2021 was a busy year for me so I didn’t get to play as many games as other years. These were the best games I played last year:

5. Black Book
I backed this one on Kickstarter and was pretty satisfied with how it turned out. The Slay the Spire-esque combat got a little repetitive against normal enemies, but I like that the game gives you freedom with how you want to build your deck of cards. What stole the show for me was the world-building and characters. It’s obvious the devs have a big appreciation for Russian history and folklore and I found it engrossing. Even the voice acting, while not amazing performance wise, lends a ton of charm and I love it.

4. Immortals: Fenyx Rising
It’s Ubisoft Breath of the Wild. That’s it. The gameplay is perfectly fine and there’s a huge world that you’re free to tackle as you see fit. As with other Ubisoft games however, there are actually too many collectibles scattered around the map, making the game repetitive after a while. Or just don’t be insane and collect them all like I did.

3. Paper Mario: The Origami King
While still not a return to the classic Paper Mario gameplay, this one was a pleasant surprise. The combat is unique and requires quick thinking, the soundtrack is memorable, and the world is full of secrets to explore. All around just a well-crafted game.

2. Crash 4: It’s About Time
In terms of beautiful visuals and art design, varied and well-designed level themes, and polished gameplay that sticks to the series roots while also adding a couple new twists, Crash 4 nails everything you’d want from a sequel. The only thing dragging it down is how insanely difficult getting 106% completion is. Maybe it’s just my OCD, but going for all the boxes is part of what makes the games fun. Trying to do that in long levels with box counts in the hundreds (plus hidden boxes almost impossible to find on your own) while also not dying a single time is another matter. At its core this is still a great game though, and one of the best in the series.

1. Metroid Dread
Samus is back in spectacular fashion! Smooth controls, excellent world design, and engaging combat make this game a joy to play. The E.M.M.I. sections were the only part that got a little frustrating, but otherwise I have very few complaints.

Honorable mentions to:
Bit.Trip Core (Short but addicting)
Ikenfell (Good combat but awful story/characters)
Super Metroid (Would play again)

Greetings! MaGMML3 has been all-consuming for the last year (although we've been working on it for even longer than that), but hopefully it'll all be worth it. Also, I heartily approve of your avatar.

I figured it was time for a long overdue theme update

happy backloggiversary 'u' /

haha you're spot on with that description for Blaster Master Zero! I loved that game, Inti Creates does really great pixelart/NES styled stuff! it's always like the NES, but better than the NES really was