Community MetaCouncil's Games of the Year Awards 2021

[Avern]

GOTY 2021
1. Guilty Gear Strive (PC)
2. Cruelty Squad (PC)
3. Tetris Effect: Connected (PC)
4. Resident Evil Village (PC)
5. The Forgotten City (PC)

Short Motivation for GOTY:
Arc System Works' fighters have always appealed to me more than most games in the genre, but living in the US, away from any major urban center, I couldn't actually play them much due to poor netcode. So Strive having the best rollback implementation I've ever experienced is a total delight. The game captures a lot of what made Guilty Gear so fun while also being more accessible to weak players (like me) and I can just hop in and play matches no problem, often with people a continent away.

Ongoing:
BlazBlue: Central Fiction (PC)

Early Access of the year:
HROT (PC)

 

[--------]

GOTY 2021

1. - Hitman 3

Expertly crafted sandbox levels by an immensely experienced team that finally also lean more into the cinematic grandeur of their creations. Combined with all the levels from the two previous games, which can be imported, this really is the ultimate Hitman package.

2. - Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition

3. - Psychonauts 2

4. - It Takes Two

5. - Mass Effect Legendary Edition

Ongoing:
Trackmania (2020)

Early Access of the year:
Ready or Not

Turd of the Year:
GTA Trilogy

 

[FeedMeAStrayCat]

I'm quite enjoying the variety of games showing up here!

 

[Le Pertti]

I'm quite enjoying the variety of games showing up here!

I fear we will have a Top 10 list that includes like 50 games all tied for first place.XD

 

[prudis]

you dont wanna imagine how hard it was to shrink my "honorable mentions" to just 10
originally there was like 20+

 

[Derrick01]

GOTY 2021
1. Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (PS5)
2. Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous (PC)
3. Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart (PS5)
4. FF7R Intermission (PS5) (The yuffie expansion for those who are confused)
5. Hitman 3 (PS5)

Even though we can only submit 5 here's the rest of my list just for fun.

6. Returnal (PS5)
7. FFXIV Endwalker (PC)

Honorable Mentions
-FIST
-Metroid Dread


Short Motivation for GOTY:
I was shocked at how good Gotg is, much like everyone else who played it I'm sure. But I consider the game good enough to stand toe to toe with the giants of the last 5 years, games that won overall goty like god of war, tlou 2 or breath of the wild. It has some of the best writing in a AAA game in years, incredible performances, and astonishingly good pacing for a linear game that is roughly 20 hours long.

Ongoing:
Final Fantasy XIV (PC)
...like it was going to be anything else in this category?

Turd of the Year:
Biomutant (PC)

 

[Dakath]

Code:
GOTY 2021
1. Psychonauts 2 (PC)
2. Metroid Dread (Switch)
3. Halo Infinite (PC)
4. Haven (PC)
5. Subnautica: Below Zero (PC)

Honorable mentions:
The Riftbreaker
The Ascent
12 Minutes

Short Motivation for GOTY:
There is something genuinely impressive about picking up a sequel 16 years later and having it take place within the same in-game week.

Ongoing:
Warframe (PC)

This should probably be Genshin Impact by playtime, but The New War quest line was just super impressive. Years in the making, a culmination of several plot lines and themes.

 

[Aaron D.]

GOTY 2021 (all Steam)

1. Dysmantle

Spoiler

The best way I could describe Dysmantle is it feels like a Complete Package (tm.). Like the devs have the craft & care to look at every element of design and infuse it with a level of polish & TLC that's incredibly admirable.

It comes across in every element you look at, whether it's the bright, colorful visuals, satisfying UI navigation & design, smart progression loop, "just right" power-curve, the butter-smooth game engine that they built from scratch (lightning-fast startup & load times on my HDD impressed). And much, much more.

One tiny example that explains it all. So one of the accessibility options is a toggle to change the Shift to sprint from hold-down to just tap once to keep running. There's no stamina meter so when you start you can sprint for as long as you want. Cool. But what I noticed was that when you stop by letting your finger off the WASD directional keys you still have a .5 second window to press back down on the directional keys to keep sprinting without having to hit the Shift key again. This is perfect if you get accidentally stopped by a terrain object or you're just picking up a loot item off the ground.

