As I sat down to compile this list of the games from 2021* I most enjoyed, I couldn’t help but reflect on a stronger than usual shift towards indie titles. Doing a PhD leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to free time, and it is perhaps because of this I’ve become more picky and drifted further away from the grindy time sinks that are modern AAA games, instead focusing on games where said free time is meaningful. Many games in this list can be considered niche, yet each offer what I consider to be a unique and innovative experience. From time loops, ambitious RPGs to sandbox survival and pixel adventures, there’s a little bit of everything.
*Games released in 2021 (including Early Access) on Steam or GOR, and not previously featured in any of my GOTY lists.
Before I start, I should give honourable mentions and congratulations to Griftlands and Wildermyth for their full releases; they made my GOTY lists in 2020 and 2019 respectively.
Going Medieval (Early Access)
Medieval-themed colony simulator
Essentially a medieval copy of Rimworld, but with 3D graphics and full vertical construction. Building is great fun but occasionally glitchy, especially for multi-storey buildings like large fortresses, as well as roofs. Gameplay is fairly bare-bones at the moment – mostly plays like a sandbox – and let down by poor AI, but the developer has an ambitious and promising roadmap. Shows immense potential, but players of Rimworld should not expect anything drastically different just yet.
Potion Craft (Early Access)
Alchemical crafter / shop simulator
An outstanding indie gem where you play as an alchemist in charge of a shop. Grow plants and buy ingredients to make potions with which to sell to customers. Its highly interactive, puzzle-style gameplay sees you grind and stir ingredients to traverse an alchemy map in order to imbue potion with the desired effect. These effects include fire, frost or healing, as well as more advanced effects like hallucination, invisibility and libido. Pacing is quite slow due to the cost of ingredients. Wonderfully charming art style.
Dorfromantik (Early Access)
Tile-based city builder puzzler
Serene, charming puzzle game, in which you are given a series of random tiles which you must place on a hexagonal grid to build a village. You score points by joining tiles with common edges (e.g. trees with trees). Tiles are procedurally generated, and placement is paramount. You do get a sneak peek of the next few tiles, which can help with forward planning. Game ends when all tiles are exhausted. Completing objectives unlocks new tiles that appear in future games. Creative mode is excellent and relaxing.
Dyson Sphere Program (Early Access)
Space-based factory automation
If you love games like Factorio and Satisfactory, you’ll love Dyson Sphere Program, an ambitiously sprawling space-based factory game on an ambitiously grand scale, for what is grander than a Dyson Sphere and interconnected factories on interplanetary scales? Well-polished mechanics, outstanding visuals, procedural generation, addictive gameplay, it’s all here. Definitely the sort of game you could play all night.
Nebuchadnezzar
Classic isometric city builder
A great love letter to old school city builders like Caesar III, Nebuchadnezzar is a fresh take on what could otherwise be considered a genre of a bygone era. It’s not perfect, and the game itself can be quite a handful to manage with surprisingly cramped maps. It’s not as relaxing as it could be, with micromanaging that gets more tedious over time (an all too common problem with these sorts of games). Nevertheless, a brave attempt for nostalgia’s sake, and a welcome addition to any city builder’s library. Great to see an ancient Babylonian / Mesopotamian theme.
Humankind
Historical 4X strategy
Touted as the potential “Civ Killer”, Amplitude Studios’ HUMANKIND sure looks the part, with an amazing art style and graphics that immediately pulls you in. Although it’s a great game, it doesn’t quite reach the glory of Civ V (I’d be surprised if any game could). Bugs and an AI that doesn’t even try to hide the fact that it cheats are the most immediate issues, and the game could do with more QA and polish to address balance issues, especially in the late game. The game feels rushed and unfinished. That’s not to say it’s not enjoyable at it’s current state, but it could have been (and very well could still be) a lot, lot more.
OPUS: Echo of Starsong
Narrative puzzle adventure
A magnificent, story-rich sci-fi adventure with masterful exposition, easily the best addition to the OPUS universe to date. The immense depth of the world’s lore, the richly emotional storytelling and character development, the awe-inspiring soundtrack, the charming low-poly art style, there’s so much to love about this game. This is, in more ways than one, an experience. Predominantly a visual novel / interactive story, with some light puzzle gameplay. Do yourself a favour and experience this story.
