The ten best video games of 2021 for PlayStation

2022 promises to be full of great titles, but the year that is drawing to a close was by no means to be forgotten. Despite the postponements and some bitter disappointments, such as Horizon: Forbidden West, Gran Turismo 7 and God of War: Ragnarok which greeted at the last second, PlayStation has managed to maintain a good pace in terms of releases, both in terms of quality and quantity, and this is particularly true if we consider a first half of 2021 of absolute depth.

PS4 and PS5: the best PlayStation games of 2021 –

So here are the best video games of 2021 for PS4 and PS5, a list of the most important titles released this year for Sony’s home consoles. Both exclusive and multi-platform productions arrived on the platforms of the Japanese house, both from PlayStation Studios and from third parties, are taken into consideration.

Returnal –

After Demon’s Souls, the demonstration that PlayStation not only wants to be synonymous with action-adventure and mainstream, but is also capable of exploring other less popular genres. Returnal is the roguelite that finally earned Housemarque’s introduction in PlayStation Studios, with three merits in particular. The first is to have hybridized the roguelite trend with the narrative and cinematic vocation of the PlayStation exclusives, and to have brought everything to PS5 (as for a television broadcast ending in prime time). The second is to have successfully reproduced the charm, mystery and lethality of an alien planet, and the third is to have given a tangible idea of ​​what be the next-gen: not only graphic artists, but also different audiovisual and playful experiences.

Deathloop –

Deathloop once again showcases the extraordinary talent of Arkane, the responsible house of Arx Fatalis and Prey. Also in this case, there is talk of a roguelite but this time the biggest hybridization is with the trademark of the software house founded in France, his first love: the immersive sim. The intuition of the time loop is perhaps not of the very first hair, and returning and returning in the same mission may bore you in the long run. But, if so, you might like to know that there is more to Dishonored than expected, and that exploration and the ability to find the right approach are still defining aspects of gameplay. Add in a bewitching 60s-style art direction and that’s it, Deathloop to be exact.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart –

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is, more than a video game, a Saturday morning cartoon. A colorful and light experience to live alone or with a smaller family member, which however boasts some assets that make it an experience to try even if you are a little older. Among them, the ability to show what PS5 is capable of, thanks to the multiple graphics modes with ray tracing and / or 60fps and the loading speed of the SSD, used more in depth to dictate some of the key mechanics of the Insomniac Games title. New and old characters, new and old worlds meet in Rift Apart, perhaps the most advanced chapter of the PlayStation mascot series.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits –

Tender experience of action and adventure, Kena: Bridge of Spirits has everything it takes to remember a computer graphics film by Pixar, with a delightful artistic direction and able to highlight the generational gap between PS4 and PS5. The gameplay may not be the big innovation of the year, and that final boss fight still cries out for revenge, but if you are looking for something for the smallest of the family to play or you want a lighter single-player production, you should throw in it. ‘eye.

It Takes Two –

It Takes Two (awarded as Video Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2021) clearly shows what Josef Fares and his Hazelight are capable of. The title of the Swedish studio boasts a colorful art direction and absurd game situations for a rare example of romantic comedy in gaming, in which to convince a couple on the verge of divorce to get back together and resist the nutty monologues of a talking book. It doesn’t have the mature vibes and heart-pounding ending of A Way Out, but it has a lot of heart and loads of fun mini-games to play as a couple with a partner.

Resident Evil Village –

Resident Evil Village has left behind the claustrophobic setting of Resident Evil 7 (which is responsible for the relaunch of the series) and, keeping the first-person view, has explored a much wider setting inspired by the great classic Resident Evil 4. Capcom has focused on a cast of bewitching supporting actors, one above all the Lady Dimitrescu who drove the network crazy in the months preceding the release at the beginning of the year or the familiar merchant, and on a story capable of plausibly connecting to the deepest origins of the saga. It is certainly no coincidence that it is the most completed video game of the year.

Tales of Arise –

Speaking of series that have retired after a few missteps, Tales of Arise demonstrates how, with a good dose of inventiveness, the longest-lived ones in circulation can regain their lost enamel. The Bandai Namco title has redefined the pillars of the series in an action RPG direction that will remind you of Kingdom Hearts, freeing users from the constraints of more traditional turn-based RPGs, offering a multi-faceted and well-motivated cast of good and bad, and exploring social and cultural issues that go far beyond the clichés of the genre. The gameplay outside the combat system would benefit from a little more depth and this is an important note to take for the future but, if you were looking for a way to get closer to the Tales brand, you may have just found it.

Hades –

Hades was already out in 2020 but only received a PlayStation version this year. The new version has allowed many to recover one of the very few who managed to worry about the title of GOTY The Last of Us Part II last year. For those unfamiliar with it, the game is a roguelite with fierce and fast fighting, with many weapons and perks that they continuously re-shape them, but also with a deep history that has its roots in a very original interpretation of Greek mythology. Try it, regardless of your background in the genre and personal tastes.

Psychonauts 2 –

Psychonauts 2 is the most familiar Double Fine Productions could make and, in proposing a title extremely close to the dictates of the progenitor, it could not have made a better decision. Thanks in part to the lack of 3D platformers and his personality, Tim Schafer’s title continues to stand out even twenty years later, introducing more open, varied and charismatic levels, hilarious characters and funny powers, for what is one of the best titles launched between the two generations (even if without next-gen update, as opposed to Xbox).

Alan Wake Remastered –

Beyond the higher resolution and frame rate, and net of the character models revisited for the occasion: Alan Wake Remastered enters this ranking by right regardless of the quality of the work done by Remedy and Epic Games as the first opportunity for PlayStation users to try one of the best action-adventures of the last twenty years, one that has helped immortalize an underrated gaming icon (finally the sequel!) and to strengthen the narrative capacity of a medium that, at the time, suffered almost helplessly the wave of multiplayer titles. If you’ve never played it, consider it a lesson in the history of video games.