It's such a small thing but the devs were thinking of character momentum & game flow when they coded that in. It's something I've never seen before and it really speaks to the level of fine-detail that they're operating from.

I'm over 130 hours in and have only uncovered about 50% of the map (though complete deforestation is part of my gameplay style, lol). Content updates are on a regular & consistent 2 week cycle, give or take.

It's a lighthearted take on zombie survival games with an inviting tone yet deceptively deep game systems. Balances arcade action & depth pretty darn well so it feels fresh but isn't "lite".

2. PowerWash Simulator

Spoiler

The Zen element of PWS has been covered elsewhere and yes it's the major selling point as you can literally feel the tension in your body melting away every time you boot it up.

But I'd like to highlight the expert learning curve found in the increasingly complex work orders.

You start in a small garage with what will soon be your very own work truck. A easy task with 5 flat surfaces, front, sides, back, roof. Simple enough.

Then things get a little more spicy. Outside jobs featuring common fence posts, rails & pickets that need to be approached from a 360° angle in order to nab all that dirt from every side. Sometime using ladders and scaffolding to treat multilevel targets.

Fast forward to late game and you suddenly find yourself face to face with a rescue helicopter. It's not the size of the job, but rather to unique complexity of all the moving parts. The fine geometric details found within the rotor mast, transmission and hydraulic control unit.

Each new job trains the player to get in there and soak down targets of increasing complexity at a natural pace so it's not just a simple rinse & repeat affair (lol). Terrific pacing on offer here that makes you look forward to what's coming next.

Bright & eye-popping presentation deserve special props too. Along with simply fantastic game-engine performance. The world just feels just fine to inhabit. Super inviting.

PWS is therapy in game form.

3. Northern Journey

Spoiler

I randomly saw one of my favorite Twitch streamers playing this and had to stop the stream like 20 minutes in so I could immediately purchase the game for myself.

This thing has atmosphere locked down. Sports a creepy, surreal vibe. Not like horror, but more like old folklore/fairytale-bizarre characters and story beats. It's unsettling but at the same time curiously engaging where you want to inhabit the world to see where everything goes next. An interesting balance.

Gameplay feels great where it's equal measures walking sim with combat and enemy/boss encounters (kinda like Elder Scrolls I guess?). Movement speed is surprisingly hyper-fast and feels great, kinda like OG Quake locomotion. Also has those Dark Souls path unlocks where areas loop back into themselves creating shortcuts for easy back & forth traversal.

Lots of biome diversity where each new map introduces fresh new themes with a common Nordic wilderness through line. With little handholding, the dev trusts the player to figure things out on their own. You're given a journal with generalized goals, but there's zero quest markers leading you by the nose from Point A to Point B. A refreshing break from the icon-laden maps of modern game design.

The entire production is made by one guy out of Norway. Music, art, coding. Everything. And it's only $12. Feels like an absolute steal at the asking price.

Just keep in mind that as it's a one-man production it's a bit crusty around the edges. Everything fits together and works just fine, only don't go in expecting TLOU2 production values. I personally find this approach to game design endearing as hell. What I love about solo dev projects is that it's the undistilled vision of a single mind without compromise. A window into the creativity of a single person that isn't muddied by dozens of other voices in the room. It feels so pure and refreshing.

I'm just amazed of the sheer scope of this project with all the above taken into consideration.

4. Galactic Mining Corp

Spoiler

Addictive progression loop with a mind-bending number of upgrades across multiple categories. There's always multiple goals to chase at any given moment, giving progress a strategic & personal feel.

Great risk/reward gameplay that makes drilling tactical in nature. Do you try to get to the core with depleting HP or do you stick to higher levels to scoop up resources & loot?

Absolutely fantastic art direction along with a catchy soundtrack that gives the game a super-fun tone & vibe. Best arcade-like game I've played in years.

Dev is friendly & responsive in the Steam forums.

5. Cruelty Squad

Spoiler

An absolute fever-dream delivered via Rainbow Six / Hitman trappings. Gloriously subversive. The sensory-overload presentation is certainly gonna be a love-it / hate-it affair as I don't think there's any middle ground to be found within, but I think it's dreamy.