Vagrus – The Riven Realms
Story-rich CRPG
There’s text-heavy games, and then there’s text-heavy games. Vagrus – The Riven Realms takes place in a fantasy, post-apocalyptic world of misery, similar to Dark Sun. You are the head of a caravan and must traverse and explore this dangerous world. The storyline and lore is incredibly rich – overwhelmingly so – such that the UI reads more like a novel in parts, even moreso than Sunless Skies. The RPG elements are more CRPG rather than ARPG. The big issue with this game is its difficulty. Although this is a clear design decision to make a difficult game, it’s so difficult to the point where progress is incredibly slow as money is always in short supply. Treat it like a novel and there’s much to be entertained by.
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
CRPG
The major CRPG of 2021, and arguably one of the best since Divinity: Original Sin 2. A sprawling, deep world with an unfathomable degree of player character customisation, choice of turn-based or real-time combat, heaps of content, great writing, brilliant music, slick UI, outstanding visuals. You’ll either love or hate its tabletop roots, especially having to pray to the RNG gods. Minor bugs and annoyances but nothing too gamebreaking. Easily a game to lose yourself in, expect at least a 60-70 hour campaign.
Imposter Factory
Story-rich adventure
From the creator of the legendary To The Moon and its sequel Finding Paradise comes Imposter Factory, yet another masterful, emotional, heartwarming story. While not quite as tear-inducing as the inimitable To The Moon, this game nevertheless intertwines many different and deep themes into an intricate emotional rollercoaster, with a touch of humour and comedy to keep things interesting. An absolute must play for fans of the series.
Emily Is Away <3
Indie
Teen heartbreak social media simulator. A great, nostalgic journey into the past, reminiscent of Facebook’s and Youtube’s first few years. Short and sweet with simple choices-matter gameplay.
Sunshine Heavy Industries
Shipbuilding puzzler / sandbox
Great hidden gem which sees you design and build spaceships as optimally as possible subject to various requirements while remaining under budget. Fans of optimisation-based games should lap this up. Construction is satisfying, helped by the cute aesthetics and slick UI. As with all games of this nature there’s the contrast of creating a nice looking ship (which is often more expensive) compared to an ugly, cheap ship.
The Forgotten City
Time-travel adventure
A standalone rendition of the namesake Skyrim mod, inThe Forgotten City you mysteriously find yourself trapped in a small Roman city built inside a large cavern. The city lives in the shadow of the Golden Rule – where if just one person sins, all citizens are punished. It is up to you to figure out who will break the rule, with the power of time loops by your side. Crafting a believable story with time travel is hard to pull off successfully, but this game does it brilliantly, even if a little predictable. I should caution that some parts are far too linear than the game’s “open-world” spiel would suggest. Certain areas are gated off, and the world also contains several long, linear “dungeons” (presumably a legacy of its Skyrim roots). I also encountered a few softlocks due to bugs that required a restart.
EVERSPACE 2 (Early Access)
Space-based looter shooter
Unlike it’s procedurally-generated, roguelike predecessor that featured an FTL-style map, EVERSPACE 2 instead features handcrafted star systems and planets, and a single-player campaign-style story. It’s a visually stunning space-based looter shooter, with great loot and crafting mechanics, along with outstanding combat. It feels like a much more immersive, Starpoint Gemini-style game. The random encounters include all sorts of minigames, such as triggering explosives strapped around asteroids and even competing in races. Plenty of content still to be added in an ambitious roadmap.
Totally Accurate Battle Simulator
Sandbox battle simulator
Fun, cartoonish sandbox / battle arena where you plop down armies and watch them battle it out. There’s also a campaign, similar to Besieged, with various levels where you must defeat an enemy army. Simple yet wonderfully engaging gameplay, great for those quick-break gaming sessions.
Tetris Effect: Connected
Arcade, tile-match puzzle
Just when you thought you’d had enough Tetris, out comes Tetris Effect: Connected with single-player, multiplayer and competitive play. The game is visually stunning, with incredibly fluid, prismatic animations that sparkle brilliantly in tune with the music and the game board. A wonderful experience, although the price is quite steep.
