15. The Forgotten City
This year was hardly short on time-looping video games and The Forgotten City was one of the less-trailed but more successful temporal adventures. Transported to a hidden underground settlement at the height of the Roman Empire, you are tasked with uncovering its secrets and foiling a ‘sin’ that would lead to the city’s denizens turning into gold. Each loop will leave you with more information gleaned from the curious citizens, helping you to avoid disaster, uncover secrets and maybe influence a critical election.
14. Unpacking
Moving house in the real world can be one of life’s most stressful acts. But Australian developer Witch Beam has turned it into a zen puzzle game likely to decompress even the most uptight. As you unload boxes and arrange possessions in new homes across a woman’s life, you begin to piece together who she is and where her life has taken her. From cramming toys into a child’s bedroom, to realising what gets left behind as we all get older, Unpacking’s wordless journey is as moving as it is minimalist.
13. Ratchet & Clank
For the return of family-friendly platform heroes Ratchet & Clank, veteran developers Insomniac have taken advantage of the PS5’s capabilities to create a sumptuous spread, combining rich, Hollywood-grade CG environments and character models with liberal screenfuls of retina-scorching special effects. Playing the opening tutorial level feels like stepping into an animated movie – a sensation rarely dissipates over the dozen-or-so hours of Rift Apart’s amiable campaign.
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12. Chicory: A Colorful Tale
Delightful indie adventure starring an anthropomorphic dog that is able to colour in the game world with his magical paintbrush. There is real pleasure in turning the stark black and white lines into a riot of colour, while smart, paint-themed environmental puzzles make for a game unlike any other.
11. Wildermyth
Fabulously smart procedurally generated RPG that spins your actions into your own gripping narrative. Each go round its papercraft board can tell a different tale, creating relationships between its characters and shifting its medieval world.
10. Guardians of the Galaxy
Eidos’ boisterous and heartfelt spin on Marvel’s bickering space mercenaries was one of 2021’s most surprising successes. A gorgeous and action-packed planet-hopping adventure backed up by a sharply written, genuinely funny and touching yarn about family and loss. Plus, blasting bad guys while its 80s flavoured soundtrack blared from Star-Lord’s Walkman was a constant pleasure.
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