Can you believe that 2021's over already? I feel like 2020 melted into the abyss so quickly I'm still not quite over it. Probably due to the pandemic. Anyway, with the help of this site and me setting goals for myself, I've managed to get through quite a bunch of video games this year. Here's hoping that next year brings much of the same!
Here are some of the really interesting games I played this year. Note that I usually have a supremely low bar for enjoyment, so I tend to love pretty much every game I play. You can also call it garbage taste.
Warning: Light spoilers ahead for many games!
January
Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass. The end of this game really, really messed with me for a long time. In a good/terrible way. Of course, I loved the whole thing, and I really respect the way each enemy required strategy to beat. I don't want to compare games, but each enemy is really unique the way Undertale's enemies are unique. You can feel the care and love shoved into every detail of the game. Also, as expected of an English major, the writing is done very well.
排気ガスサークル. (Japanese, Exhaust Fume Club) This was another game that really messed with me at the end. In my opinion, the "bad end" was the best end, but then again I don't look at 'death' the same way a lot of others do. It was obviously a bad end though. Maybe I'm messed up. I wish more people would know about this game...
February
TOWER of HANOI. (Japanese) segawa-san's potentially longest work. As someone who loved/hated END ROLL and Minoniyoku City, I couldn't stand playing the game very soon after it came out, especially since it was free. The ROUTE B sort of killed me since it came after I played ROUTE A. Honestly, I still haven't 100% seen every dialogue line, since you have to play the game 12? times to do so, but I've seen most of the details and taken close to a hundred hours to do so probably. segawa-san's new short games are also really good (played them when they came out in June?). Those seem to have gotten some attention in the Let's Play community (Japan).
"The Lullaby of the Lost Children". (Japanese, 迷子たちのララバイ) An excellent mystery game that deals with a haunted mansion (?). Learning about the story's origins, as well as the hidden burdens and, well, slight craziness of the protagonist was really interesting. Another free game that lasted around 20 hours.
March
Doki Doki Literature Club. Yeah I finally played it. Games that mess with your computer files are always really great. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of the art-style, but it's fine since I'm not the target audience for the art anyway. A few months after I played it, they announced a console port, which I have no idea how it works, but it seems to be have received well. I'm glad I played it on PC though. (I'm also curious how the Japanese localization went LOL)
April
The Cat Lady. I got physically sick halfway through since the themes of depression resonated too strongly with me, so I had to watch the endings played by someone else, but I've experienced the entirety of the content since it's a point-and-click adventure game. Seriously an excellent depiction of suffering and overcoming uneasiness and 'nothingness'.
There is no Game: Wrong Dimension. When I was playing it I kinda thought it was overrated, but the game is just fun to play (listening to the Program/narrator) and the puzzles are clever. Recently the game got a Japanese localization so I've been watching others play and snickering at them. (Still think it's a little overrated though.)
Superliminal. This one isn't overrated. It messes with your brain. Also gave me mild motion sickness, though that's probably my problem and not the game's. Also had me going with the dream-within-a-dream sequence before I was like "duh this can't be real."
OneShot. Like Undertale, the game is excellent at making you feel terrible about yourself, and like DDLC (though this is the predecessor) it's great at transcending the game screen. What do they call these? Meta-games? (Still haven't played Stanley Parable yet...) I love the "environment" and the atmosphere, but it felt lonely and a little... scary playing the Solstice route. Great game.
Just Shapes and Beats. I think after RPGs and mind-screwy games, music games are my absolute favourite. The level design and creativity behind Just Shapes & Beats is insane, and the first boss sent chills up my spine in a way I hadn't felt in a long time. The presentation is excellent. But the game is tough. (Or I suck.) I haven't beaten the extra levels/Shovel Knight levels yet.
May
Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon. (Japanese) Actually not done this one yet but it's really good. I'll probably report on it next year. It'll be my first January game in 2022!
