Looking at the current release schedule for the games industry, one might be under the impression that 2021 has been a bit of a thin year for games. The last seven months backs up this point of view. Have there been any new arrivals – whether it be a new IP or a new Triple-A franchise instalment – that have really shot the lights out?
Well, yes there have, even if recalling them to mind takes a little time. This year has seen some very good games land and as we roll towards the madness of the latter year release window, it’s worth taking stock. If you’ve missed any of them, here are (in Stuff Plays’ humble opinion) the best games released in 2021 so far. (Oh, and before anyone comes for us, remakes don’t count).
Hitman 3
The January window is pretty unkind to great games. By the time reviewers and tech wonks start compiling their ‘best-of-the-year’ release listicles, January feels like the prehistoric age. Over the years, many games have fallen by the recollection wayside – Mass Effect 2 and Bayonetta among them – because of their early-year release.
This is a fate Hitman 3 doesn’t deserve. Wrapping up IO Interactive’s fantastic trilogy with aplomb, Hitman 3 is arguably one of the best entries in this series and one of the best stealth games ever made. As Agent 47 takes his death-dealing activities from a swanky skyscraper in Dubai to a pulsating illegal warehouse rave in Berlin, to the rain-slicked streets of Chongqing, players are gifted myriad ways in which to dispatch targets, underpinned with a plot that’s as compelling as it is occasionally nuts.
The Ascent
If you want to wash the disappointing taste of Cyberpunk 2077 out of your mouth, you should probably pick up a copy of The Ascent. Created by new studio Neon Giant, who boast a pretty impressive pedigree, this top-down shooter is set in a dystopian cyberpunk arcology that makes Night City look like a holiday resort.
Players take on the role of an ‘indent’ – basically, a slave to a massive corporation – who wakes up to find its ‘employer’ has gone belly-up and decides a change of management is in order. Thus, they start the massive climb to the top of the cityscape, blasting any who dare stand in their way. The mechanics are drum-tight, the setting is swoon-worthy, and the co-op is pretty manic fun. A must for fans of William Gibson and Diablo III.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
If you don’t like Ratchet & Clank in general, we have no time for you. This is a franchise that mixes up so many joyously fun gaming tropes and mechanics, that rejecting it feels like rejecting a medium.
That having been said, if you don’t like Rift Apart, you should probably just give up now. Mixing in a sci-fi landscape that is both cyberpunk and Pixar, with level design and mechanics that fit together like a hand in a tailor-made glove, with a story that actually tugs at the heart-strings, Rift Apart is a must-have in any Sony console owner’s library. The fact that its visuals are astonishing feels like the icing.
Resident Evil: Village
The latest instalment in Capcom’s survival horror franchise continues the winning streak established by Resident Evil 7: BioHazard. This is a properly terrifying game in which horror veterans will find themselves right at home and everyone else should just watch out.
Players take on the role of the last game’s protagonist (and poor sod) Ethan Winters who is dumped in a strange, backwards village where every inhabitant is either missing, dead or running through the streets as horrific beasts. While its story is a little convoluted, the visuals and sound design ensure players won’t be worrying about plot holes while they get on with the business of simply surviving. This is a game that will give you nightmares; if that isn’t a recommendation for horror fans we don’t know what is.
Knockout City
It’s likely that many folks have some pretty traumatic memories of high-school dodgeball. Knockout City does a lot to erase them by being easily one of the most colourful, friendliest and fun games released this year.
Yes, it’s dodgeball. But it’s dodgeball with the bullying. Plus, it has gravity-defying mechanics, arena accoutrements to rival the best shooters and a community that is as inviting as they are forgiving. On top of that, it’s free until players hit a certain level. If you’re looking for a game to play with your kids – or anyone really – you should really check this out.
Returnal
How does Groundhog Day crossed with Dark Souls grab you? That’s the pitch proffered by Returnal, which mixes the elements of the aforementioned classics while putting its own unique spin on the proceedings. It’s no wonder Sony recently snapped the studio behind this game up.
Set on an alien planet filled with very hostile fauna and flora, Returnal sees players piloting Selene, an astronaut who has had the bad luck to crash land on Atropos, a planet littered with dead bodies – her own. Combining a sinister narrative with tactical shooting and exploration, Returnal is both one of the best games of the year and a PS5 exclusive the Xbox and PC crowd should feel more than a little jealous about.
Monster Hunter: Rise
If you’ve never played an entry in Capcom’s big-game hunting sci-fi series, Rise may be the place to start. If you have, then you’ll be right at home here. If you’re entirely new to this series, the pitch is essentially: you hunt a variety of monsters and turn your earnings into gear. Although if you own a Nintendo Switch, we’d wonder why you’d need this explained to you.
Monster Hunter: Rise builds off the back of its predecessors while adding some time-saving mechanics to spur on the action. It plays very intuitively and its visuals are stunning. And please don’t watch the Milla Jovovich film before you try it out. You’ll thank us later.
Loop Hero
Along comes Devolver with another game that both pays homage to retro games while enhancing them. Loop Hero is catnip for the stat-building camp.
Its rustic veneer may put off as many players as it attracts, but Loop Hero is a game that appeals to overlap of arcades and early RPGs. Those who take to it will have the time of their lives. Those who don’t probably don’t know it exists.
Little Nightmares II
While it will never be tagged ‘challenging’, there’s something deeply dark lurking at the heart of Little Nightmares II, a game that successfully places players in the mind-space of a child who has just been abandoned. It’s a rather nasty place to be.
In its four-hour length, Little Nightmares II will take players on a journey that is reminiscent of a child-nightmare, while throwing in puzzles that’ll make them feel like they have some semblance of control. It’s not a giant leap forward from its predecessor in this regard, but Little Nightmares II should definitely be on a watch-list.
- Special mention goes to Scarlet Nexus, a mash-up of Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy and Control. Come on! Give it some love!