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A Fantastic Year for Under The Radar Gems
It’s time for the Omni Game Player Games of the year! 2021 has been a prolific year for gaming. There was a noticeable dearth of top-flight AAA game experiences but there have been myriad great AA, Indie, and under-the-radar games that people will be discovering and enjoying for years to come.
Quality games titles big and small were released and thanks to several competitive gaming services such as PlayStation Plus, Xbox Game Pass, The Epic Game Store, and Twitch Prime, many new games were free or cheap as ever and wider audiences were reached.
With so many great videogames available I couldn’t possibly play all of them, I did play my fair share however and that’s what we are going to talk about today.
Here is my list of Omni Game Player’s top ten games of 2021. These will cover the games that I have extensively played and completed. There may be several big titles that don’t make the cut largely because I haven’t played them yet! IF you think I missed out on some must-play experiences from 2021, hit me up in the comments below and let me know what I need to get my hands on.
10. Last Stop
Available Platforms: All Major Platforms (Including Xbox Game Pass)
Last Stop is one of those classic narrative-based games that are low on gameplay but high on story. This game is more an interactive movie than anything else but boy, what a movie this is! Hilariously written and filled with wild plot twists, I recommend going into this game with as little information about the story as possible.
That said, it’s important to know what kind of game this is. The basic premise is that you play three different characters in three separate stories that all take place in the same region. You get multiple narrative choices throughout the game but they don’t really alter the story.
Don’t expect to play a game with multiple outcomes or story-altering choices, you are for the most part a passive operator that helps move the story along. Last Stop is the kind of game where you kick your feet up and just enjoy the ride. A good game to play with a friend or spouse watching; a title that has a zany story with whip-smart character dialogue that will keep you guessing and entertained until the end.
9. Twelve Minutes
Available Platforms: All Major Platforms (Including Xbox Game Pass)
Twelve Minutes gets high marks for being a unique gaming experience. Though the concept of time loops and the repetitive nature of roguelikes has somewhat popularized the idea of replaying the same moments over and over again in a game, Twelve minutes takes that principle and uses it as the foundation for its gameplay.
As the eponymous title implies, twelves minutes has you playing the same twelve-minute slice of gameplay over and over again in an effort to prevent a tragic event from happening. This works really well as you don’t run into a lot of fatigue or frustration if you have a “bad run” scenario. You know you are just a few minutes away from being able to start over and try again.
This game is really memorable for two reasons, the performances from some really good actors and the way it requires players to really think hard about how they can find solutions to the game’s issues. At its heart, Twelve Minutes is like a point-and-click puzzle game, to beat it without any guides will be a major challenge but the player is greatly rewarded for paying attention to detail and experimenting with ideas.
This game is among my favorites of the year because it is not only very good, it really pushes up against the common construct of what a modern videogame is and it really shows off some of the potential games have to tell interactive stories.
8. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
Available Platforms: PlayStation 5
When looking back at the best games of the year, I would be remiss to omit Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart. Here is a game that sets the bar for what a AAA action platformer should be. This game takes the classic Ratchet and Clank formula and masters it, giving players a pure distillation of fun and adventure.
With Rift Apart, Insomniac games manages to squeeze an impressive amount of juice out of the PlayStation 5 hardware delivering one of the first games released that notably takes advantage of the new-gen console. Little to no load times, best-in-class visuals, and snappy gameplay make this an instant classic.
Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart is one of three platform games that make this list and it is the banner title that has helped revitalize the platforming game genre. If you have a PlayStation 5 or if you are getting one in 2022, this is an easy purchase if you have any affinity whatsoever for platform games or action shooters.
7. DeathLoop
Available Platforms: PlayStation 5
Deathloop is a rarity in today’s age; a single-player first-person shooter so good that it has won game of the year awards. What separates Deathloop from so many other first-person games is that the action takes a bit of a backseat to more cerebral elements in the game.
The second and not the last game on this list to revolve around a time loop (guess that’s the trend in 2021, time loops) you play as the verbose Colt Vaughn, a character whose abilities and understanding of the world he is trapped in grows throughout the players experience with the game.
The performances from the two primary charters in the game, Colt and Juliana are funny and very well acted. The gameplay is very reminiscent of Arkane Studios’ other hit first-person action series Dishonored. Like Dishonored Dealthloop also gets a big nod for its world and art direction, taking a 1960’s aesthetic and fusing it with some futuristic, sci-fi technology.
