Ah yes, that idle final week in December where some people head back to work, and others relax until new year filling their days with what they love — video games, for example. Good choice!
We've already totted up our personal scores and bestowed our staff Game of the Year 2021 on a deserving candidate, and you Nintendo Life readers have had your say, too (it seems we're simpatico with our choices, which is nice). We've also looked at our favourite Switch Ports and Hidden Gems of the year — it's been a good 12 months! Well, games-wise, at least.
Today, though, it's time for some lighthearted awards that don't quite fit in anywhere else. Here we'll highlight games that might not get a shout in other fancy-pants categories but that we feel are deserving of praise nonetheless. Yes, it's time to get whimsical with the Nintendo Life Alternative Game Awards 2021!
We've done this the last couple of years, and what with the state of things in the world right now, we're all about injecting a little extra festive cheer into the last week of the year. So, let's dive right into our hodge-podge 2021 collection of five not-quite awards, shall we?
We begin with a great game which doesn't sit nicely in any one genre category...
Best 'Game That Doesn't Fit Neatly On Our Genre Lists' 2021
Winner: Astrologaster
This launched on Switch in February and follows in the footsteps of games like Part Time UFO and Hypnospace Outlaw in that Astrologaster doesn't fit nicely into any one category — at least not one that can be made into one of our Switch Essentials genre lists.
It's a great little comic musical narrative adventure from Nyamyam, the studio responsible for the Wii U's gorgeous Tengami. If you're looking for something a bit different from the 72,600 Metroidvanias that came to Switch in 2021, this is well worth checking out.
Further reading:
- REVIEW Astrologaster - An Expert Mix Of Historical Drama And Shakespearean Comedy
- EXCLUSIVE Nyamyam On Bringing The Award-Winning "Game Sitcom" Astrologaster To Switch
Best End-Of-Year Arrival That Dropped Too Late To Make Our GOTY 2021 List
Winner: Chicory: A Colorful Tale
That this game was a cracker was well-known, but the work that went into the Switch port in particular has made Finji's indie hit Chicory a delight to (re)visit on Nintendo's console. It just arrived too late to make a dent in our staff list, is all.
Remember, our reader-ranked Best Switch Games of 2021 article is dynamic, so if you've enjoyed Chicory over the holidays, head to its game page and rate it accordingly — it could well show up on the list if it gets enough ratings. It's not too late!
Except for our staff list, which is set in stone. Bah.
- Further reading: REVIEW Chicory: A Colorful Tale - A Masterful Marriage Of Mechanics, Themes And Visuals
Best Worst Best Worst Game 2021
Winner: The Longing
Ah, The Longing — a game that more than any other this year defied traditional review score metrics. Stuart detested every long second of his time with it and we agonised over how it should be scored, taking into account our existing framework and remit to give readers as much context and useful information as possible.
Over time, The Longing earns your respect — however begrudgingly — and more than any other game in recent memory it seemed to intentionally make a mockery of everything: review scores and your time alike. Which was kind of the point.
A fine candidate for the year's best worst best worst game, then.
Best Non-2021 Switch Game of the Year
Winner: Blasphemous
Runners up: Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Smash Bros. and more
We played plenty of Animal Crossing and Smash this year, thanks to final updates for each of those evergreens, and our backlog continues to grow with each passing eShop sale. For this writer, though, it was The Game Kitchen's Blasphemous that was most surprisingly impressive game of the year... just not this year. It was especially surprising considering Nintendo delivered a bona fide Metroidvania this year, as well — a bloody good one!
In fact, having dipped into Blasphemous mid-playthrough of Dread after picking it up on sale, this game delayed completion of Samus' adventure thanks to its gorgeously gory pixel art, old-school Spanish architectural style, and compulsive just-one-more combat loop. It's a really excellent Soulslike / Metroidvania that's definitely worth your time... if you can stand the unending gloom of Cvstodia, that is.
Others team members also enjoyed catching up with Bastion, The Mummy Demastered, Oxenfree, Golf Story and Sine Mora EX, too. Oldies-but-goodies, all.
