In a world where time has no meaning, I even played a lot of video games! 2021 was a year full of surprises for me: if last year's list had several old games because I officially dusted off my Nintendo 3DS... this was the year for me to buy a Wii U! And that's how I spent the whole year playing things from the last decade (with a few indie games from recent years), but I had fun anyway. At the end of the day, what matters is spending a good amount of time playing games (to try to get away a little bit from the crazy reality that surrounds us).

But the year ended and with more hope to a better future, we also have my most anticipated award: welcome to POTY 2021, the Played of the Year! This is my end-of-the-year list of the best games I played this year. It doesn't matter if the title was launched decades ago: if i'm discovering it for the first time now, it counts. You can see the 2020 edition too, but let's go for the 2021 list!

20) Sally’s Law

PC/iOS/Android, Nanali Studios, 2016

At the beginning of the year, I decided to test Google Play Pass, a subscription service for apps and games on Android. There wasn't much titles that caught my attention (and I hadn't already played it) at the time, but Sally's Law was a pleasant surprise. A very short but very clever puzzle-platformer: you play the same level twice, with both runs complementing each other. Add a cute story, a simple and cute look and some collectibles and it's ready to start our POTY list.

19) Kirby Air Ride

GameCube, HAL Laboratory/Nintendo, 2003

With a little effort, you can run GameCube games on the Wii U and Kirby Air Ride is the first of several GCN titles that will appear on this list. In a never-repeated attempt at a pink mascot racing game, Kirby manages to have a totally unique racing game, with very simple controls and very different from what came before it (and even after!). While the main mode features races full of Copy Abilities and dashes, what really won me over (and this is a unpopular opinion, I know) was Top Ride, a racing mode on a single screen, looking like a slot machine with a little power. It's time for a sequel to this game for Switch now!

18) Florence

PC/Mac/iOS/Android/Switch, Mountains/Annapurna Interactive, 2018

A mix of a comic book, a visual novel and a puzzle game, Florence ended up being a pleasant surprise in the last week of the year. Telling the life story of a young girl, the title uses simple puzzles to reinforce her feelings and those around her in a very beautiful, elegant and smart way. In fact, speaking of beauty, the game is GORGEOUS, made with great attention to detail. It reminded me a lot of the storytelling style of What Remains of Edith Finch, another great recommendation from the same publisher.

17) Untitled Goose Game

PC/Mac/Switch/PS4/Xbox One, House House/Panic, 2019

This year I discovered that very few things are as fun as being a totally chaotic goose with the person you love. The hours I played Untitled Goose Game with my girlfriend were, by far, one of the moments I laughed the most this year. From the absurd missions to the 30-minute moments where we just growled at random people to make their lives hell, this game is amazing. UGG itself is really fun, but here's my very important recommendation to play it with someone else for a even more wonderful experience.

16) Nintendo Land

Wii U, Nintendo, 2012

Since the early days of the Wii U's life (which didn't last long, unfortunately), I watched Nintendo Land and it looked like the coolest game in the world. It wasn't the coolest, but it's definitely a lot of fun. With a focus on asymmetric gameplay and the smart use of the (previously new) GamePad tablet-like controller, the game manages to entertain while paying homage to classic franchises… almost always. While some attractions are incredible (like Donkey Kong's Crash Course, Takamaru's Ninja Castle and Metroid Blast), others leave a lot to be desired. It's not the best console introduction Nintendo has ever made, but it's a very competent one.

15) WarioWare: Smooth Moves

Wii, Intelligent Systems/Nintendo, 2007

It's no news to anyone that I love this series and WarioWare: Smooth Moves is exactly my kind of jam: random microgames, completely different visuals, completely adorable characters and stupid, funny stories. Like a good Wii game, the idea of using motion control for microgames doesn't always work, but when it does, it's extremely fun. Bonus points for the names and introductions of each way to hold the Wii Remote, which definitely didn't need to be like that, but had a “sexy-dumb energy” that definitely surprised me. May next year's list include the new WarioWare on Switch!

14) Tabletop Simulator

PC/Mac/Linux, Berserk Games, 2015

Digital platforms made me discover many new titles during the period safe at home and none did it better than Tabletop Simulator. By far it is the best 3D platform for playing boardgames digitally, with a very, very large list of mods made by the community with games and versions that you least imagine. It has its bugs here and there, but if you want to get started with modern board games, there probably isn't a cheaper and more accessible option right now than TTS. In addition to a friend with lots of board games at home, of course.

