Fifteen games I played (and liked) in 2021

I've been going back and forth on whether or not I should attempt writing this post. On the one hand, I had every intention of writing it after the last end of year post I did, I've been keeping track of what games I've played, and it's gonna be embarrassing if I have to retcon every instance of me saying I would write this after not writing it. On the other hand, the end of the semester is kicking my ass, and in my spare time I've been doing a lot of game writing (not blog writing) that feels really great! Whatever option I end up going with, it's nearly the end of January so I need to decide fast. If I don't get my list of games up before VideoGameDunkey does, A: I'll be a failure and B: It'll be the middle of March. I'm gonna have to think long and hard about this one...

Okay we can compromise. Why don't I just list off my ten favorite games and we can go from there. No list of games I did and didn't play from my list last year, no list to play this year, and no big blurbs summarizing my thoughts either. I'll knock this out real quick before I get back to trying to bring up my math grade from a C+ in the three hours before the semester's officially over. Yeah, that'll work. This is a really, really, good use of my limited time right now and demonstrates a clear understanding of my priorities and how good I am at not procrastinating. I'm so good at not procrastinating that when I procrastinate I write blog posts. Damn I'm good.

Once again, these are in the order I played them, except for the top three.
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Portal 2 (co-op) (February)

​I've started the Portal 2 co-op mode a bunch of times but I only finally finished it with my friend Vincent this year! It's just as much fun as the main game, especially if you have a good pal to play with.

Pokemon Leaf Green (February)

My first Pokemon game, if you'll allow me to disown Sword and Shield. I never actually finished this one– I got right up to the end and then got frustrated with the caves and took a break that turned into an indefinite hiatus. Someday I will return to finish what I've started... I'll update you next year-end blog post.
PS: This is what Pokémon looks like spelled correctly with this font. I am aware of the existence of the little dash above the e, but am choosing to ignore it for aesthetic purposes.

Super Mario Sunshine (March)

I really like this game, and I really don't. It's a very special Mario game, and also a very tedious and annoying Mario game. Speaking of tedious, I am actually very tired of writing since it's what I've been doing all day on account of it being the end of the semester and all so these blurbs are gonna get a lot shorter starting now.

Ultimate Chicken Horse (April)

This game is a super fun time! Next to Smash Bros, it's probably the most replayable party game I own. And as I found out in September, it still works great with pass 'n play in the middle of class on a laptop.

Gorilla Tag (May)

Hey, there's another never-ending multiplayer game on this list! I don't play a lot of these, but when I do it's because they feel great to play and support wacky social experiences. Gorilla Tag checks both of those boxes and is great outside of being a VR meme.

Untitled Goose Game (May)

Here's another game that:
​- I started multiple times but didn't finish until this year (for some reason)
- Has something in common with another game on this list (wow!)
- Has you playing as an animal (seems like you're grasping at straws now but cool!)
- I liked a lot !!

Dear Esther (March, July)

I replayed this game at like, the worst possible time this year. It is not very fun! But the caves are really crazy looking. This game is super dense and weird, and it hits that wide as a puddle deep as an ocean sweet spot well enough that if it gets you at all you'll want to dig deeper to figure out its subtleties. It's more of a short story with a lot of mostly interesting layers. I dunno.

OneShot (August)

This is a game I heard a lot about before playing, and totally see where it got its cult following from. It makes up for its low budget by being constantly really unique and inventive, and catering to a similar audience as Undertale, despite predating it. These games share a lot of DNA, which I know I'm not the first to point out, but if you like a good weird RPG without combat, you'll probably like this game. I felt like it was a little overhyped and I'm definitely not replaying it to see the new game plus content any time soon, but I'm also a contrarian who has to criticize anything that a lot of people like. Which is why this list consists of only niche games nobody's ever heard of. Like Mario and Pokemon. Yeah.