Deathloop requires the player to think and plan carefully, you have to piece together how to best approach each area and ultimately, how to string together the perfect final day to complete all of the necessary tasks in order to break the loop and finish the game. An intriguing task that brilliantly presented through the game’s design.
6. Lost Judgment
Available Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Fans of the Yakuza series will be very familiar with Lost Judgment, the sequel to 2018’s Judgment. This game builds on the well-refined traditional Yakuza brawler formula. Incredibly fun action, outlandish humor, and compelling powerful drama are the three pillars of this game and series.
You once again take on the role of Takayuki Yagami, a freelance detective who is also a non-practicing lawyer. Expect a gritty and dark story that is oddly laced with a ton of comedic gold. What always amazes me about these games is that they manage to be silly and serious at the same time; this feat is generally accomplished by making the main story path a deeply serious drama while a healthy portion of the side missions present the games more light-hearted goofy side.
Lost Judgment has every quality that makes for a good Ryu Ga Gotoku game, as a major fan of this franchise. As a long-time fan of the development studio and these games, I got what I expected and was not let down. Every year this team releases a new game, there is a high likelihood that that game will make my top ten. They just get me.
5. Wildermyth
Available Platforms: PC
Wildermyth was a very pleasant surprise. This is one of those under-the-radar games of the year I was referring to at the top of this post. I had heard nothing about this game until after it was released. When I learned that it featured an unpredictable, emergent narrative structure mixed with some Xcom-like qualities, I was instantly on board.
I am fascinated by games that feature strong emergent gameplay elements, in other words, games that aren’t predictable or have outcomes that are set in stone. I love to play a game that feels alive, a game where my actions, or better still, the actions that happen in the world independent of me, can change and shape the story.
Wildermyth delivers on some of this with the way the game handles its heroes. This is a tactical RPG where you start out with a few young heroes and play a campaign with them, as you play through the campaign your heroes will age and grow. They level up like any RPG and learn new moves and get stronger.
What sets Wildermyth apart from most RPG’s though is that your party doesn’t simply grow through their abilities, they form relationships and evolve as characters and heroes. They can die in battle, they can die or retire of old age, they can have offspring who become heroes themselves.
Each campaign lasts about 4-7 hours in real-time and they can span from about 70-110 years in-game. With such an expansive time frame you will finish each campaign with a different group of heroes than you started with, a group your first core team of heroes will nurture and develop over the years. Depending on how things play out your heroes may become legends and show up in future campaigns or adventures.
Wildermyth takes some really awesome ideas and plays with them on a fairly simple scale. Beyond the cool emergent gameplay aspects of this game, there is a very solid foundation for its tactical combat and as a whole package, Wildermyth gets high marks for being something fresh that helps push the industry forward.
This is ar really cool case study in how games can be used to experience stories that are molded by the player’s actions and take place over an expansive amount of time. I love the creativity that has gone into this game and I am excited to see how they expand upon it in the future.
4. Halo Infinite
Available Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC (Including Xbox Game Pass)
There was a lot of pressure out there for Halo Infinite to not only be good but great. This is the biggest named franchise in Xbox’s history, this is the first Halo in six years, and it is widely known that this game has had big developmental issues resulting in a one-year delay from its initial release date.
I’m happy to report that now that the final product is out, Halo Infinite has largely met its expectations, excelling in some areas and coming up a bit short in a few others.
This is possibly the best feeling Halo ever, the controls are silky smooth and the moment-to-moment action has reignited my passion for the Halo franchise. This is a game that was in a very troubled spot and 343 has managed to produce something really good out of that wreckage.
That said, I feel like the campaign has not quite hit the crescendo I was hoping for. It’s good, very fun to play and that amazing gameplay really shines hard when the player is given the freedom to approach combat in any way they desire. The shortcomings show up mostly in the story which feels unfinished and lacking in depth. The open-world is also somewhat limited compared to other AAA open worlds.
The multiplayer is phenomenal. I am talking all-time levels of Halo multiplayer joy and addiction here. I have always been a Halo fan but one that primarily enjoyed the campaign and then played some multiplayer for a few months. Of all the Halo games, this one’s multiplayer feels the freshest to me and it may wind up being the part of the game I stick with the most.
