2021: The Year Of Delays And Ports

Ace Attorney
Just say "Objection" to being put in the bin

Although we’re now in 2022, our final year in this list is 2021, because it would have been too confusing to do “March 20XX-March 20XX” for every year. Please understand.

But 2021 was an interesting one! We were well into the COVID pandemic, with game delays, supply chain issues, and chip shortages up the wazoo, so the start of the year was a little slow – but with the Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons clashing release dates in March, followed by the releases of Monster Hunter Rise, New Pokémon Snap, and Switch ports for Doki Doki Literature Club, Spelunky 1 & 2, Fez, and Famicom Detective Club, it quickly heated up.

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Alana

Oh no, the responsibility of going first in the most recent year? Well, since I seem to be going for a lot of multi-platform indies, I’m going to continue that trend with Unpacking.

Kind of like Animal Crossing in 2020, Unpacking was vital to me at the tail end of 2021 as a kind of closure to the past two years. It reflects how we compartmentalise our lives into boxes, through possessions, and how we organise and reorganise those items to help keep us sane. It’s also just so relaxing, and it’s so easy to slip into a rhythm. Plus, every time you find something new, like a pot of pencils, or a photo frame doesn’t it remind you of when you’ve found something small, in real life, to cherish? It’s just the best game to play in bed and reminisce with.

Gav

Tough one, this. The return of Samus was pretty special, but I’m going to have to go with Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury this time.

The base game of 3D World is so brilliant, a game I had trouble getting into on Wii U where it only really ‘clicked’ towards the end of my playthrough – getting to revisit it again on Switch and already be on its wavelength was a treat. And then there was the + Bowser’s Fury bit, which felt like just the right amount of new game to make the double dip worthwhile. I’m relatively time poor these days, so a 5-6 hour Mario adventure was very, very welcome.

Tom

Very tricky for me, as last year was dominated by two games in particular, so if the other goes in the bin that’ll be sad times all around. I can’t risk it, though, and have to choose Metroid Dread. We waited so long for a proper 2D Metroid and pleasingly it turned out brilliantly. It’s the perfect game for playing in a low-lit room on headphones, and I’ve already done two playthroughs chasing those optional unlocks.

Kate

A quick eulogy, before I say my pick for 2021: The House In Fata Morgana, I am sorry for putting you in the bin. I know I am the only one who is likely to rescue you, and you deserve it. You are a very good game. Rest easy, soldier. (And maybe I’ll pick you out of the bin when no one’s looking.)

My actual pick is The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, which is two incredible Ace Attorney games in one, plus a ton of special features. It’s so good, it’s so special, and 2021 was a big year for games that made you read a whole lot. I hope GAA is the model that Capcom uses for all its Ace Attorney games going forward, if they ever make any more.

Ollie

So first of all, thank you Tom for picking Metroid Dread! If it wasn’t you, it would’ve been me, and I’m not annoyed at all that you got it. AT ALL.

My pick is for a game that I honestly wouldn’t have given a second glance had I not had the opportunity to review it: Disco Elysium: The Final Cut. I can’t quite put into words how much of an impact this one had on me. The writing is absolutely top notch throughout; some of the best I’ve seen in years. It had me in tears of laughter and tears of sadness in equal measure. The music is also incredible and it’s one of the first soundtracks I’ll boot up if I’m out for a walk or sitting down to work. An absolute gem of a game.

Important 2021 games that are now in the bin:

Fez, Skyward Sword HD, Monster Hunter Rise, Famicom Detective Club 1 & 2, Subnautica 1 & 2, Miitopia, Game Builder Garage, Mario Golf: Super Rush, Doki Doki Literature Club, Death’s Door, The Forgotten City, Spelunky 1 & 2, Sonic Colors: Ultimate, WarioWare: Get It Together!, Eastward, Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania, Tetris Effect, Mario Party Superstars, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy, Shin Megami Tensei V, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Danganronpa Decadence

Thoughts: We’re so tired. What even are video games, really. What year is it? Is Elden Ring out yet? There’s a new Grand Theft Auto? What? Okay. We’ll just be over here playing Unpacking and trying to ignore 2022.

Our final list:

  1. Sonic Mania
  2. Breath of the Wild
  3. Puyo Puyo Tetris
  4. Golf Story
  5. Xenoblade Chronicles 2
  6. Banner Saga Trilogy
  7. Yoku's Island Express
  8. INSIDE
  9. Hollow Knight
  10. Just Shapes & Beats
  11. Ace Attorney Trilogy
  12. Luigi's Mansion 3
  13. AI: The Somnium Files
  14. Cadence of Hyrule
  15. Sayonara Wild Hearts
  16. Super Mario 3D All Stars
  17. Hades
  18. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
  19. Streets of Rage 4
  20. A Short Hike
  21. Unpacking
  22. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
  23. Metroid Dread
  24. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
  25. Disco Elysium

There we have it: In this alternate universe, we now only have 25 games on the Switch. Pretty good choices, if we do say so ourselves, but also some pretty glaring omissions. Still, it's been a fantastic five years — so happy birthday, Switch. We’re sorry that Nintendo isn’t going to celebrate your 5th year of life, but we appreciate you a whole bunch, even if we did just throw away almost all of your games catalogue.

What are your picks for each year? Feel free to save some of the ones we threw away, or agree with us, or even pick ones we haven’t mentioned at all in the comments!