What's funny is the more time I put into it, the more I realized that gonzo presentation aside, it's actually a baller tactical shooter. AI is pretty brain-dead, but the speed at which you can be taken down demands thoughtful movement & positioning. Each engagement can trigger game-over in a matter of seconds, and with no mid-level saves, the further you progress the more tense it becomes. Crazy weapon & body-augment variety make for a legit fun gameplay loop (use your own intestines as grapple-hook? sure, why not).

It's a super-wacky shooter with a daring presentation. Come for the spectacle. Stay for the diverse infiltration options & satisfying gunplay.

Love the zero-f's verve on display.

Honorable Mention (all Steam):

Dyson Sphere Program

Spoiler

Factorio is for sure the King of the Castle regarding production-line automation titles. But oddly, I've found Dyson Sphere Program to be the most inviting & user-friendly.

Dyson deftly walks the line between Factorio and Satisfactory that feels Goldilocks "just right" between dry complexity of Factorio and sexy presentation of Statisfactory. DSP is a best of both worlds scenario for me.

I've got mad respect for both Factorio & Satisfactory, but neither managed to hook me as quickly & confidently as Dyson has thus far. You'd be hard pressed to guess Dyson is in Early Access, given how polished and feature-rich it feels straight out of the gate.

Love the idea of planet hopping within a single campaign, ferrying resources between planets to supply other mineral-starved locals. It makes the scope feel grand in nature. Presentation is on point too. Everything looks super-colorful & detailed. The day/night cycle rocks when your spaghetti layouts are all lit up at night. It's refreshing when complex ideas and gameplay systems are coupled with bright, inviting front ends.

Shadow Empire

Spoiler

Staggering strategic depth from a solo dev. Shadow is an enticing hybrid of 4X, hex wargame, and a dash of rpg personnel/faction management. Pretty unique setting too for the genre as well.

What struck me most was just how interconnected every decision can be. Every move you make has a cascading affect into other game systems and subsystems. Amazing sense of possibilities.

It can certainly be obtuse at times and is astonishingly deep. "Why yes I'd like to adjust the planet's axis tilt, gravity and barometric pressure during game setup. I am going to be designing aircraft after all. And they need to get off the ground." It makes the complexity of Paradox grand-strat titles feel like checkers in comparison. Thankfully it comes with a 350 pg. manual, lol.

So while I spend most of my time feeling like that, dog-scientist "I Have No Idea What I'm Doing" meme, I simply love that these types of games exist. Likely never master it, but boy is it fun trying.

City of Gangsters

Spoiler

CoG is a fun bootlegging tycoon logistics game set in the US prohibition era.

Slowly expand your territory one street corner at a time by exerting neighborhood influence via fronts, favors & "protection". Develop relationships that are critical for raw ingredients trade and illicit sales. Open speakeasies and gambling dens. Bribe the police to look the other way. Keep an eye out for rival gangs and street hoods. Grow your own gang and pawn off delivery routes to focus on bigger picture demands.

It's a novel take on logistics management and empire growth. With an inviting tilt-shift presentation. UI and navigation is smart & responsive. Data tracking is comprehensive. Nice touch that authentic era-specific maps (Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Cincinnati) are in play and they are huge & sprawling. More on the way via DLC (I can't wait for NYC & Boston).

CoG definitely elicits that "one more turn" addiction and has a breezy game loop that feels almost board game-like in nature.

Great 'Sunday morning with a cup of joe' title.

Unity of Command II - Barbarossa

Spoiler

UoC2 is the perfect gateway drug into operational hex wargaming. This magic blend of approachability and depth. With inviting presentation and awesome tutorials. It’s elegant, smart & polished as hell. I love that this game exists and how it opens doors for the wargame-curious.

 

[Le Pertti]

Would it be unethical for me to vote also?

 

[Kurt Russell]

Would it be unethical for me to vote also?

I don't think so.

 

[Kvik]

Mine is a short ballot since I don't play too many 2021 games this year.

GOTY 2021
1. Trails to Azure (Joyoland) with Geofront localisation.
2. Fullmetal Daemon Muramasa (JAST)

Short Motivation for GOTY:
The second part of Crossbell duology represents not one, but two of the best things about the Trails series.