Dreamscaper
Action roguelike
Similar to Hades, the action roguelike Dreamscaper sees you battle it out in your nightmares in the “dreaming” world, while exploring the “waking” world to progress the story and unlock upgrade. Great variety of items and progression options, but at a laid back pace that can feel a tad sluggish. The storytelling is excellent and is more focused on the player’s emotional journey (as opposed to Hades‘ overarching objective). The soundtrack also deserves a special mention.
The Pathless
Exploration adventure
From the developers of ABZÛ comes The Pathless, a visually spectacular adventure game with a strong focus on exploration with some light puzzles. Movement is not quite as fluid as it ought to be, with an emphasis on performing various combos. The lack of any substantial story makes for little motivation, however, which is fine if you’re solely in it for the experience.
Timberborn (Early Access)
City-builder survival
Gorgeous city builder which sees you control beavers in place of humans. As to be expected, water management is a unique gameplay element, along with extensive, physics-based terraforming and emphasis on vertical construction. City planning is essential with this game, as you are forced to endure droughts. Unfortunately, there is a lot of micromanagement, and the game gets repetitive rather quickly.
Cloud Gardens
Relaxing puzzle
Cloud Gardens is one of several “chillout” type games that have emerged in recent years. The objective is to craft a garden out of ruined, decaying structures by letting nature take over. Think of it as a “Pripyat” simulator. If you like Townscaper you’ll like this.
Moncage
Perspective-based puzzle
Outstanding indie gem. Puzzles are presented as cubes where 5 of its faces each show a different scene. The solution involves matching objects from each scene to complete the cube. It’s very similar to Gorogoa but, of course, in 3D. Quite short, but a great experience.
Before Your Eyes
Narrative indie
There’s not really a game here per se. It’s an interactive story about life. You play as a soul on your journey to the afterlife, and the game is about watching your life flash before your eyes. Literally. Each scene progresses when you blink (assuming you have a webcam). It’s a wonderful reminder of how short life is, how precious life is, and how important each moment is.
Rhythm Doctor (Early Access)
Rhythm platformer
Fantastic rhythm platformer with a wide variety of levels, beats and majestic sounds, where you must heal patients in line with their unique heartbeats. Surprisingly pleasant story too. Outstanding community support with practically infinite levels.
Death’s Door
ARPG
Great isometric ARPG / hack ‘n’ slash with Zelda-like elements set in a beautifully interconnected world. Fluid movement, a unique aesthetic and wonderful music round out this indie gem.
ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights
Souls-like metroidvania
Great hardcore metroidvania with an excellent story, slick movement and combat mechanics, as well as a good soundtrack and unique aesthetic. I’m not usually a fan of this particular genre, but one of the things that stood out for me was marking areas as complete, which greatly helps avoid unnecessary backtracking (as is often required for this genre).
HUNTDOWN
Action 2D platformer
Somewhat linear, side-scrolling platformer with a unique 80s-inspired retro / pixel art style. Typical run and gun gameplay with satisfying combat and great level design and excellent boss fights. Somewhat overpriced given the short length, however, but fantastic for those wanting a slice of 16-bit nostalgia.
Inscryption
Roguelike deckbuilder / psychological horror
One of the most innovative games of 2021, Inscryption blends card and roguelike mechanics within a positively terrifying world of horror. Go in blind and enjoy it for yourself, it’s a game that should not be spoilt.
Psychonauts 2
Story-rich platform adventure
An extremely well polished third-person platform adventure game, with a wonderful atmosphere, engaging storytelling, fluid movement, heaps of collectibles and a great sense of progression. Sixteen years is a long time to wait for a sequel, and while you could argue modern gaming has long left this genre behind, Psychonauts 2 shows why there’s still much fun to be had. Tad pricey, though.
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery
Interactive fiction
Beautiful, heartfelt short story about an artist on the cusp of her masterpiece. Some light puzzles, but otherwise a strong focus on the interactive storytelling. The 360 degree paintings are outstanding and immersive. Short 1-2 hour experience, well worth it.
