Awkward Mixture's Video Games of 2021: The Blog Returns to No Games From The Current Year

Some writers bemoan the annual best of lists. Maybe readers do as well. I, on the other hand, enjoy this process. The entire year I evaluate and reevaluate the games to determine their ranking. As the reviews accumulate I compare the merits and faults of games to each other.

2021 included thirty-six reviews dissecting fifteen games, plus two articles explaining why I didn't finish seven more games.

For those keeping track, that's significantly less than the previous two years. The blame; the extreme length of Football, Tactics & Glory. Another factor, a revitalization of Dota with friends who had abandoned it, led to a greater percentage of my time on my favorite game.

Let's begin from the bottom.

Games I Refuse to Complete:

I had high hopes for some of these games, but I couldn't finish them due to a lack of interest, a lack of time, or a lackluster product. Three are multiplayer games that never found a team to play them. And yes, some of these games are too terrible to spend even a half hour upon.

In Unfinished Games of 2021: Part I, I reviewed Lego Lord of the Rings, Westerados, Due Process, and Crawl. This lists includes a game my sons wanted me to play (but even they quickly soured on the simple mechanics), an intriguing multiplayer game no one wanted to play, an excellent multiplayer game that I'd played in tiny bits for the last few years, and a game that felt like a Western Where's Waldo (that I just couldn't convince myself to play).

Unfinished Games of 2021: Part II includes the most odious misdirection (or spin off); Door Kickers: Action Squad. It also includes another multiplayer game I only played for a few hours; Gunfire Reborn. Wargroove is an Advance Wars knock off that wants to look like Fire Emblem. The last was particularly disappointing because it seemed promising for the first hour.

If I could use the Force to Erase my Memories of these Games I would (After writing a note to myself, so I wouldn't play them again by accident)

Bad games aren't only disparaging, but a waste of time. But I feel compelled to try to finish them before writing a proper review.

That didn't stop me with these first two games. Technically, I didn't finish Cultist Simulator. But I invested 13 hours. Despite my search, the secret mysteries remain as mysterious as when I'd begun. I can only think that I missed some key clue, something that would illuminate the necessary skills to finish this. It is the Least Transparent Game.

Nor did I really beat Oxygen Not Included. I didn't even approach the count down to lift off. Unlike Cultist Simulator I imagine ONI is enjoyable, in a tough, rubbing your hands raw cleaning dishes sort of way. Klei's previous efforts, and the presentation mislead me on the genre. This game is the Most Like Being An Engineering, but In A Fun Way?!?

I also didn't finish Paladins, but that's because it is a team-based hero shooter which offers no finale. It's free to play, unless you want access to all the heroes. I didn't, saving myself sixty dollars. I played it with a group of friends long enough to see it didn't have the same polish, visually and mechanically, as Overwatch. I guess it can be the Best Free Hero Shooter.

I rarely play a game developed by a triple-A company. My outright disgust for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is good evidence why. The only enjoyable aspect was the stunning backgrounds. Even these ended up disappointing. They were largely inaccessible. I couldn't stand the protagonist, his companions, or his quest. The force abilities weren't unique, having been used in dozens of games prior. Fallen Order earns the I Won't Play This Game's Sequel, Regardless of How Many Accolades It Earns (And you can hold me to that).

Games I Was Able to Finish Once, And Can't Say Why They Are Unplayable, Though There are Better Games Out There:

There isn't as much time in the year as there used to be, or at least that's how it feels. I managed to finish these, but I can't strongly recommend them if you too, feel short on time in this short life.

Dark Souls III was my favorite game of the first half decade of Awkward Mixture. I've searched relentlessly through the “Souls-like” games for a replacement, but nothing has satisfied my soul. Unfortunately the darkness in Nioh seems like shadows, the fire like a mere flicker, and the oni like pocket monsters. Every element felt like a pale reflection compared to the master of darkness, the Best Game of All Time. It earns the title, Most Like An Inferior Clone of Dark Souls (and) The Honor That Will Upset the Most People.

As one group of friends convinced me to try Paladins, another friend recommended a shot at Overwatch. Though Paladins implements one or two aspects better than the more polished Overwatch, Blizzard's hero shooter is superior in most aspects. I think, and as a silver scrub in Overwatch, I could be totally wrong, that the game's strength derives from the strategy it encourages in its players. It doesn't focus on the positioning or precise shooting of Paladins or Apex Legends. Overwatch is a team game that requires players, as a team, to manage their health. Success requires players to monitor the damage they take, heal the damage, and step into the line of fire again. It's a process of rotating into damage and out of it, while the two Damage players take advantage of the mistakes of the other team. With Overwatch 2 rapidly approaching, this is the Best Hero Shooter that Might Not be Worth the Investment Right Now.

Into the Breach is a game I thought I would enjoy. A tactical, board-game like puzzle. But the maps are too small and the battles too unpredictable to afford the experience I was hoping for, making it the Most RNG Video game, Board game Mashup.

Honorable Mentions:

These are games I would play again, as if I had the time for that while living my life and playing new games each year.