The first is a tightly-crafted narrative with highly-detailed character development. In a true Falcom fashion, the plotline which has been seeded by each preceding game entry is nowhere near the finish line. Despite that, the main characters were still the driving force of the story, and the secondary characters and NPCs were also essential in building a world that feel grounded in its struggles and poignant in the interpersonal relationships it was trying to convey.

The second part of the equation here is how the overall package is presented. The Geofront localisation is stellar, and remain a tribute of sorts to the way Trails in the Sky series was localised before NISA took over the localisation duties in Trails of Cold Steel III. They also have brought over the quality of life improvements from their Zero patch to Azure.

This combination of competent PC features and the high standard of localisation makes Azure a clear winner for my GOTY.

 

[Digoman]

GOTY 2021
1. Psychonauts 2 (PC Game Pass)
2. Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (Steam)
3. The Riftbreaker (Steam)
4. Forza Horizon 5 (PC Game Pass)
5. Sable (Steam)

Short Motivation for GOTY:
I went back and forth between my first two choices here. Both have good if uneven gameplay, but really shine in the atmosphere and story side. In the end, it was a question of which one will stay with me longer, and I think in 5 years I will still remember the characters of Psychonauts 2 very foundly, and hoping Double Fine does something else in this universe. The whole experience was just pure joy.

As for the rest:
Riftbreaker is not good at storytelling, but actually incredibly fun to play.
Forza Horizon 5 has gigantic problems like rubberbanding AI and online issues, but I still played way too much for it not to be on this list.
Sable was a mess performance wise… but as time passes my opinion of it gets better as I forget about the stutters and remember the world.

Ongoing:
N/A - Thankfully wasn’t sucked into any endless game this year. Finishing games is also fun!

Early Access of the year:
Hardspace: Shipbreaker (Steam) - Didn’t play a lot of EA games this year. But this one can really eat your time.

Turd of the Year:
Twelve Minutes (Steam) - Okay… there were worse games, but this was by far my biggest disappointment.

 

[ExistentialThought]

I did not finish many games from 2021.

GOTY 2021
1. Guardians of the Galaxy (Steam)
2. Resident Evil: Village (Steam)
3. Inscryption (Steam)
Full disclosure beyond this point I have not completed these games
4. Mundaun (Steam)
5. Forza 5 (Steam)
Honorable mentions-Loop Hero (Steam),Tales of Arise (Steam)

Reasoning: Guardians of the Galaxy went from a game I thought I would hate to a game I could not put down until I finished it (which is rare for me, especially over this past year). I cannot overstate how great the cast of characters, dialogue, music, and story was to experience. An all around joy and this coming from someone who is not even much of a Marvel fan. Seriously the game is just such a fun space, sci fi experience that I feel has been sorely lacking since Mass Effect. Combat is the weakest bit, but overall I found so much enjoyment. It just ever so slighty edged out as my top game of 2021.

Best Ongoing:
Monster Train (Steam) Due to new DLC
Honorable mention-DJMAX (Steam)

Best Early Access:
Timberborn (Steam)
Honorable mention-Project Zomboid (Steam)

Worst:
New World (Steam)
Only game this year I wish I could still return

 

[xinek]

Phew, finally got mine in. I don't usually play new games, but 2021 was an exception. What a great year for games!

GOTY 2021
1. Valheim (PC)
2. Loop Hero (PC)
3. Inscryption (PC)
4. Roguebook (PC)
5. Getsu Fuma Den (PC)

Short Motivation for GOTY:
The size and scale are overwhelming, and yet the game does a fantastic job of letting you enjoy where you are instead of constantly pushing for the next achievement. It's beautiful to look at. It's a world of discovery and exploration. It can be peaceful and meditative. It can also be frantic. It feels as much as a Viking simulator as it does a survival game. I have yet to play this multiplayer, but I can see how much fun the base building and defending will be. I wish people IRL knew that I'm now a legit Viking.

Ongoing:
Apex Legends. It's hard to get excited about this game anymore, but every time I pick it up, it's fun. I keep coming back to this one. I'd still give it all up for Titanfall 3.

