Mystic Games of Year 2021

“The year was 2021; I’ll never forget it” (Not a dialogue from opening of a popular game *wink* *wink*)

Certainly, 2021 is a year that’ll not be remembered too fondly in the annals of history; but it has definitely been an impactful year in more ways than one. It was, overall, a year of hang ups; of an industry trying to get back into function after the pandemic ravaged the usual development cycle and people’s lives. Supply chain shortages continued, leaving many to not be able to delve their hands in the new generation and companies shifting their gears in a long cross gen mode. In the video game industry it has been a year of plenty of scandals for some ‘triple A’ publishers. It was also a year that did not particularly offer a rather extraordinary showing of games but a refined presentation for many long awaited ones. In the meanwhile, it was a rather stunning year for some of the smaller budget and indie games. Most of all however, the year 2021 offered a glimpse into a stunning future of the video game industry and here’s hoping we all are there to watch that dream fulfilled five years to a decade from now.

Today, however, we are not here to talk about all that released in this year and what was interesting or disappointing about them. Whatever the year may have offered to the video game industry as a whole, every year offers to each individual something personal to tell as well. Thus it is in fact time to recount what ‘The Mystic Neko’ played over the year. What was new? what was old? What deserves the award for personal game of the year from any of the new games played this year.

While I have been not been able to play much this year due to a life that grows busy; something many who have grown into adulthood and come to grips with various other aspects of their life can relate; whatever I played was still pretty meaty in content. I offer my brief opinion for each before deciding which truly holds game of the year for me and what has been most disappointing in terms of expectations as well as delivery.

 

Final Fantasy VII remake (Hard Mode):

Starting of the year with last year’s Mystic Game of the Year but in a more challenging mode. Final Fantasy VII Remake (Hard Mode) was a blast to play. It really fleshed out the action elements of the system and nailed down the importance of equipping ‘materia’ far more than the base game. Almost all ‘materia’ was important and it was really interesting to switch the whole pattern of gameplay from a magic focused fun and blast to a carefully curated parry, counter and conserve tactic. The game designers have to be commended on making ‘materia’ that probably in any other FF on a regular run; I would have never used and just appreciated as an option. It is a really solid gameplay system that has evolved from the systems created a decade ago in Final Fantasy XIII trilogy and it just keeps getting better. After completing the hard mode I was able to finish off all the hidden bosses as well as other left over stuff finally earning my first Platinum trophy this generation as I ended up 100% completing the game. It’s a real shame that the wait for the next Part of remake is going to be long and it is salt on wound that the intergrade DLC episode never made it to last gen consoles. Oh well. Doesn’t change the fact that this here is one of the finest JRPGs this generation has produced and a surprising one despite all the controversy surrounding it.

Dragon Quest XI:

Finally! After stalling off the final part of the game for the longest time, I finally pushed myself to push through the grind to end that chapter in this game. The third arc was a surprising inclusion and probably would have been missed if not for all the unanswered questions and hints of something more the game had to tell. It took me three years to tick of each major arc of the game but it was a worthwhile experience. Dragon Quest Xi offers a very classic experience that JRPGs at this scale just don’t dare to deliver anymore. I had my gripes with the poor quality of music in the launch version but everything else was top notch about the game, from characters to graphics to script and content. Dragon Quest XI is a game from the 90s at heart and a JRPG for the ages. Hopefully next time if I ever pick it up again, it’ll be to try that Definitive version to see how the change of music quality and some worthwhile quality of life changes improve the experience.

Assassin’s CreedII:

Must have been my umpteenth play through. Well, it was still quite a few years later going back into the world of Ezio Auditore Da Firenze. This time I played using the Re-mastered trilogy edition on PS4 and well… some of the changes they made particularly to the faces were quite distracting. Frankly speaking, it did kind of take away from the overall artistic look of the game. In hindsight, the world itself and the basic gameplay is still as enjoyable as ever. Still the game definitely shows its age. This was also the first time I got to play all the DLC and I think I prefer the original pre dlc version. The DLC filled in gaps of events before the end but really bloated an experience far more than it needed to be and also did not help the pacing considering the fact that ACII is probably the longest main story already of the classic Assassin’s Creed. Still, it’s the best game in the trilogy and the series and I cannot wait to go back again someday to relive my teenage.