It's hard to say I would play a game again, when I never even finished it the first time, but Sunless Sea is a superbly sinister experience. After learning the ropes on the first two attempts I was really building a fortune on my third voyage. Then, in a moment of hubris that fits well with the theme of the game, I risked it all on an outrageous venture, went insane, murdered my crew, sank my ship, and perished. Unfortunately, I hadn't managed to write up the necessary will to preserve my status for my heirs. Earning it again would have driven me to madness again. Normally when a game screws me over after I've made significant progress, and it would require hours of reinvestment to reestablish myself, I criticize the game. That isn't true here, making this my Most Excited to Play the Sequel (Sunless Skies) in 2022.

2020 was the year of playing games because of the coronavirus pandemic. Into the isolation stepped Among Us. A group of ungamer friends agreed to try this 2019/2020 sensation. It brought us together, as Covid kept us apart. As the coronavirus abated in the summer, Among Us died a quiet death. The omicron virus might lead to a resurgence for this ever improving indie gem. The developer has added new features, like expanding the lobbies to fit 15 players and crew roles. This is Most Likely to Return in 2022.

I have my complaints with Football, Tactics & Glory. It's a long game that doesn't seem like it has progression as much as a steadily upwards path. It's difficult for the player's team to degrade unless they intentionally sabotage it. Also, it seems like the developers, after making the initial game, realized its flaws, and instead of updating it, as many companies do, decided to make a DLC (which to be fair, is also something companies do). Despite its flaws, it is the Best Fusion of Sports Tactics and Turn Based Games.

I maintain an outrageously large wish-list on Steam (that's not true, I'm sure there are people with thousands of games on theirs). I'll never buy most of the games, let alone play them. I never thought I would play, or even enjoy Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove. I didn't think I could enjoy a platforming game (Sonic Mania is more like a ride, than a platformer). But after playing Super Mario Bros. 3 on a Retropie, I can say Shovel Knight improves and updates the classic platforming formula, making it a classic in the genre. Months later my kids insist on playing the multiplayer battle royale every night before bed. It is the Best New Platformer.

Awkward Mixture's 3^rd Place Award:

Last year the final three went to a slightly substantial crowd. This year, I played less games, but the top three were substantially better. 

Number three is another multiplayer game still in Steam's Early Access. Since the blog began, my opinion has changed from; I will never purchase an Early Access game, to, these can be great even before they reach version 1.0. I still don't buy single player Early Access games, but for multiplayer with friends they've worked out surprisingly well. We started playing Phasmophobia late in 2020. I'm a coward, and it offered just the right amount of spookiness, tension, and terror. Over a year of development and 53 hours of in-game time, Phasmophobia changed. I've witnessed reviewers on Steam criticize an Early Access game as it changed during development, even as new owners praise the game. I've never understood the critics, until now. The developer has worked diligently to improve Phasmophobia, but the changes have made it less frightening. It isn't that I've become desensitized from dying dozens of times (though that may have some effect). No, the reduction in horror elements stems from two sources:the sounds aren't as creepy as they used to be, and also I never see the ghost anymore. Initially, the ghost would appear suddenly, scaring me. It would hang out in a room, before disappearing suddenly, and popping up where you'd least expect it. It would create terrifying noises, like a thumping heart, that made my own thump in synchronous dread. When the ghost chased the player during haunts, it was visible. In the recent patches the ghost doesn't build tension with sounds or appearances. And I never see it during hunting haunts anymore. I don't know if It's because I'm cowering in a corner, but the real reason seems to be that it both flickers too much, and moves too fast. Phasmophobia is my Top Game I Am Most Critical Of, But That's Ok Because I Had A Good Time, And It's Still in Early Access, So It Seems Unfair to Criticize it Too Harshly!

Awkward Mixture's 2^nd Place Award:

In 2017 Awkward Mixture only awarded a first place finish. So I feel bad that Papers, Please couldn't earn a top three trophy. The solo developer, Lucas Pope, finally earned his spot with this 2018 masterpiece, Return of the Obra Dinn. This game is the murder, murder, murder mystery where the player is tasked with discovering the names and fates of captains, crew, and common people on the cursed 1802 sailing ship. Not only is the gameplay engaging, but the simple visual effects sell the story. It's Awkward Mixture's 2nd Place Award For A Game With Only Two Colors.  

Best Game of 2021/2020:

Greek Mythology, like ambrosia. Supergiant Games' music: the singing of the Muses. Beautifully animated rogue-like with uncountable interchangeable abilities to mix and match for each run through: I'm on Mount Olympus! Hack and slash; send me to Hades? Not a step out of place, except the slightly too fast paced hack and slash combat. It's not a mechanic I prefer but it's used with exceptional skill by the developers. With four excellent games from Supergiant Games I eagerly await their next release. I also want to thank the friend of mine that purchased this for me. Otherwise I almost certainly wouldn't have played it this year. Hades is The Best Game Of Awkward Mixture Of 2021.

Recent:

Oxygen Not Included: Not As Simple As Breathing

Relevant:

Awkward Mixtures' Best of the Best: Five Years of Video Game Reviews Ranked

Awkward Mixture's Video Games of 2020: For the First Time in Five Years, I Reviewed A Game Released This Year

Awkward Mixture's Video Games of 2019: At Least I Played A Game Made Last Year