If the campaign had more punch to it and the multiplayer didn’t completely botch the way microtransactions and rewards were handled out of the gate, this would probably be my favorite game of the year. As it stands, it is still one of the best and maybe the one I will wind up playing the most when it’s all said and done. As a complete project, Halo Infinite levels some (not a whole lot) to be desired, but as a foundation to build something larger off of, Halo Infinite is incredible.
3. Returnal
Available Platforms: PlayStation 5
For a long time, this was my clear-cut game of the year. The third and final game on this list to feature a time loop, Returnal takes what I love about roguelikes and packages it in a third-person action shooter that perfectly hit that sweet spot for me of being very challenging and fun.
Returnal is a very difficult game, particularly if you are not great at action shooters. The game can also be very punishing as whenever you die, you start the entire level over, a level that can take you anywhere from forty-five minutes to two hours to complete.
Gamers who relish a challenge will embrace some of these caveats and if you are among those that do, you will be greatly rewarded with a thrilling action game. I really enjoyed the pace of Returnal, upon entering each room you are faced with a very fast-paced combat scenario where you are destroying multiple enemies.
After the room is cleared you get a respite, you can look around for health items, upgrades, and hidden rooms. These breaks in between the action are very welcome and they give players time to catch their breathe and reassess their strategy.
This is not a game for everyone and the restrictive nature of the difficulty and the game’s harsh time constraints will turn many off. If however, you like the idea of a break-neck-paced action game with some of the best sound design of the year, Returnal may be the game for you.
It Takes Two
Available Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC
I’m so happy to see that It Takes Two is getting the recognition it deserves. Winning the 2021 Game of The Year award from Geoff Keighley’s The Game Awards, this is a game that many people rated highly at the top of their list and I don’t think most of them would have put it there before its release.
It Takes Two separates itself from most other games on this list for me because it manages to be a great platform game that offers up a flawless cooperative experience. There are just not many games out there that take co-op play this seriously, making it the main foundation of the game.
Throughout the 12-hour adventure players will cooperate with each other in a number of varied and unpredictable ways, although this game is labeled as a platformer It Takes Two is comprised of several segments of gameplay that feature a number of game genres. One minute you and your partner may be working together to climb up a series of obstacles, in another moment you may be cooperatively blasting a swarm of enemies.
The Pixar-lite story and ability to keep us guessing resulted in continuous torrents of delight for my friend and me as we worked through the story together. Above all else I really appreciate this game’s brilliance that is rooted in its simplicity, making a game with a low barrier to entry so that most casual gamers can play and enjoy it alongside their more seasoned gaming partners.
Psychonauts 2
Available Platforms: PlayStation 4, (PS4 Version Backwards Compatible of PS5) Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC (Including Xbox Game Pass via EA Access)
Here it is, the number one game of the year! Psychonauts 2 was not an obvious choice for me before I played it. As I laid out in my post about 2021 being a stellar year for platform games, I am not a big fan of this genre of game. The main reason I gave Psychonauts 2 a try was because of the high praise the game was getting with reviews and the fact that I had very easy access to it through Xbox Game Pass.
As the credits rolled on my final moments with the game I was certain that it would be my favorite game of the year; Sure enough, nothing else was able to dethrone it. The magic of Psychonauts 2 is largely in the writing and characters. The gameplay is quite fun and the visuals are good but there is nothing there that totally sets the game apart from other titles in the genre.
For a game that deals with mental health, particularly issues such as depression, anxiety, self-confidence, addiction, and more, you would think that this would make for a particularly lugubrious playthrough; on the contrary, Psychonauts 2 is a comically whimsical game and very fun to play.
The mature themes are dealt with deftly and with great care but things do not get bogged down in depressing tones. Even though Double Fine manages to pull off a cheerful and light mood, there is still emotional depth and some truly touching moments that are presented in the game.
The amalgamation of character, story, gameplay and visual art have made Psychonauts 2 my most enjoyable and memorable new gaming experience of 2021. There are bigger games, there are better looking and playing games that were released but none of those games had the heart and emotional impact that Double Fine’s long-awaited Magnum Opus has shown me. That’s why it’s my 2021 Game of The Year.
Did I miss some out on your favorite game of the year? What games are in your top five or top ten games of the year for 2021? Let me know with a comment below!
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