This may have was the first full year of a new generation of consoles, but we won’t remember 2021 as a time of technological breakthroughs from the major players in the industry. Instead, innovations that come through indies, which can’t display as many raw polygons and pixels, have shown us a new approach to design and aesthetics that offers richer rewards.
Games such as Black is an explosion of color and charisma, but obviously it is. They asked for our attention for their thought-provoking idiosyncrasies instead of their rough, blockbuster style. These titles are a long way from the mainstream of the company, which is already in crisis on several fronts. Like Cyberpunk 2077 last year, Battlefield 2042 and Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy come too hot for their benefit. Even things that have been polished like a gem, like Halo Infinite, seems to belong to the previous console rather than the current one. We are more likely to remember 2021 because of the shocking workplace scandal Activision Blizzard (follow others major publishers). All of this happened in an extremely strange year that began, for many, with the coronavirus lockdown and would end, if not with the same restrictions, then with the feeling that the virus, newly mutated into Omicron, is turning ugly again.
However, it is important to remember that things are very different. Effective and life-saving vaccines have arrived (although not yet fully accessible in the Global South). As a result, many have enjoyed a relatively normal late spring, summer, and fall season. The following staunch-looking games make it feel as if they resonate with a world beyond the pandemic. They’re filled with vibrant tones, personality and an unwavering yearning for life that brightens our screens in a year that, even fleetingly, seems at least a little brighter than before. last year.
Funny, smart and insightful Psychonauts 2 worth more than 15 years of waiting. Like its predecessor, this action-platformer sequel stars Raz, who has the ability to go deep into people’s minds and help them break through their mental constructs.
It’s absolutely brilliant, has a level design that really conveys the weirdness in our brains, but the part, involving a wacky character called Brain In A Jar, stands out above all.
Brain In A Jar has suffered from what is essentially an open and dark lockdown of the mind, and so Raz must help them rediscover their five senses. When the flood returns, developers Double Fine let the stylish hand stop with a psychedelic background sequence that culminates in a hiccup music number. “I can smell the universe and I can taste the sky / I can see every molecule through my cosmic eye,” the brain is now fully functioning, interacting with the world one by one. sing again.
The first time you play Ynglet, it can be difficult to know exactly what’s going on. Sure, you’re playing a 2D platformer in a way Mario, but here your avatar is a tiny creature that jumps from one bubble to another. Are you navigating a glittering portable microwave or is this something else?
In fact, the game’s levels are loosely based on the geography of Copenhagen. Once you know this, Ynglet turns into an urban excursion—an excursion where each jump and landing triggers a sophisticated explosion of particles and a musical tune (the game’s reaction scores are superb).
