It’s that time of year again where we get to pick our Top games of 2021 out of the games we have played during the year. That is a hard task when you have played as many games in a year as I have.
The choice of my best games of the year is a selection of the games that I gave a score of two thumbs up to. Even deciding which games to feature in this article was hard as I’ve reviewed and played so many games, though that is a good predicament to be in as it is better than not having any games to play at all. I have tried to pick one game above all others to be my game of 2021, but it is impossible to do. So these games are the ones that are the most memorable games and the best out of all the other games I have played this year.
Lost Words: Beyond the Page
Lost Words is an atmospheric narrative adventure that takes place in the personal diary entries belonging to a young girl named Izzy that unfolds as you explore a fantasy land where words hold immense power.
The game is about Izy and her Grandmother, and this one tugged on my heart stings as being a granny to seven I could emphasise with both characters in the game. It’s just a lovely tale of a young girl adapting to the possibility of life without grandma but told in a positive way. You can read the review here.
Labyrinth City: Pierre The Maze Detective
Adapted from the bestselling children’s book series Pierre The Maze Detective, you play as Pierre in this adventure/puzzle game and recover the stolen Maze Stone. I don’t normally play maze games, but something about Labyrinth City drew me in.
The game is packed with lots to see and ample amounts of humour. I like a game that can make me laugh and keep my interest, and Labyrinth City: Pierre The Maze Detective sure did that. Labyrinth City is a game suitable for all ages and is a creative, fun and upbeat game. You can read the review here.
LEGO: Builder’s Journey
LEGO Builder’s Journey is an atmospheric, geometric puzzle game that asks us to sometimes follow the instructions and sometimes to break the rules. As a child many moons ago, I loved LEGO and had numerous empty Roses or Quality Street sweet tins full of LEGO.
I played with it for hours, spreading LEGO bricks across the floor for my parents to stand on. Rattling the bricks around in the tin was always fun too. Then I used to get a scolding for making so much noise with the LEGO in the tin. I may have deliberately made more noise once scolded, but that’s neither here nor there. Builder’s Journey is a neat little puzzle game that brought back some happy memories for me while I played the game. You can read the review here.
The Wild at Heart
The Wild at Heart is a Pikmin-Esque style game where you command a loyal swarm of magical creatures to battle, construct pathways, gather resources, and discover the secrets of a forgotten world!
I love the graphics and the gameplay in The Wild at Heart.
It was such a fun romp through the Deep Woods. Flinging the Spritelings at enemies and hoping I didn’t sacrifice any Spritelings in the process. The music in the game is outstanding, as are all the strange and odd characters you meet. You can read the review here.
Patron
To feed my strategy game need, I got to review Parton at the end of the summer. Parton is a city-building game with a survival twist. Patron is a survival city builder with a unique social dynamics system. You’ll gather and produce resources. And build up your fledgling village into a prosperous city is the idea of the game, if it all goes to plan that is.
Patron starts off similar to other games in the genre but explores social intricacies where you have to navigate the intricate social tensions of your citizens before they reach boiling point. Trying to keep all of your citizens happy and alive is very enjoyable. I still go back to the game every so often for another play. You can read the review here.
A Jugglers Tale
A Juggler’s Tale is an innovative little gem of a game that oozes charm right from the menu screen. In this adventure game, you lead Abby, the string puppet, through a bruised but beautiful world.
It looks like you are playing a big glossy storybook and the storyline of the game had me hooked until the credits rolled. I loved using Abby’s puppet strings to solve some of the puzzles; they were well-devised puzzles. You can read the review here.
Townscaper
Townscaper is more of a toy than a game. You pick colours from the palette, plop down coloured blocks of houses on an irregular grid. Then watch Townscaper’s underlying algorithm automatically turn those blocks into cute little houses, arches, stairways, bridges, and lush backyards, depending on their configuration.
I love Townscaper, and it is a perfect game to play in short bursts or even longer sittings. The plop plop sound of the foundations of the building landing in the water as you build is very soothing to listen to. You can read the review here.
Airborne Kingdom
Another strategy game to scratch my strategy itch that was an instant hit for me was Airborne Kingdom. In the game, and unlike other strategy games, you control an airship in the skies.
Taking care of the citizens on board and making sure they are happy while you fly around the skies in your airship and keep it flying was a nice challenge. It was also a great change from the more stat heavy strategy games I normally play. You can read the review here.
Wytchwood
Wytchwood is set in a land of gothic fables and fairytales. You play the role of an old helmet wearing witch who lives in a house located in a swamp. After meeting a talking goat, she gets sent to find twelve souls for the goat so they can awaken a young maiden from her beauty sleep.
Wytchwood is a late addition to my choice of the best game of the year, as the game was very recently released. I reviewed the game on Steam and loved it. I am now replaying the game on the Nintendo Switch. It has lots of weird witch brewing potions quests with wonderful graphics and a great sense of humour. You can read the review here.
Chicory: A Colorful Tale
Chicory: A Colorful Tale is an adventure puzzle game. It is another one I’ve just recently reviewed. In Chicory, you play as a dog; in my case, it’s a dog named Steak. You carry a paintbrush which you can use to paint in the game. It’s a story of the ups and downs of life but told in a heartwarming tale. Using the brush, you solve puzzles in the game’s environment to let you proceed, fight the odd boss and complete quests. The puzzles are very inventive with lots of quirky characters to meet along the way. You can read the review here.