Nier Automata:

Finally, after getting my hands on the complete version I was able to experience this celebrated masterpiece. Initially I struggled to think what was so unique about the game that blew minds. I had played the original Papa Nier on 360 and the mid gameplay style variations of Automata were not exactly new but definitely more refined here and the look of the game more consistent and up to the modern standards. However as the story unwrapped itself, revealing more layers behind the external one and then slowly lifted those to reveal the core, the whole experience truly turned out to be mind blowing, The best thing about it is how perfectly the gameplay meshed with the characters and changed in its intensity and action with the changes of cahracter psyche. There were many philosophical questions posed by Automata and it is definitely stunning how it manages to provide insight and satisfy many of them. On top of that in terms of music, in terms of gameplay and game design, the game is a complete package of quality upon quality. Nier’s praise is well deserved and now I am more excited to go back one of these days to experience the Tale again while also hoping to play the enhanced and remastered version of Replicant story soon. Play Nier. This one will blow you.

Persona 5

Another replay this year and we'll it wasn't like I played it from start to finish. It was a continued playthrough, in preparation to play Persona 5 Royal, from last year that due to various reasons I had not been able to complete. 

Still it was almost half a chunk of this game and that's equal to an average jrpg. But it's great Persona 5 takes its time to build up and pay off. Even after plenty of playthroughs over the years since this game released, the gameplay loop has remained addictive, the style has remained unmatched, the slickness of the menus is something to crave for in every game, the music has remained a heart capturing locution of soulful jazz and the game is almost always a life changing experience. No wonder it is one of the greatest games ever made and perhaps the finest jrpg of the decade taking over the throne from previous greats proudly. 

Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition

Courtesy of Sony for giving it for free. I gave this game another chance after quitting it in front of more interesting games at the time. My experience with Aloy and her adventures was quite gripping this time around. Overall its a fine game and I'd recommend it to anyone whose not played it yet. The game starts off slow and you really cannot survive without learning the ropes of every weapon and spending time to upgrade them but once you do complete your repositary of weapons, it's a blast through and through. Pretty great how well balanced the game is and pushes one to actually learn all it's mechanics. Hopefully the sequel will make significant improvements in terms of gameplay and story delivery. The greatest feature of this game is how to this date it stuns with its graphical scenery. The upcoming sequel only looks to improve on it even more. 

Trails in the Sky Second Chapter:

I got into the long running Trails series fairly recently, yet still, before it blew out of its niche of popularity. However, there were many parts of these games that remained un-played. Thus to experience the full meat of this odyssey again, I set off on a gargantuan quest to finish all the games last year as soon as possible sensing the imminent release of Cross Bell fan translation patch by the illustrious Geofront. Finishing of Sky 1 last year and starting on Second Chapter, there was still a fair bit left to experience. It’s a pretty emotional game that delivers on every front and its final segments are excruciatingly long. However Sky is one of the best arcs the series has to offer and the conclusion will always leave you stunned at the majesty. Indeed even a simple game design but with great story, characters and ambition can elevate itself to the highest echelons.

Trails in the Sky The 3^rd:

At last I was able to play this game, often held in high regard in the fan base despite it in concept feeling like a budget title that was probably stretched out forcefully into a full game to net some more cash. Sky third is anything but a cash grab however, This is one of the finest story telling JRPGs will offer with a strong building of character and  environmental foreshadowing and satisfying reveals. Sky third surprises in more ways than one and it definitely packs a meaty and a very shocking punch that will make your stomach churn quite a few times. It definitely did for me. Father Kevin Graham will always be remembered as the James Sunderland of JRPGs and Sky3rd is definitely the Silent Hill 2 of JRPGs. If anyone does start playing the series, it is highly recommended to definitely go through this game and finish every aspect of its content to truly see how much this game has to offer in terms of warmth, surprise and blood curdling shocks. The gameplay from the previous sky games make a satisfying return.

Trails of Zero:

Ladies and Gentlemen, you probably would never have dreamt about it, but Zero no Kiseki translation is not only out in the wild, but officially blessed by NISA, the publisher handling Falcom’s Trails series and soon will grace the west in that capacity. However the star of the show are the translators and the more praise you can give Geofront for achieving this monumental task with a small team of fans, the less it will be. Trails series are known to have some of the thickest tomes of script that would require huge input of time to translate. Geofront not only localizes it, but delivers it at a  quality that would shame some of the best localizations of Japanese games out there to date. It’s truly a marvel to behold. On top of that, this brilliant group not only did the translation and quality check but in fact modded the old version of game to run at higher resolutions, higher quality videos, subtitles, evo soundtracks, higher framerates, cutscene selections and various other quality of life features that you don’t even expect from a good PC port of Japanese games. Thank You Geofront for finally making the world able to experience a significant portion of the Trails series that had largely gone untouched so far and yet considered one of the best arcs in the series.