Mini Motorways
Casual puzzle
From the developers of everyone’s favourite indie gem Mini Metro comes Mini Motorways in which, as the name suggests, you are tasked with laying out roads and motorways for a growing city. It’s a good lesson on why American-style urban planning is, in general, a disaster. Excellent game for short gaming sessions.
Love Choice
Choice-based narrative
Short and sweet indie game about love. Choice-based story with multiple endings. Excellent dialogue and music too.
Sable
Open world exploration
It’s been too long since we had a decent open-world exploration game without the clutter of constant quest markers and distractions and hand-holding. Because in Sable it’s all about the journey, not the destination. Great game that deserves not to be spoilt. If I had one major criticism it would be its somewhat janky, motion-sickness-inducing movement controls that can take a bit of time to get used to.
Melvor Idle
Idle simulator
Essentially a text-based idler that mirrors the fundamentals of Runescape, perfect for wanting the joy of Runescape at a fraction of the grind, or at least where most of the grind can be safely done AFK. One of the best idle games out there. Note you can play the game for free in a browser (ad-supported). The paid Steam version is to support the developer, and has better performance.
TaleSpire (Early Access)
Virtual tabletop simulator
TaleSpire is an all-in-one virtual tabletop simulator intended for pen and paper RPGs like D&D, with the ability to craft gorgeous 3D environments for campaigns large and small using an expansive library of assets including probs and audio. Only issue is that all players must purchase a copy rather than, say, just the GM. This is the best tool for crafting high-quality tabletop experiences.
Silicon Dreams | cyberpunk interrogation
Story-rich interrogation simulator
For me, this is one of the best written indie game I’ve seen in years. You play as an android tasked to interrogate suspected deviant androids and decide their fate. The gameplay itself is simple but extremely nuanced, and tackles a variety of moral themes. Yes, we’ve seen such themes discussed before in, say, Blade Runner and Deus Ex, but Silicon Dreams certainly provides a fresh perspectives with strong characters and thoughtful dialogue. If you enjoy games like Papers Please, you’ll enjoy Silicon Dreams.
The Rewinder
Point and click puzzle adventure
Wow, what a game. Inspired by traditional Chinese mythology and folklore, The Rewinder is a gorgeous point and click adventure with some clever, thoughtful puzzles. Your key abilities are to communicate with spirits, and also to go into people’s memories and “rewind” the past. Who knew pixel art and traditional Chinese ink paintings could match so well together. Easily one of the most rich and beautiful pixel art games of recent times.
Death Trash (Early Access)
Retro ARPG
Great old-school, pixel-art isometric action RPG similar to the original Fallout games. Set in a post-apocalyptic world with handcrafted levels, with a strong emphasis on player freedom and engaging combat. A promising Early Access title.
Loop Hero
Idle roguelike
Loop Hero is an innovative idle clicker roguelike which sees you battle enemies along a randomly generated path, gaining “landscape cards” which allow you to place buildings and terrain features around the path to grant bonuses. The core gameplay is unique and addictive, but it does get quite repetitive and, ultimately, boring quite quickly. Worth noting this emerged from a Ludum Dare jam with the theme “start with nothing”. I wish it had more to keep me engaged for longer as it’s a great concept, but your mileage may vary.
SOLASTA: Crown of the Magister
CRPG
Good turn-based classic RPG notable for its rigorous and (some may say overly) faithful reproduction of D&D 5e rules. While the combat is fun and engaging, the overall story and dialogue is comparatively poor, even despite the game starting with backstory missions for each character. Good game to try when on sale, and if you’re chasing a more mechanical / authentic D&D experience in a video game and don’t mind a somewhat jaded campaign.
Valheim (Early Access)
Open world survival craft
Last but most certainly not least, Valheim is my pick for game of the year. It is the definitive open world survival crafter, proving you don’t need to reinvent the wheel, only polish it to perfection. Incredible depth and crafting, second only to Vintage Story. Graphics look like a heavily upscaled OSRS, but the game deserves credit for implementing stunning day-night cycles and weather transitions that really contribute to its high immersion.