Metroid: Zero Mission (September)

My first Metroid! Which again is stretching the truth. Technically I'd played a few hours of each Prime game before Zero Mission but they never seemed to hold my attention for that long. Probably because I get lost really easily and spent most of my fifteen hours in GTA V just driving around town hitting people with my car. Which is very Metroid related. If you have a GBA, you can get what I'm assuming was probably a bootleg cart of this game for super cheap online and have yourself a good old time while you wait to get Dread for Christmas. Just make sure you take a few notes while you play, just in case you get lost for an hour and the only way forward ends up being through a random lava pool with no visual indication of it being made out of secret trapdoor lava. Cause those exist. (Yes this is a real example hopefully I just saved you some frustration: the lesson here is if you're ever lost in a Metroid game, jump in lava and you'll be fine.)

Deltarune: Chapter 2 (September)

Yeah I didn't finish this one either. I got to the second phase of the final boss, gambled on the game saving when I quit, and then took another quick break turned hiatus when I had to fight her again. Also, I completely lied during the Mario Sunshine blurb when I said these would be getting shorter. I am gonna make up for that by ending this blurb here.

Toree 3D (October)

Okay, trust me, this game is a classic. Seriously. It's only a buck on Steam/Switch and took me about an hour to beat, and maybe two to unlock everything. If Kirby 64 was/looks fun to you and you like being a little jumpy bird dude, drop your Steam username in the comments and I'll gift you this game. You gotta promise to play it though.

Bowser's Fury (December)

I just barely finished this game in 2021. I got it for Christmas and played through it over the three days I was snowed in at my dad's house. It's as open as Odyssey and as frictionless as 3D World. Also Plessie's back, and she's a cat now. Instant classic.

#3: Chicory: A Colorful Tale (June)

This was my most anticipated game of 2021, and it pretty much delivered! The art, characters, music, and world were all so cute and awesome and while I felt like the puzzles never reached super brain-melty heights everything else about this game was really ambitious and well done for a lil indie studio. Thank you Chicory team!

#2: Hollow Knight (November)

I finally played Hollow Knight this year thanks to every single person on the face of the planet recommending it to me. What a dang good game. Maybe the best game on this list, even if I didn't find it 100% enjoyable from start to finish. I'm not super huge on big tough boss battles (and backtracking back to them) or metroidvanias, really, but I do gotta admit this game does do both of those things really well. Exploring in Hollow Knight gave me the biggest rush I've felt since Breath of the Wild, and I felt totally spoiled by every new consistently pretty and unique locale. Greenpath, the Crystal Peaks, City of Tears, and Queen's Gardens were all highlights. For a month I felt like I lived in Hallownest.

#1: Kentucky Route Zero (March, August, October)

I've never been struck by a game enough to replay it twice in as rapid succession as I replayed Kentucky Route Zero. It was another rare piece of art that changed the way I saw the world and my own art on a deep level. It's like a good book that never has to end. Each act and interlude demands revisiting, and the branching conversations lend it a ton of necessary replayability and depth that extends past its writing. This is one of very few games that I felt like, after spending enough time with it, was either made for me or vice versa. Also, playing through it again with my dad this fall was great– it became the first game he saw through all the way to the end! I'm still convinced A Short Hike is next on that list, but I guess we'll see. 

Bonus game: Super Mario Land 2 (December 2020)

I got the most talked about least talked about Mario game for Christmas last year and it's great! I thought it was so good I wrote part of a big essay about it too, but then I didn't finish it cause I got stuck on the last boss which is insanely hard for no reason... but then I beat the last boss! Finally a game I saw through all the way to the end. Not the essay though. There's a lot of writing I haven't finished... maybe it would be cool to put them all together in a post just to have something to post yaknow. Anyway this didn't make last year's list cause I played it days before the end of the year (and after I wrote the list) and it didn't make this year's list because I played it in 2020... but I also like it so here it is, defying the last remaining rules of a Moonrabbit Haven year end listicle.

Well, there's the second list I said I'd write present and accounted for, in most of its promised glory. Next year I'll be able to better gauge the scope of these and get them out sooner and fuller. Until then, thanks as always for sticking around and playing games with me!! :]

from henry