combat is satisfying, there is fun puzzle solving and lots of secrets in the world, and it actually has a very enjoyable, funny, and compelling story that tackles some pretty deep things (death, as you might imagine). The exploration elements were a bit of a nuisance at times, but there is good reason why many consider this one of the best indie titles they have ever played. I wouldn’t go quite that far, but this stuck with me more than almost any other game I played in 2021.
2. Littlewood
Littlewood stands right up there with Harvest Moon 64 and Stardew Valley as one of my favorite cozy games of all time. It feels like a nice “in the middle” between Stardew and Animal Crossing. The big thing it does better than either of them is its RPG elements. I’ve never seen more RPG elements shoehorned into a cozy game, and I absolutely loved it. It doesn’t take long to see the fruits of your labors pay off because of all the stats attached to everything. And most of the tasks you do each day are very harmless and fun.
There is also a pretty addicting townbuilding element, which is also full of RPG elements. Decorating the town isn’t just for looks. It can also level things up, which makes it even more satisfying.
And to top it off, while it’s not groundbreaking, it does have a semi-interesting story that had me relatively invested. That is a big rarity in this genre. Littlewood is one of the most overlooked cozy games out there, and I hope one day more people discover it so that it gets the love it deserves.
1. Halo: Infinite
Halo: Infinite gets a pretty bad rap, and some of that is well deserved. The updates and content didn’t come fast enough, so people who like to play games like this for years were rightly disappointed and frustrated.
However, I am not that person. I am someone who doesn’t play any multiplayer game for much more than a few months these days. For someone like me, Halo: Infinite was phenomenal. The gameplay felt so good, I had very few issues with connection, and I thought the map design was very strong as well. I was totally addicted to Infinite’s multiplayer for longer than any game since Overwatch.
It also comes with a pretty solid single-player game as well. I like Halo’s transition into open world, though I think they could have more varied and fun side missions next time around. While I get why plenty of people shit on this game, it worked really well for what I wanted out of it, and I invested more time in this than any other game in 2021 as well. While it was not an easy call, this did just enough to earn the call as my favorite game of the year.
Big Nerd Gaming 
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