Best Game We Keep Blathering On About That You Really Should Play
A pair of super cheap-and-cheerful throwback 3D platformers that deliver more smiles and joy in their short runtime than many a game with a huge budget and a development team of dozens, both Toree titles have been delightful, undemanding nuggets that popped up between the hulking great games of year. We've mentioned them before, several times, but they're worth mentioning again.
Both games have been updated with a handful of new levels, too. If you're into 3D platformers, fun, or even fun 3D platformers, you really can't go wrong for a couple of quid.
- Further reading: Feature: The Best Hidden Gems And Underrated Switch Games Of 2021
Let us know your nominations for the 'alternative' categories above — and any other categories you'd add — in the comments below.
Comments 24
"Best End-Of-Year Arrival That Dropped Too Late To Make Our GOTY 2021 List"
Why can't media wait until at least the 1st of January to make retrospectives of the former year?
Huh, neat. More games I never heard of.
@ophone I honestly think its fine.
Most releasing are well before the end of the year at least.
And ones that are too late to make it for events like Game Awards they show up to the next one anyway.
I read it as "Nintendo Life's Alternative Lifestyle Game Awards".
The Longing’s just a weird one to recommend even if I really appreciate what it’s going for.
So glad that Toree and Chicory got awards here. Just wish other awards shows noticed those games. Maybe next year the Emmy's and Oscars will recognize Toree 2. but really they're great games please check them out.
@ophone Logistics, mainly. Things have to be pretty much finalised by mid-December before people start heading off on holidays, and GOTY interest falls off a cliff in January, unfortunately.
That's one of the great things about our reader-ranked GOTY list, though — it's a dynamic list and there's absolutely nothing stopping Chicory or any other 2021 game popping onto the list if it gets the requisite ratings.
https://www.nintendolife.com/guides/best-nintendo-switch-games-of-2021
Blasphemous is a piece of art!
It's funny, I just got Blasphemous for Christmas, and it really is an amazing game. It somehow flew under my radar before, but I am really glad to have found it. Great pick.
@Zuljaras The game is amazing. I played through it this year and loved every minute of it. I need to replay the game with its DLC.
Toree is a great little game , utterly worth the price
Chicory is an utter delight. Probably, my personal GOTY.
I wish I liked Blasphemous as much as most seem to do. I want to like it, I've tried to like it... twice but both times I've given up after a few hours. It was just missing something for me and I'm not really sure what.
No best Switch Icon award this year is a shame, and have we not had any ridiculously long game titles this year either?
Toree and Toree 2 are must downloads...
Simple platforming fun, a joy to play.
Good stuff here. Nice to see Nintendolife showcasing games that aren't already at the top of the charts.
@OorWullie
I'm in the same boat. I should love the game, but each time I try to play it I end up putting it down and playing another game. Mindseize is the game I picked up instead this time. I'm past the midway mark and love it. Check it out.
I have got the longing played for a few hours over a couple of days. Love that you can read moby dick in game. Even though I haven’t. The door I believe opens after 400 days which my game is about July 2022. I am curious to see what happens xx
@Erigen I did too! Funny!
@ophone I guess because the end of the year is traditionally the time when everyone looks back at the previous year and reflects, rather than January which is very much looking forward (NYs resolutions etc).
Best End-Of-Year Arrival That Dropped Too Late To Make Our GOTY 2021 List would be Super Impossible Road for me. Can't put it down.
Bleargh, every one of those games is on my wish list. I'm a terrible father.
Best game from 2020 I’m still playing in 2021 - Lonely Mountains Downhill. Free and paid DLC both dropping this year for that game
@nessisonett I have tons of AAA games that I haven't beaten. I played the Longing all the through and was tempted to play it again right away to get a different ending. The game is pretty much "pandemic lock-down" the game. The ending takes 400 days to reach, but if you do things in game you can speed up time significantly. The reason I didn't play it again is because during the ending the developer says it discourageous you from playing again as this was meant to be a one-time experience.
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