Robot Republic GOTY 2021
We asked the team here at the Robot Republic to say a little something about their Game of the Year choice.
KB123 - Orcs Must Die 3
For me, I would have to say my Game of the Year would have to be Orcs Must Die 3 (Robot Entertainment). This game is a fantastic entry into the Orcs Must Die franchise, The gameplay provides a unique mix of Third Person Action and Tower Defence creating a game unlike any other and also has online Co-op which is a big plus for me. I would recommend that everyone should buy this game and give it a go, Because this game is the best Tower Defence game ever made and in my opinion, the best game that has been released in 2021.
Check out KBs full review here.
Bandit - Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life
Though the comparison between the Rare title and Pirates of the Caribbean was always made, it wasn’t until 2021 that we got an official crossover. Unlike the lazy amalgamation of franchises that Fortnite employs, the crossover between Sea of Thieves and Pirates of the Caribbean felt organic, fun, and actually blended well with the lore of the base game. It was also great fun sailing the seas with Jack Sparrow and hearing the earworm that is “A Pirate’s Life For Me”. It was like being back in Disneyland! Easy contender for GOTY.
Some other ideas for SoT cross overs:
Cally - The Forgotten City
Beginning life as a Skyrim Mod, this stand-alone experience received a full release earlier this year. I picked it up on the back of a dramatic trailer and a host of 5-star reviews on the Xbox store.
A time loop game (but like, before they were cool), the Forgotten City sees you transported to an ancient city living under the tyranny of ‘the golden rule’. This being, any sin committed by one person, will result in the whole population being killed.
When the rule is inevitably broken, you must dash back to the portal to reset the day.
Where The Forgotten city shines (other than gold statues) is in its writing. The characters you meet will become invested in their plight. With only a few you will desperately want to slay.
The story is well thought out, and the twists and reveals are hard to see coming but feel earnt.
Multiple endings exist, but the ‘good’ ending really hit me hard. It takes a lot to make a robot feel emotions, but this game had me leaking oil from my optics.
Check out Cally's full review here.
Holly - Resident Evil Village
Being a gaming person with severely below-average ability, I played this years games with my partner, so a lot of them were from a Player 2 perspective, and my favourite (predictably) was Resident Evil Village by a country mile. I sat and watched the seconds tick down on my purchase and it became my favourite RE game within the first hour. The story structure, the fairy-tale characters and the different takes on horror absolutely won over my heart. The monster design was engaging and refreshing, and the 4 bosses culminating in a huge final battle was absolutely delicious. Only flaw was not enough vampire boobs.
Check out our full review of Resident Evil Village here.
Odhrán - SPOOKWARE
For me, there were few games that enticed me and made me laugh as much as SPOOKWARE did this year. With its immensely charming story and mini-games the guys over at BEESWAZX Games and Dread XP have made one of the most visually appealing, fun and polished games I’ve had the pleasure of playing. It’s got an incredibly charming visual style and score too! We need more games like this!
Find a full review for Spookware over on The Gaming Sandbox, our rival site.
Jack - MS Flight Simulator
Before it was moved to early next year, I was prepared for my GOTY to be given to All Elite Wrestling’s console game. Obviously it can’t be the case, but my pick is equally strange still: it is the console port of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. While it is not exactly a game you can just dip into and fly a Boeing 747 to New York’s JFK Airport from Heathrow, with just a bit of willingness to learn, you can live the dream of the Foo Fighters and really learn to fly. The fact a console (admittedly one which can be considered ‘powerful’ in the same way Brock Lesnar can be considered ‘musclely’) can run this with minimal changes is nothing short of astonishing and the graphics alone are enough to make this title a demonstration game for the console in the same manner Ratchet And Clank should be for the Playstation 5. This game could be considered closer to a sim than a true game, but for my two pence, it still sits comfortably on the gaming side of the fence.
The Aussie Perspective
Dynamic quests, magic, monsters, in-depth character customization, god-gifted superpowers that make you feel amazing and a whole lot more are offered in my selection, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous. This game has everything I wanted in an RPG and more. The scaling epicness of the campaign, the ridiculously in-depth nature of character and party building and all of the in-between are fantastic features that not a single Triple-A game I’ve ever played has ever offered me. It will not shock me when this game gets next to zero mentions for Game of the Year. It will however, bring a tear to my eye. (Just remember to turn off crusades)
Check out Aussie Perspective's work over on his channel:
Glitchqraft - Kena: Bridge of Spirits
There have been some absolutely seminal releases this year, and I’ve been so torn between two for my favourite: Life is Stange: True Colors and Kena: Bridge of Spirits. But I think, if I have to pick a winner, it’s got to go to Kena.
Life is Strange: True Colors was a masterful artwork of storytelling and immersive gameplay, and maybe even managed to outdo the original Life is Strange in regards to emotional heft and general all-round enjoyment. But given that Kena: Bridge of Spirits was both a debut title and something that felt altogether novel in its execution, she has to steal the top spot for me.
Visually impeccable, completely unputdownable and with some of the most fiendishly challenging boss battles I’ve toppled in quite some time, it is an absolute must-play title for anyone out there with a controller in their hands. I hope we see a sequel in the not-too-distant future but, even if we don’t, this release will live on in my memory for years – and that’s quite the accolade given today’s gaming landscape!
Check out Glitch's work all over the place here:
Riku - Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
Why is Endwalker my Game of the Year? After playing FFXIV since its relaunch as A Realm Reborn in 2013 I’ve spent so much of my time playing it. Each expansion (a whole new chunk of the game in it’s own right!) brings more content and ways that make the game feel fresh and with Endwalker dropping at the start of December I returned with much haste to Ethyris, a world that has encapsulated me for near on 8 years. The narrative is perfectly structured to bring together every single thread of information and lore that have been explored in the game since 2.0. An 8 year journey of discovery, conflict, mystery and emotions are brought to a stunningly emotional climax.
The standout of the whole expansion was the score and sound design. Those that have played Final Fantast XIV will be very aware of how good Masayoshi Soken is at crafting songs that match the tone of battles, and Endwalker takes this to a whole new level, using masterful sound design to convey the mood and tone of each cutscene and dungeon along with bringing some very nostalgic tracks back from past expansions to really tug at the players heartstrings. I’ll admit, much of this decision for me is the sentimentality of being able to see the story I started almost a decade ago come to its conclusion, however, I will argue that Endwalker is without a doubt the best thing I’ve played this year, eclipsing even the like of RE Village and Psychonauts 2.
Check out Riku's Streaming here:
There you have it, game of the year from a few of the Citizens and Allies of Robot Republic.
It's been great to see the eclectic tastes of my colleague, with not one picking the same game as their GOTY.
This has been a great year for gaming. With a lack of AAA releases to a degree has let smaller titles shine and get the recognition they deserve.
So tell us, what is your personal GOTY. Is there someone here you agree with? Let us know in the comment.
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