13) The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD

Wii U, Nintendo, 2013

My first The Legend of Zelda on Wii U wasn't Breath of the Wild, but The Wind Waker HD, a remake of one of the GameCube classics, which held me for a few weeks this year. The game is incredibly beautiful and wonderful, even more so in the HD version. Being able to play it lying in bed using just the GamePad made me understand the Switch's appeal. Many QoL changes made in this version (including the new sail on the boat) helped me better enjoy the delightful story of yet another classic in the franchise. I think the weak point is in the battle system and the design of the dungeons, but it's still a great game.

12) The Pedestrian

PC/Mac/Linux/Switch/PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Series X-S, Skookum Arts LLC, 2020

Another one that I didn't expect I would like so much, The Pedestrian is a very clever game. Its puzzle ideas are really cool and manages to break a lot of what is expected from a puzzle-platform, even if it has some difficulty spikes out of nowhere. Personally, I thought the game was beautiful, but what caught my attention the most was the incredible work done with symbology and iconography, creating a visual-mechanical identity for the puzzles that is very easy to assimilate and build upon. The end of the game is probably the most brilliant part and only lasts about 15 minutes? Yes, it's a shame, but it was still a really cool way to end a solid little game that I highly recommend.

11) Mario Kart 8

Wii U, Nintendo, 2014

Historically, Mario Kart for me was always just the battle mode, the one where you have to hit items on your opponents to pop their balloons. But with the lack of a decent mode like that in Mario Kart 8 (which was fixed in the Switch port), I settled for ordinary racing… and I LOVED IT? The eighth iteration of the franchise is, by far, the most enjoyable to play, both for the way you control the cars and for the possibilities of what to do with all their mechanics, from turbos to anti-gravity. Furthermore, the game is incredibly beautiful and seeing so many classic tracks (and even from other games, in the DLCs) remade in such a beautiful way makes my heart warm.

10) Kororinpa: Marble Mania

Wii, Hudson Soft, 2007

Being a Wii launch title, it's pretty incredible to see how precise and fun Kororinpa: Marble Mania's motion controls are. The idea of the game is very simple: move the Wii Remote to move a track where a marble moves, collecting all the crystals and reaching the exit. But he does it so well, in such a cute way, that I simply had me glued to the game for about 3 days until I completed all the levels. I also ended up trying Super Monkey Ball on Wii, but it didn't come close to the precision of Kororinpa, which I highly recommend if that's your type of jam. If not, at least watch speedruns of the game, which are incredible.

09) Luigi’s Mansion

GameCube, Nintendo, 2001

Dark Moon, on the 3DS, was one of the most fun games I played on the portable, but it's cool to see how the original Luigi's Mansion, on the GameCube, can be so different! At first, I was a little bothered by the small amount of collectibles (which there were a lot on the 3DS) and the confusing structure of the mansion. But, over time, you start memorizing the map and start to focus more on finding alternative paths and beating the big ghosts, which is the focus of the game. It's a product of its time, but it does a lot of different things and does them very well, in addition to having incredible charisma.

08) Unpacking

PC/Mac/Linux/Switch/Xbox One, Witch Beam/Humble Games, 2021

The only game actually released in 2021 on this list, Unpacking is a very different but extremely cozy experience. Not only because of the way she tells her story, but because of the simple but very relaxing gameplay ― except when it makes me guess by trial and error whether a cloth is a towel table, a dish towel, a bath towel or some clothing. A small but very fun thing in this game is the possibility of exporting images and GIFs of your tidying process, because seeing how differently people tidy things is a show in itself.

07) Assemble With Care

PC/Mac/iOS, Ustwo Games, 2019

Few games hit my emotions as hard as Assemble With Care. In addition to look amazing and having a very beautiful plot, the idea of a mechanic around fixing things hooked me into the game in a way I didn't expect. A lot of people talk about how simple the game's puzzles are (and they really are easy), but I think that's where some of the magic comes from for me: I felt like someone who really knew what they were doing, fixing people's things and discovering their stories. For someone who grew up with his father making repairs as if by magic this game was even more special.