Early Access of the year:
Dyson Sphere Program (PC): As engaging as Factorio, but with the extra motivation of exploring and exploiting entire solar systems. The scale of the game seems massive, and the loot / gather / research / build loop is almost impossible to tear yourself away from. It's also beautiful. And go see how small the development team is!

Turd of the Year:
Battlefield 2042 (All platforms). No explanation needed here. I'm honestly not sure this game can actually be fixed.

Honorable mentions:
Cozy Grove
Dorf Romantik
Metroid Dread

 

[Le Pertti]

So with games that are tied. Some have fewer votes but the same score, my thinking is that the game with fewer votes of a tie is the winner since more people had it higher on their list. That way I can solve all ties.

 

[Amzin]

So with games that are tied. Some have fewer votes but the same score, my thinking is that the game with fewer votes of a tie is the winner since more people had it higher on their list. That way I can solve all ties.

My first instinct would be the opposite, if it meant something to more people overall, it probably resonated better overall. However I could see the logic in a game rating higher with fewer people being more meaningful when you take into account not everyone playing it. That probably makes more sense in this context

 

[Durante]

GOTY 2021
1. ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights (Steam)
2. Ys IX: Monstrum Nox (Steam)
3. Record of Lodoss War-Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth- (Steam)
4. Death's Door (Steam)
5. NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139... (Steam)

Short Motivation for GOTY:
What can I say, I love Metroidvanias, and Ender Lilies is a fantastic example of the genre 
both gameplay-wise and in terms of overall atmosphere and design. 
Oh, and the music is absolutely fantastic too. I really enjoyed every minute of playing it. 

Ongoing:
CrossCode (Steam)

I only started playing CrossCode and am ~16 hours in, but I'm astounded at how good it is.
The controls are extremely tight, the challenge is well-balanced, there's tons of content, it has a nice balance between quests, dungeon crawling, battles, puzzles, and exploration, and unlike many indie pixel-style games that seem to go more for a NES style (or worse, arbitrarily-sized "pixels") it does a fantastic job of emulating the late-SNES/PS1-2D look.
It got its final large content update late in 2021, so I think it should be eligible for this category.



As I said above, this game really blew me away with its style and music, and it was wonderful to discover that the actual gameplay can in fact match the quality of the presentation. Like every year a ton of great (largely indie) Metroidvanias were released, but I feel like this one stands out from them.



I worked on this, obviously, so I might be biased, but I feel like Ys IX is an absolutely awesome Japanese ARPG. It has by far the best and most satisfying traversal mechanics of any such game I've played (and I've played a ton of them!), and the combat is extremely satisfying as well with a good learning curve and player agency. The story and setting, to me, is a bit too grim (for this kind of game -- I realize what I selected as my GotY ) and I preferred Ys VIII in that regard, otherwise this would probably have been my #1 choice.

 

[beep boop]

So with games that are tied. Some have fewer votes but the same score, my thinking is that the game with fewer votes of a tie is the winner since more people had it higher on their list. That way I can solve all ties.

I would think the one with more votes, since more people agree that it's one of the five best games of the year. But that's just me.

I'll be sending in mine today. Probably won't be a tiebreaker but we'll see.

 

[Durante]

Personally, I'd go with the one with higher placements. Simply because we already have tons of awards that go to the games most people played (e.g. basically anything with public voting, and even most journalist selections) -- Metacouncil is already different by virtue of it being a small community, but I'd go even further in that direction (of perhaps selecting less popular games) by using the placement as a tie breaker.

 

[Le Pertti]

Yeah my thinking is that a game that fewer played but really loved should place higher in a tie than a game many played but didn't love as strongly.

 

[beep boop]

Good points! That also makes sense.

Settled on my favorite game this year: Astalon: Tears of the Earth. I haven't liked a game as much with so few caveats for a while. I was unsure which to choose between it and the runner-up, but Astalon ultimately got the edge because I think more people should give it a shot.

I haven't really played many ongoing games this year. I did play Death's Gambit: Afterlife and that was a solid game and meaty update, so I gave that my vote. The only early access release I played was World of Horror, but I have issues with it so I didn't cast any votes there. Turd of the year went to Twelve Minutes for its painfully repetitive gameplay.

I was hoping to play more of Unsighted before submitting anything, but I got a little frustrated with it and didn't want to force things. It's a good game, but I'll need to take my time with it to enjoy it fully.