What of the adventure and turmoil of Lloyd Bannings and Co. of Special Support Section of Crossbell Police Department? Well, its best left for you to find out but suffice it to say, it’s quite an addictive experience that will go from height to height. The series truly evolves its darker themes from Sky third here and manages to deliver a mature story that really keeps even a JRPG veteran in adulthood, who has gone through all of the tropes the genre, involved just due to sheer quality of its story delivery, characters, intrigue and dialogue quality. It’s worth mentioning that music is always an aspect to cherish in Falcom’s games so definitely some really great stuff here as well. Ironically, the Evolution versions are definitely poor overall so it’s recommend sticking to the original soundtrack. Hopefully with the official release, a huge portion of fan-base will finally be able to experience the missing chunk of story in the coming year and the one that is like sipping a most delicious drink.

Trails of Cold Steel:

Replaying this for the second time, and finally finishing it, Cold Steel definitely is a turning point in the series. It’s a slow start, a game with a larger cast than the previous ones and a game spanning a huge empire rather than just one city or a kingdom. Cold Steel delivers but somewhere it also falters. Maybe it’s because of a jrpg setting people are too used to, maybe it’s because the shift to 3D in that PS3/Vita era feels jarring and maybe because it’s a little too structured. One thing is for sure, Cold Steel is definitely in comparison to its contemporaries, a weaker entry but one that still stands above the standard fare JRPGs and a game that still puts its characters, story and intrigue at the forefront. There is some really banging crazy musical work done here and the gameplay has truly evolved into a newer iteration that’s much more involved and addictive than the standard turn base nature of the previous games. Perhaps the greatest tragedy for the game is that as it builds everything of its world and characters and let the story run its course, it takes place in the same timeline as Crossbell arc, one of the finest stories the series has had to offer and knowing that definitely dampens the prospects for this game. All in all, Cold Steel still makes for quite a strong entry point in the series and anyone who has trouble getting into these turn based systems of old jrpgs should definitely give this one a hand.

Trails of Cold Steel II:

Wow! That’s a lot of Trails games this year. It’s a miracle how I managed to tick many of them off despite a busy schedule considering most of them are anywhere from near 50-60h long on average. Anyways, continuing on this journey, the sequel is a direct continuation and this is that one of few games that I had never been able to finish before despite starting them due to various circumstances. Considering how the pacing went and my desire to be done with second part of Crossbell running concurrent to the timeline of this game, the game remains unfinished as of now. It also has plenty of pace breakers, particularly at the end, however the game itself is immensely fun. The features from the previous games evolve and the mech battles play a prominent role this time. The plot is pretty tense and the music takes on a darker vibe. Ill hopefully soon get back to finish the final arc of the game.

 

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood:

Well, I did buy the whole trilogy pack didn’t I? It was only obvious i'd want to go through the whole trilogy. Assassin’s Creed brotherhood was the same old same old experience. There isn’t particularly new or tinkered stuff in the game. The DLC was definitely far more interesting and fun than those of Assassin’s Creed II and the visual clarity due to high resolution assets and better lighting is definitely an improvement. HOWEVER, I feel in terms of plat-forming, the game aged worse than 2. I also ran into a couple of glitches. Anyhow, finished the game and will soon be on to revelations and then back again as I continue my cycle of playing one of the best trilogies in gaming.

Tales of Arise:

