Siliconera’s Game of the Year 2021 awards begin next week! But there are too many great games this year to crown ‘em all. So now, we’re sharing some of our favorites that didn’t quite make the podium but meant a lot to us nonetheless. Here are our 2021 honorable mentions!
Shadowverse: Champions Battle is the real MVP this year. It’s a fantastic Hearthstone-like CCG from Cygames. You know, the studio behind Granblue Fantasy, Dragalia Lost and Uma Musume? There are so many cards available. The campaign feels like this great anime romp with a solid storyline. It’s fun to play alone or with another person. Also, its cards are amazing. I could spend forever building decks. People are doing themselves a disservice if they don’t play it. — Jenni
Anyone who’s tried Wildermyth knows how well it makes players invested in its procedural storytelling. It uses a lot of traditional tabletop ideas, like relationship-building and cool items, to incentivize putting more effort and interest in its papercraft heroes.
Oh, and also it’s a really impressive tactics game too? Its innovative magic system, in particular, makes environments play as different as they look. Games are going to borrow ideas from Wildermyth for years, and they should because they’re great. — Graham
It’s been an eventful year, so it’s easy to forget just how much good stuff came out. Thankfully one of the more significant releases to me was Super Robot Wars 30.
For decades it was just common sense to anime fans that no SRW game would never make it to the US intact, licensing being what it was, but Bandai Namco and BB Studio made it happen! That alone would be enough to call it a landmark event, but the fact that it’s not only a pretty good entry in the long-running series and maybe the most approachable one yet for newer players makes Super Robot Wars 30 the perfect gateway to the mad world of mecha strategy. — Josh
As someone who never plays horror games, I still have to recommend Mundaun. The sketchbook-like style is immediately striking, but if you’re wondering if that’s the title’s only draw? It isn’t. The puzzles are unique and tricky without being frustrating, and the setting is reminiscent of the tiny village seen in the film Midsommar.
Mundaun demands that the player care about the setting, exploring each area top to bottom to find clues and ample lore hidden away in the last places you’d ever look. Enemies can be engaged, yes, but they can also be ignored. This is a must-play, especially given its affordable price. — Carley
What are your honorable mentions for 2021 Game of the Year? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter! And read our other handy roundtables for more thoughts from the Siliconera team.