 

[d00d3n]

GOTY 2021

1. ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights (Steam)

2. Deathloop (Steam)

3. Resident Evil Village (Steam)

4. Ys IX: Monstrum Nox (Steam)

5. It Takes Two (Steam)


Short Motivation for GOTY:

Ender Lilies is a really good metroidvania. I had issues with the non-proportional map system not giving much help in finding secrets initially, but it kind of helps to not give things away too easily and the color coding of unsolved rooms largely prevents frustration. The starting dodging animation looks and feels off, but it is replaced with a new ability. The game as a whole looks and sounds fantastic, with especially the piano soundtrack sticking out as unexpectedly varied, fitting and great. You have to actually learn attack patterns to defeat most bosses past the first few, which is probably a great feature for most people. I started getting a bit frustrated trying to beat the twin spires boss, but I attempted to beat him first in an open ended section of the game with many options available. The other bosses have felt well balanced and challenging, except the first boss.


Ongoing:

Rust (Steam)


Early Access of the year:

A=B (Steam)


Turd of the Year:

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade (Epic Games Launcher)

 

[Le Pertti]

You all are not making it easy for me, there are 6 games tied for 9th and 10th place! Hmh how to do !

But its all good, much love to all who have voted!<3

 

[Derrick01]

Personally I don't care if it's shown as a tie for 9th and they're both listed #9 or whatever. Can't speak for anyone else but I've seen many lists over the years show it that way.

Also you should definitely submit your own picks Le Pertti . No reason you shouldn't have a say too.

edit: Oh it's a 6 way tie lol. Uhh maybe list them all under a single #9 then instead of six #9s? No idea now.

 

[fantomena]

GOTY 2021

1) It Takes Two
2) Resident Evil: Village
3) Little Nightmares 2
4) Death's Door
5) Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Should be it. Still haven't finished or played a few games from 21 that I wanna play. Like Im currently playing Inscryption and Heavenly Bodies, which I both really enjoy, but they are not on my list because I haven't finished them.

 

[Taborcarn]

GOTY 2021
1. Psychonauts 2 (Steam)
2. Monster Hunter Rise (Switch)
3. Halo Infinite (Steam)
4. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (PS5)
5. Dungeon Encounters (Steam)

Short Motivation for GOTY:
Psychonauts 2 was everything I was hoping it would be. A true labor of love that shows in all aspects. The platforming is just about perfect and the setting and characters are wholesome yet still weird, and memorable.

Ongoing:
iRacing (PC)

 

[AHA-Lambda]

1. Resident Evil: Village (Xbox Series X)
2. Life is Strange: True Colors (Xbox Series X)
3. Hitman 3 (Epic Games Store)
4. Psychonauts 2 (Xbox Series X)
5. Metroid Dread (Switch)

Short Motivation for GOTY:
An effective blend of Resi 7 and Resi 4, plus with the unexpected inclusion of a shockingly good Metroidvania-esque hub area and a plot that is actually good for a Resi game.

I'm actually rather shocked at how few games I played that actually came out in 2021.

 

[tetel]

1. Lovely Planet Remix (Steam)
2. Colorful Stage (iOS)
3. Hypnagogia: Boundless Dreams (Steam)
4. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (Steam)
5. Ynglet (Steam)

Short Motivation for GOTY:
Lovely Planet formula was already great but Remix finally doesn't need a lot of time to get more interesting, new gameplay restrictions are all fun or just challenging in an interesting way. Best FPS on the market.

Ongoing:
DJMAX Respect V (Steam)

Early Access of the year:
Dorfromantik (Steam) - haven't played any other EAs this year but this one is good anyway so may as well vote for it.

 

[Yoshi]

GOTY 2021:

1. Gunfire Reborn

2. It Takes Two

3. Psychonauts 2

4. Impostor Factory

5. Life is Strange: True Colors

Short Motivation for GOTY:
Gunfire Reborn is by far the best roguelite I've played. It's one of the few games that feels infinitely replayable and gives you that "just one more run" mentality.

---

Early Access of the Year:

Valheim

---

Ongoing:

Tower Unite

---

Turd of the Year:

Biomutant