It is time to take stock of this year 2021 on the video games side. What were the most significant experiences? Why did It Takes Two take everything in its path? Is he the only one to emerge this year?
2021 will have been a very funny year. The coronavirus pandemic has shaken the calendars of video game publishers, who have done what they could to ensure an interesting flow, both in terms of quantity and quality. Have these past months been disappointing? Not at all.
We even had some real good times in front of our consoles or our PC. Proof of this is with our selection of games that marked the spirits in 2021.
The video games that marked the year 2021
It Takes Two
It Takes Two is now a matter of course when it comes to selecting the best games of the year 2021. However, it starts with a hell of a handicap: you can only play this game as a duo, which requires having a loved one on hand to taste this beautiful and generous adventure. Once this barrier is lifted, it is only happiness: there are only good ideas in It Takes Two, and we challenge you to find someone who didn’t like this title which takes the concept of cooperation to its limits.
It Takes Two’s rating on Numerama: 10/10
Available on: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, and PC.
Chicory: A Colorful Tale
Will you find cuter than Chicory: A Colorful Tale ? It’s very complicated. We embody a little dog in charge of restoring color to a world that no longer has any. Simple in appearance, Chicory: A Colorful Tale hides well-thought-out little puzzles. It’s both a breath of fresh air and a fable about self-confidence. In short, here is a little parenthesis full of emotions, nestled in a magnificent artistic direction.
Chicory’s rating: A Colorful Tale on Numerama: 9/10
Available on: PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Death’s Door
In Death’s Door, we embody a crow whose task is to harvest the soul of the deceased. Despite a poor starting point (it’s dark), this game published by Devolver is a success from A to Z. Do you like old Zelda? You will love this Death’s Door, which relies on controlled gameplay and well-designed puzzles to captivate the player. Basically, nothing is truly original, but the shape really makes you want to immerse yourself in it body … and soul.
Death’s Door rating on Numerama: 9/10
Available on: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Deathloop
Quite frankly, watching the first trailers for Deathloop, we didn’t understand much. Bethesda never really knew how to explain the concept of its game articulated around a time loop. Maybe it was to better surprise PC or PS5 owners at the time of release? Because it is an understatement to say that we find ourselves in a brilliant investigation. Where we skilfully play with the units of place and time to find the solution to an equation a priori simple: kill several targets in a single day.
Death Loop rating on Numerama: 9/10
Available on: PS5 and PC.
Psychonauts 2
Behind Psychonauts 2, we find the sassy spirit of Tim Schafer, poet with legendary humor to whom owes nuggets like Maniac mansion, The Secret of Monkey Island, Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle or Grim Fandango. So there is this writing of a welcome finesse, in the service of a spy case in which the hero can interfere in the minds of people. A godsend to offer artistically breathtaking environments, which go all over the place but which fill the eyes.
The note of Psychonauts 2 on Numerama: 9/10
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, and PC.
Age of Empires IV
We haven’t played Age of Empires since college ages ago. And then Age of Empires IV arose, in 2021, and with it the impression of going back almost twenty years. We have found in this sequel to the famous real-time strategy game all the salt that we were so enthusiastic about when we were younger. But one Age of Empires IV which knew how to marry its time, with new graphics, but also and especially new mechanics. In short, a Age of Empires IV renewed, redesigned, but which has kept its foundations.
Age of Empire IV rating on Numerama: 9/10
Available on: PC.
Honorable mentions
- Super Mario 3D World (Switch), for its great Bowser’s Fury expansion which proves that Mario can thrive in an open world (plus there are cats);
- The Ascent (Xbox & PC), for its dazzlingly beautiful Cyberpunk universe and its formidably efficient gameplay;
- Forza Horizon 5 (Xbox & PC), and his mind-boggling journey through a fictional Mexico;
- Returnal (PS5), for that tasty arcade feeling which, of course, is not within the reach of everyone;
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (PS5), for its incredible graphics that make you think of an animated film in which you would be the hero;
- Halo Infinite (Xbox & PC), because nobody bet on him anymore and he comes out with a little more than honors;
- Unpacking (Xbox, Switch & PC), because all storage fans will fall in love with it.