The 15 best video games of 2021
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Loading... - HILARY PHILLIPS
- 23 Dec 2021
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Whether you’re driving a supercar through Mexico or simply unpacking a cardboard box in an utterly engrossing way, the year offered plenty of gaming joy. Our critics pick the top titles
15. Wildermyth
A genuinely inventive tactical role-playing adventure that uses procedural generation to allow for player-created stories, all taking place in a fantasy world constructed from luscious papercraft set-pieces – like a digital board game.
What we said: “A sumptuous virtual tabletop experience that plays like a tale told over a campfire, deep in the woods.”
14. Monster Hunter Rise
An arcade-like new spin on Capcom’s long-running series about going out into the world with a giant sword or lance or bowgun and tracking down mythical creatures. This time, when the monsters team up on chaotic rampages, you feel more like prey than hunter. It’s a bit easier on the player than its big sibling, Monster Hunter World, a bit more playful, and as camp as ever.
What we said: “It’s absurd, it’s theatrical, it’s inane, and it’s fun, a delightfully silly recalibration of a time-tested and powerfully absorbing adventure.”
13. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
A well-timed return for the best multiplayer Mario adventure, less chaotic than its New Super Mario Bros stablemates and no less enjoyable. Every level is a one-off creative idea, done perfectly, then put aside to make way for the next surprise. Paired with Bowser’s Fury, a new and delightful compact Mario adventure starring a kaiju-sized Bowser and Cat Mario, this is an essential Switch game.
What we said: “It is like a never-ending fountain of fun, combining the linear, discrete, themed levels of 2D Mario games with the joyous freedom of movement of 3D Mario.”
12. The Artful Escape
As the nephew of a famous folk artist, you have to find your own true musical direction in this pretty, unusual game – and of course that direction is prog rock. This spacey rock opera, with flavours of Ziggy Stardust and psychedelic sci-fi, lets you bust out guitar solos to do everything from communicate with aliens to soar through the air.
What we said: “Behind the shimmer, this is a touching tale of how to break free of the creative expectations of others.”
11. Resident Evil Village
Set immediately after the critically acclaimed Resident Evil 7, Village transfers the action to eastern Europe, where troubled hero Ethan Winters must save his family from vampiric aristocrats and their monstrous followers.
What we said: “A sublime puzzle box dripping in blood, gore and truly abysmal dialogue. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
10. Halo Infinite
After 20 years, Master Chief’s saga is beginning to feel like a tale as old as time, but there’s still something magical about this grand-scale space shooter. The multiplayer takes us back to a purer time of arenas and weapon spawns, where you can have fun without razor-sharp reflexes and fiddling with complex loadouts. If this is a swan song for the series, it’s a fitting one.
What we said: Infinite’s star isn’t a character but Master Chief’s new grappling gun … This touch of Spider-Man points to Halo’s status as an undeclared slapstick comedy, its violence as wacky and infectious as its story is po-faced. Read More…