One of the new games I played and also one of the recent releases this year. Also a game I was super excited for. Now it’s indeed the most disappointing game this year and probably one of the top ones in that category since the start of my gaming hobby. Arise has had commercial luck even going on to win various ‘RPG of the year’ in a year of lacklustre games and RPGs. Arise had a lot of luck in regards to marketing and popularity for example launching in a dry period of games after a pandemic that needed that family kind of experience. It definitely delivers on some fronts like graphics and gameplay. At its core Arise is very much a Tales games. The greatest issue with Arise probably is how extremely super average the game is and yet blown out of proportion on the hype train. It is a flawed experience overall.  Arise starts off well but then quickly falls apart with its lack lustre villains, bland humour, irritating RPG systems hindering various abilities and going all out in battles, poor and repetitive enemy design for almost all of the game and most of all pretentious themes that it never manages to truly discuss or resolve. Its overall a light hearted Tales with a visual veneer of dark and its characters are the most dumb and archetypical ones you’ll see in a JRPG. It shames even most of the previous JRPGs I’ve played before in those terms. Arise hardly tries to change itself and by the end just breaks down in terms of pacing as well. There is hardly anything new here, just plenty of same old JRPG stuff you’ve seen a thousand times and what is worse is that everything comes predictably from miles away leaving only a bad taste in your mouth. This is one game I don’t ever intend to return anytime soon for the sake of my own mental health and preserve my precious time. It’s also now one of the Tales games I’d probably recommend skipping if you’re going in on the hype train.

Tales of Berseria:

After Arise left a bad taste in my mouth, I needed something to wash it off. It was also I felt time to start going back through one of my most favourite series and reanalysing each available game. Berseria was one of the games I already held in high regard not only in the series but among the genre as well. Playing through it again however was a more refreshing experience than I ever imagined. This time, I took my time with it to examine every nook and cranny and do as many side content as possible. The result was a significantly enhanced experience than my first one. By the end, I felt that I did not give this game full justice in my original review. Not only is this game an emotional roller coaster ride that delivers on all fronts; story, characters, music, extra content, overall art and gameplay but rather this might as well be a ‘Modern Tales of Series Masterpiece’ that went under the radar for many. Berseria is definitely in terms of its plot and character arcs standing tall only next to Abyss, and it will always remain a struggle for any new game to live up to its stature. 

Elder Scrolls III Morrowind:

Ah, time flies so fast. It has already been now 20 years since Morrowind graced the RPG scene and took it by storm. Morrowind is probably Elder Scrolls first true foray into popularity and one that set up the template leading up to Skyrim. The modding scene for this game is crazy and rightly so with the content and world and a true D&D style RPG experience it has to offer. It’s a hard game to start with especially if you don’t pay attention to stats but well on PC, there is always an ease to tinker with some aspects of the game to make It more palatable. What prompted me to restart the game was the introduction of new and improved OpenMW. It’s an entirely new engine built to run Morrowind on modern PCs and with various modern graphical capabilities by fans and it just keeps getting better. Modding Morrowind is easier than ever and the game continues to grow with Tamriel Unlimited project. While I’ve yet to finish the game, I would definitely recommend playing this game again with Open MW. It truly starts to feel like a fresh experience that is close to modern Elder Scrolls title and it’s amazing how even the slightest visual changes and clarity can immensely improve a game’s enjoyment. Morrowind Forever!

Tales of Destiny:

This is the final game I played this year and the first part of the series to essentially introduce Tales to the world. I wanted to re-experience the PS1 version in preparation to the, finally, fan translated Director’s Cut Definitive Version on PS2 especially with rumours of an official release on the way. Well, I am in progress of working on a retrospective but this game was another surprise. After playing it years later, It almost felt like a fresh experience of sorts. The game offers a super addictive battle system and a sprite work that is a sight to behold. Destiny is definitely in retrospect a very forward looking title for its age and one can see how its legacy still stands strong in various Tales of games to date. I definitely recommend trying this game out wholeheartedly.

 

Game of the Year:

The only new games I played were thus Nier Automata, Tales of Arise, Trails in the Sky the 3^rd and Tales of Zero. Tales of Arise drops out without even another thought of consideration. Zero no Kiseki is a fine experience and I definitely appreciate the voice acting work done for it. It truly was orgasmic at times however when compared to other titles, it is still an overall standard fare with a very good story and not something that stands uniquely. The battle was tough between Sky3 and Automata though. Both offered cohesive and complete experiences with strong characterizations and other qualities you would expect from a game. There was a deep philosophical thought in both games and a discussion over human psyche as well as nature of society. One game however truly stood out in all those aspects though and definitely is a marvel to experience. I think the answer to it is pretty easy.

Nier Automata is the Mystic Game of the Year 2021.

 

2022 is looking to be quite a prolific year for games and hopefully ill be delving my hands into newer experiences more this time and definitely keeping my retro scene strong as well, especially now that we have entered a long Cross-gen phase and there isn’t a particular time of being able to get hands on one of those newer gen consoles.

 

Till then Sayonara,

The Mystic.