06) Wii Sports

Wii, Nintendo, 2006

YES, I had never played Wii Sports until this year… why did it never look so cool? On a console with Mario, Zelda and Just Dance, why would my 10-year-old self ask to go bowling at someone's house? But then I played it and understood the magic of this business: there is no game that better reflects the philosophy of the Wii as a console than Wii Sports. It's simple, it's intuitive, it's fun, everyone can play, everyone can win, everyone can look at this and think that video games are for them too. Only my mother's happiness playing bowling alone made the game reach this position on the list.

05) Super Mario 3D World

Wii U, Nintendo, 2013

In a year in which I played Mario Galaxy, it's interesting to think that Super Mario 3D World is the game that starts the POTY Top 5. I loved the variety of levels and styles, with each one trying something different, sometimes with more personality than several galaxies in the other game. The idea of exploration is also very present in 3D World, with the search for green stars and stamps, which make you look in every corner of each level. On top of all this, I played the whole thing in multiplayer with my girlfriend and it was a really fun and funny experience with lots of great moments. 3D World is a great game, much better than its portable cousin and a great iteration of Mario in 3D.

04) Chibi-Robo! Plug Into Adventure!

GameCube, Skip Ltd./Bandai/Nintendo, 2006

Chibi-Robo! is a strange game in all its parts: you control a 10-centimeters-tall little robot that needs to be charged every 5 real life minutes, trying to clean the house and help solve the problems of a dysfunctional and almost bankrupt family. With mechanics that sometimes feel like a movement-based puzzle, sometimes feel like a classic adventure and sometimes feel like a survival game, everything about it makes me happy to simply exist. It's such a unique game, with so much personality, that it really deserves a remake to correct some issues that have aged poorly in this great little game.

03) Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

Nintendo DS/iOS, Capcom, 2011

An absolute truth: very few stories ever told in ANY MEDIA are more engaging, surprising and crazy than the plot of Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective. A DS classic that was lost in an iOS port, it is an extremely unique and wonderful game. From character design to the sequence of plot events, I took advantage of my last two days off from work to just play this thing. I just played this game, for real, nothing else. As much as it has its problems, the innovative “owning objects” mechanic is an even more dynamic version of the point-and-click idea that also works very well.

02) Spin Rhythm XD

PC/Mac, Super Spin Digital, 2019

I'm an avowed fan of rhythm games, but I'm not the person who's going to spend hours learning how to do Full Combos. But in many games, on the simplest difficulties, that feeling of playing an instrument (or at least being one with the music) doesn't happen as much. Spin Rhythm XD managed to make me be in that state of flow even on lower difficulties, with very fluid and natural gameplay and a good selection of electronic music. The game is still in early access, but should be officially released soon. If you like music games like me, it's definitely worth checking out.

01) Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

GameCube, Intelligent Systems/Nintendo, 2004

The original Nintendo 64 game was already something very memorable for me, but Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is a masterpiece, remnants of a Nintendo that unfortunately no longer exists. Everything is different, it's strange, it's different, from the story to the characters and how that little world is built. Each chapter has a somewhat distinct structure, the mechanics have been improved and brought to near perfection. It's very sad to think that this game is stuck in the purple cube to this day, because it is by far one of the best things I've ever played and a perfect recommendation for those who like different RPGs. The Thousand-Year Door deserves my Played of the Year!

Honorable Mentions

• I played a lot, a lot of Picross/Nonogram this year on the Nintendo 3DS, it was my thing when I was very tired. The best were the Japan-exclusive Club Nintendo Picross and the themed My Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Sanrio characters Picross.
• My “mobile point-and-click franchise that I marathoned in a week” of the year was the bizarre Hidden my game by mom (available on consoles as Mom Hid My Game!). The games don't make any sense, the puzzles have absurd solutions, but it's very funny.
• Rhythm Heaven Fever has one of the best songs in video games in the credits and I was finally able to play it until the end to see this masterpiece.
• I didn't know there were idle games with a story, but this year I was shown Spaceplan and Peter Talisman: Lord of the Harvest. Each one in their own way, they have very different proposals in the genre that I find very interesting.
• The three worst games I played this year were quite peculiar: the game with much more budget than it should have The Solitaire Conspiracy, the musical gacha Beatstar and the overrated adventure game The Dream Machine.

And that was my 2nd Played of the Year! You can see a more complete list on my Backloggd, if you want. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and see you on POTY again next year!