DISTRAINT & DISTRAINT 2. The second one is a lot better control-wise, but the first one's ending was seriously excellent. The second one doesn't cheapen the experience by following through either. It's an excellent letter to the human soul that appealed to me (having been in a far less serious but still sort-of-similar situation a long time ago).
June
Yoku's Island Express. Just plain fun. I actually started this game a while ago, but due to a parent seeing me playing this game, lost all ability or motivation to play it until recently. I had to work to prevent... that... spoiling the game's quality, but somehow I managed!
ギセイヒーロー. (Prologue / Chapter 1; Japanese) What can I say? I love death games. The next chapter's first part should come out next year sometime, but the foundation is already really good.
July
Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster. (Japanese) This one's a really new game, but I couldn't resist the soundtrack. I told you, I'm addicted to music in games and music in general, and the remastered soundtrack is seriously out to kill me with its quality. By the way, I'd played like 30 hours of the PSP version before I abandoned it for this one. I honestly sort of like the PSP graphics better...
August
点鬼簿行路. (Japanese) A really cool experience. It's not very long but it makes you think long after the game is over.
September
Final Fantasy II + Soul of Rebirth. (Japanese) This one I played the PSP version because of the extra content. I was surprised at how many people just up and died LOL but it was leaps and bounds above the first one's story. The system of skill level ups and things are sort of weird, though.
架谷野家の薔薇薔薇. (Japanese) A lesson in how lies can destroy. A lesson in how lies can protect. Also very traumatizing.
October
被虐のノエル Seasons 1 ~ 12. (Japanese) Noel is always amazing, but it's the first time I played the entire series up to the newest instalment in one shot. Or a week or two. (In celebration of Season 12's release.) It seems that next February the first seven seasons are being remade for Switch! With additional content!? It's like 2500 yen but I kinda want it... This game is seriously great at making the player feel like they're watching a really cool action movie.
Donut County. It's a lot of fun and very creative! Not very long or very complicated, but the arrangement of chapters vs. being underground is well done in my opinion. Also funny.
Bendy and the Ink Machine. Hey, October is the season for horror, right? Episode 3 took me forever but Episode 5 was really good. Kind of short, but the art quality and environment is top notch.
November
Bear's Restaurant. (Japanese) I cried like a baby. An excellent game at reaching one's heart. Playing around in the "town" after you beat the game is also a lot of fun.
Little Misfortune. Also cried like a baby. I don't ever know how to describe games like this and Fran Bow except... you should play it too. A cruel, kind, merciless game told from the perspective of an innocent child.
December
Undertale. (Japanese) I actually played this game several years ago in English, but since a Let's Player I like to watch started to play it in Japanese, I was curious about the localization. Honestly, I think that Hachi-no-yon (the translators) did the best Japanese localization of the game I ever saw. It's probably part of the reason why the game is on fire in that country. Also discovered some Easter Eggs during the G route that I didn't notice the first time 'round.
Happy Game. This one's a really new release, but it was on sale during the Winter Sale so I couldn't help myself. The sound design is SO GOOD but the game is deeply disturbing. Also, it is seriously short, shorter than I expected, but if you look for secrets you can find a whole bunch. After playing Chuchel you know what to expect.
Note | Not included are my visual novel reviews. Those include huge spoilers and take up a ton of time, so maybe one day I'll give them posts of their own? (Also they're all super niche Japanese games...)
Total number of completed games in 2021 | roughly 100 ~ 105
Just so you don't get the wrong idea, many of the games are rather short and can be completed in a few hours.
Overall Thoughts
During my time in this challenge I thought that I wasn't getting anything done at all, but looking back, there are a LOT more completed games than I expected! So thanks to the success this challenge has afforded me, I'm going to be doing the same thing next year. The difference is, I'll probably be focusing on longer and deeper games, like Xenoblade. I'm looking forward to another year of great games!!
Thank you for reading this far! See you next year.
Storm
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