2021 has been a tremendous year to me because we got three games that I have always dreamed about, but never believed they would actually materialize: New Pokémon Snap, NEO: The World Ends With You and Metroid Dread.
Thanks to these games, this year I enjoyed gaming like I haven't done in years. Because these games are sequels of some of my favourite games of my childhood/teenage years and by playing them I felt the fun and joy I had back then.
It's very difficult for me to choose one of these three. However... I have to choose NEO: The World Ends With You.
New Pokémon Snap was a very good game. It allowed us to see the Pokémon world with unprecedented detail thanks to its beautiful graphics and a great way to show the behaviour of the Pokémon in their natural habitat. It introduces some necesary QoL changes over the original and also some new ideas that are certainly welcome. But unfortunatley, along the way it lost some of the pacing and structural design that made me fall in love with the original N64 title. It's still very good, but it's not as perfect as I would have envisioned it. And the soundtrack is very forgetable.
Metroid Dread... I almost picked this one. I finished it 3 times in a row, all of them at a 100%. It's almost everything I could have dreamed of a new 2D Metroid. Incredible graphics, the best gameplay and movement the series has ever seen, challengin, some good new lore, perfect balance between exploring by yourself and the game guiding you, the EMMIs were perfectly integrated... However... it has some issues that, while I didn't mind too much while playing with hype, they really struck right now. The soundtrack is, sadly, very bland. It was no surprise to learn that the composers are two Nintendo novices that have never done something of importance. The first 2D Metroid in almost 20 years needed Yamamoto's composing, not two amateurs. The story had some huge plot holes, sometimes completely disregards other games in the series like Fusion and the ending was cut short. It really needed a proper conclusion. Maybe not a closed ending, but a moment for the story to reflect upon itself. It reminded me to this video:
So, while I still believe Dread is a terrific game and it will certainly be among those very few titles that I will keep replaying for years... I can't give it the GOTY.
... Not when NEO: The World Ends With You exists. This. This game. For me, this was a perfect game. So well rounded. It surpasses the original NDS title in every aspect I can think of. Gorgeous colorful graphics. Top notch art style. Simple, yet inmensely fun combat with tons of options. The soundtrack is so godly that it justifies its existance even without the videogame itself. The story starts out slowly, but it gets more and more interesting. And the characters. My God, I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. I thought I would hate Rindo, that he would be another Neku. But no, I could actually empatize with him. He was a very solid protagonist. And the rest of the cast was even better. Frett was a joy to watch, Nagi was funny and charming, Minamimoto was just baddass... But my favorite was Shoka. I love her personality and how her character unfolds.
Seriously... I'm not usually that guy that gives 10/10 to games... But this one? My hand wouldn't tremble in doing so. Easily my GOTY and one of my favourite games in years.
