2021 is over. It has been quite a year full of ups and downs or downright crazy moments. I guess every year can feel like it’s the worse. I did have a lot of good things happening despite dealing with the same old things. Every year, I jot down what games are my games of the year. These games are frankly ones that I haven’t been able to stop talking about and playing. This list is a bit shorter than usual as I wanted to genuinely think of what games I had fun playing. I hope you enjoy this list of my 2021 games of the year. I also want to wish that everyone has a brighter 2022.
Resident Evil Village
This is my hands-down favorite resident evil of the PS4 generation. I have not had so much fun as I have played this game since the original Resident Evil 2. I love how it blends past game mechanics to create a fresh experience. Plus, it featured one of the scariest areas in the game with Donna’s house of horrors. I know what is going, having played it so many times, I am still never prepared for that giant baby or gyrating dolls. This game also introduced us to new mutations such as the Lycan that I hope to make a reappearance in future installments. I also like the new characters such as Heisenberg, the Duke, the wolf pack, and Rose. These characters brought life to this series and made the game enjoyable. I also really grew to love Ethan more in this game and his ending brought me to tears. I am excited for the next installment of this long-running series and hope that we get to see Carlos or Billy again.
Record of Lodoss war: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth
Record of Lodoss War was the first box set of anime I bought on VHS. I sat all night into the next morning watching the tale of Parn and his band of heroes save Lodoss. The series has always been one that I truly credit getting me more into anime and getting me into D&D. I have always been a fan of this series since I was a teenager and was excited when I first heard about the game in 2020. I ended up getting it on PS4 last week and have been devouring it ever since. This game is so much fun and is teaching me the necessary skills to play other games in this genre. I will say that this game has made me dying to rewatch the OVA again. I am hoping that the success of this game will bring the excitement of Lodoss Wars to a new generation.
Dark Picture Anthology: House of Ashes
This is my favorite experience of making bad decisions in a surreal horror experience that I ever had last year. I can’t recall a game making me feel so on edge with laugh-out-loud moments and complete frustration when I fail a QTE (quick time events) as this game has. Don’t get me wrong I was completely invested in saving my boys of Jason, Eric, and Salim. I just failed, but I will save them. I was involved with the story and the cast of characters this time around compared to other games in the anthology series. Everything about this game just shines especially with the backstory of the doom expedition before our heroes fall into the very pits of hell. I am excited for the next installment of this anthology series as it deals with what I think is a serial killer which hasn’t been covered in this series.
Tales of Arrise
I lovingly call this game “Tales of cutscenes” as it feels like every second there’s a cutscene with some time for battle. However, despite my nickname for the newest installment of the long-running Tales series I truly have enjoyed playing this game. The story is interesting and strange to the point where I am deeply involved because of all the twists and turns. The characters are not perfect and make no bones about it that they are well like anyone else which is refreshing. The combat is my favorite thing in this game. It’s fast-paced and offers a lot of different ways of playing especially with what character you use. It makes it interesting to test out all characters to see who will be your main. I am just enjoying playing this game and find it to be a solid addition to the Tales series.
Stardew Valley
Well, this game wasn’t released last year. It was just that last year I decided to dive back in and got a chance to do things I had never been able to do in previous gameplays. This includes getting the community center up and going to the island. I love how this game is just doing what you want, and it makes it so enjoyable to not worry about trying to accomplish everything in one go. The game makes me relaxed and happy playing it. This game is perfect for everyone and I’m looking forward to playing Haunted Chocolatier.
I am looking forward to what games will be my 2022 games of the year. I’m excited to try Horizon Zero Dawn: Forbidden West and any other game that catches my eyes. I’m not sure what other games will show up this year that will make me say “take my money” but I can’t wait to see.
What games did you play last year? Are there any that stands out as your game of the year? I’m curious about your thoughts and maybe get some games that I missed to try last year.
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