Over the course of the year, we’ve slowly been able to go outside again—but who would want to do that with all the great video games you could be playing inside instead? Here are the top 5 games I played in 2021.
*Note: Entries are listed in alphabetical order.
Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
Genre: MMORPG
Developer: Square Enix
Non-spoiler plot summary: Thousands of years ago, the world faced a calamity certain to destroy it. Broken into 14 different realities, life survived. But now, these final days have come again and chaos threatens the land. Yet, there is hope. The hero of two worlds still stands against the encroaching tide, battling for the survival of all.
Why you should play it: Final Fantasy XIV has the best story of not only any MMORPG I have ever played but every Final Fantasy as well—and Endwalker is an amazing finale what has come so far. Beyond the well-established characters and complex, well-realized world, Endwalker develops a story that is full of blind (but well-supported) twists and turns—even to a multi-year veteran of the game like me. More than that, it’s a deep, interactive exploration of nihilism that will have you alternating between hope and despair. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and end the end, you’ll feel as if you went on a truly epic adventure.
On the gameplay side, almost every class has been tweaked or overhauled in interesting ways—and the new classes really feel like something different from those already in the game. The new dungeons are likewise visually interesting, and the bosses therein are the best dungeon bosses in Final Fantasy XIV so far. But best of all is that a ton of effort has been put into making the game an excellent single player experience for those who want to play it that way. All in all, the gameplay, as with everything else, is focused on delivering the best story possible. And, frankly, it succeeds with flying colors.
Play it if you like: The Final Fantasy series
Available on: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC
Imposter Factory
Genre: Combat-less RPG
Developer: Freebird Games
Non-spoiler plot summary: Arriving at a mansion with no memory of how he got there, Quincy finds that he is an expected guest at the party being hosted there. However, just as the party begins, the hosts are mysteriously murdered—only to suddenly be alive again. Uncertain of what’s going on, Quincy sets out to discover what exactly is happening in the mansion—and how it relates to Lynri, one of the other guests who he feels strangely attracted to.
Why you should play it: While the game starts out as a quirky, surreal, murder mystery, that’s only the hook rather than the actual meat of the story. If you’ve played the previous games in the series (To the Moon, A Bird Story, Finding Paradise), you’ll have some idea as to the framework of what is going on, however, the true joy of the game is uncovering the “why” rather than the “what”—and that’s something that can be enjoyed regardless of whether you’re new to the series or not.
Over the course of around five hours, the game weaves the all-too-human story of what it is like to live with a congenital, terminal illness—how that effects the person with the condition and how it shapes their world. The other main focus is on how this all effects the people around those with the condition and the tough choices that must be made as time continues on. It’s a heartbreakingly beautiful tale filled with despair, hope, and just the right amount of humor to keep you emotionally healthy enough to finish the game.
Play it if you like: To the Moon, A Bird Story, Finding Paradise
Available on: PC
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
Genre: Third Person Action Shooter
Developer: Eidos-Montréal
Non-spoiler plot summary: After a galaxy-wide war, Peter Quill has created a team of space mercenaries: the Guardians of the Galaxy. …if only they could find some well-paying jobs. Lacking those, the group finds themselves caught up in a series of get-rich-quick-schemes-gone-wrong—eventually stumbling into a situation that places the fate of the galaxy on their ever-bickering shoulders.
Why you should play it: This game is not the most fun gameplay-wise (though it’s far from terrible). The battles are repetitive and the mechanics aren’t what anyone would call complex. However, the creators of this game understand what it takes to make a great Guardians of the Galaxy story. It’s not the galaxy saving adventures that are important (though they are fun to say the least), it’s the personal interactions between the characters.
If you’ve seen the films, you understand the joy that is watching a group of different, damage people come together and help each other heal. This game takes it one step further by giving Peter a possible daughter—forcing him to confront not only his own past as an orphan pirate but his desire to become a person worth looking up to as well. And with fantastic dialogue all the way through, this game is fun even if you’re just standing there, waiting to hear what everyone has to say next.
Play it if you like: Marvel’s Spider-Man, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Available on: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…
Genre: Hack-and-slash RPG
Developer: Toylogic
Non-spoiler plot summary: Long after the apocalypse has come and gone, a teenage boy cares for his sickly sister in a small village. Searching for a cure to her disease, he travels out into the world, battling against shadowy monsters and robots as he travels between the few locations still full of human life. But as he fights and makes new friends, his hatred for the Shadowlord, the leader of the monsters, grows. Yet, in this world on the edge of extinction, not all is what it appears to be…
Why you should play it: NieR Replicant is a game that reinvents itself as you play. To see all of its endings, you are forced to replay the back half of the games several times. Yet, each time you do, things change. Sometimes, it’s something as simple as adding subtitles—letting you see things from the enemy’s point of view. Other times, it’s events unfolding slightly differently—changing things in minor-yet-poignant ways. Each big event in the game has multiple interpretations and it’s always someone’s tragedy when things are said and done. Yet, that doesn’t mean there aren’t moments of joy and wonder along the way.
When it comes down to it, the game is built around a meta-question: “Can you come to care about a fictional character so much that you’ll make a real-world sacrifice for them?” It is a question that neither films nor books can put to the test. It’s only through the interactive media of games that such a question can fully be explored. And that alone makes this game a masterpiece.
Play it if you like: NieR: Automata, Drakenguard
Available on: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Ruined King: A League of Legends Story
Genre: Turn-based RPG
Developer: Airship Syndicate
Non-spoiler plot summary: The pirate city of Bilgewater is under regular attacks from the undead denizens of the nearby shadow isles. Both pirates and native islanders have managed to come together time and again to push back the dark tide. But this time, something is different. Betrayed by one of their own, their only hope for survival rests on the shoulders of pirate queen Sarah Fortune. She must lead a band of unlikely heroes from across the globe to the very heart of the Shadow Isles—the resting place of the legendary Ruined King.
Why you should play it: Ruined King is a game with fantastic characterization. Each of the game’s six playable heroes is unique and is following their own well-developed motivations. This isn’t a group drawn together by personal loyalty but rather a party where goals have temporarily aligned. They fight and argue, disagree on what should be done and how. They have complex pasts and relationships that get in the way of what they’re trying to accomplish. Yet, when all is said and done, they do start to understand each other—even if they’ll never become friends. (Well, except in the case of Braum. Braum is everyone’s friend.)
All this is bolstered by an incredibly fun to play turn-based battle system that allows you to sacrifice power to change the speed of your spells. Moreover, most enemies in the game have some sort of gimmick you need to plan around on top of the environmental obstacles buffing or debuffing your party at set intervals in battle. Add to this that the characters are all quite different in terms of skills, abilities, and upgrades, and there is a lot of customization in how you can play. It’s honestly the best traditional RPG I’ve played in years.
Play it if you like: Arcane, League of Legends, Final Fantasy
Available on: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
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