byOMG Game of the Year 2021 – Indie, Strategy/Puzzle and Horror
Best Indie
These games are developed by an independent developer.
Winner – Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a beautiful game with simple, yet enjoyable and at times difficult combat. While it is not a lengthy playthrough and the story is not always that engrossing, the price of admission is worth it for the journey. Ember Lab done so many things right with Kena: Bridge of Spirits that it is easy to overlook its minimal flaws and for that, I recommend anyone who has the chance to play it does. 9/10 – Review by Brando, full review here.
Honourable Mention – Death’s Door
Death’s Door has gone ahead and made a game here that is challenging without forcing anyone to bring up the difficulty debate, with a really beautiful art style in a mysterious world full of quirky characters and dangerous foes. It ticks all the boxes that are in the fun list and I highly recommend this to anyone that just wants a fun game, with a great story. I just wish it were longer. 9/10 – Reviewed by Brando, review found here.
Honourable Mention – Little Nightmares
Little Nightmares 2 is a horror game that takes the usual scare tactics of its genre and throws them out the window. It remains thrilling throughout its story and at no moment is there that terrible feeling of waiting for that inevitable jump-scare. Its stunning visuals and disturbing world keep the player on their toes for an entire playthrough, and though some of the movement can be frustrating at time, it is an engrossing experience from start to finish. 8/10 – Reviewed by Brando, review found here.
Best Strategy/Puzzle
These games fit into the Strategy and or Puzzle genres.
Winner – Kings Bounty
King’s Bounty II is difficult but has well fleshed out RPG elements with amazing sound and detail throughout. It stumbles slightly in graphics and voice acting but this does not detract from the adventure as the story and lore are immersive and quite enjoyable from the start. For a game thirty years in the making, 1C Entertainment and Prime Matter have made a fantastic turn-based combat game and should be praised for this effort. 9/10 – Reviewed by Rob, review found here.
Honourable Mention – Operation Tango
Operation: Tango is a great game that is built on the foundation of an online co-op experience and will have gamers working together at a level that isn’t always seen in the real world. The gameplay and story lead players on a cooperative path of success and failure and let players experience the important aspects of the story without drawing them out of the game. The main downside to this game is that once you’ve played both sides of the story the player isn’t likely to jump back in unless another friend wants to play. Overall, it’s tough to fault the Operation: Tango experience and besides a few of the puzzles that felt out of place and a reason to go back, it’s a great game that those looking for a cooperative challenge should definitely experience. Plus, at $29.95 it’s a purchase that you can justify right now. 9/10 – Reviewed by Xbox Gamer Dad Matt, review found here.
Honourable Mention – Jurassic World Evolution 2
Best Horror
These games fit into the Horror genre.
Winner – Resident Evil Village
Resident Evil Village is like being at a strangely familiar but brand-new theme park with 4 heart pounding interactive thrill rides, with the Village being the actual park and each of the 4 distinct areas being a different ride. Each giving a taste of diversity, with action packed set pieces, various enemy monster types and unique but campy bosses. While these 4 thrill rides all fit the survival horror genre, they each feel like a separate entity, making some way better than the others. Unfortunately for those wanting more of the same as Resident Evil 7, or a consistent ride all the way through, they will not find it here. But if players want an entertaining and wild ride, then Resident Evil Village delivers at a breakneck speed. 9/10 – Reviewed by Pottsy, review found here.
Honourable Mention – Little Nightmares
Honourable Mention – The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes by Supermassive Games is one of the best story driven games of this generation and the best in the Anthology so far. With an engrossing story that doesn’t let up and has two different cuts to play, House of Ashes delivers a wonderful experience. The secrets are meaningful with depth to the lore and backstory. The characters are likeable and the relationships effective and have so much detail behind them. In the two available playthroughs, the investment to detail is apparent in both and made us want to play more to see every possible ending. This is an intense popcorn movie that the player will not want to end. 9/10 – Reviewed by Rob, review found here.
Honourable Mention – The Medium
The Medium is a fantastic achievement of storytelling and gameplay mechanics mixed with incredible art and sound. Bloober Team have given the gaming community a masterpiece that needs to be experienced by anyone that calls themselves a gamer. The sheer vastness of the story mixed with gameplay that is smooth and responsive keeps the player on the edge of their seat for the duration of the eight-hour story and delivers on all fronts. The immersive nature of the sights and sounds really put the player at the centre of this experience. Bloober Team have taken full advantage of the new generation hardware and the power of the Xbox Series X really makes this game shine. The Medium is a joy to experience on new-gen hardware from both a performance and graphical fidelity perspective. Well done Bloober Team on this fantastic new split screen masterpiece. 10/10 – Reviewed by Rob, review found here.
Recap our 2021 Games of the Year
OMG Game of the Year 2021 – Console Exclusives – click here.
OMG Game of the Year 2021 – Multiplatform, FPS and New IP – click here.
OMG Game of the Year 2021 – Best Story, DLC and Adventure – click here.
OMG Game of the Year 2021 – Best Remake/Remaster, Family and Game for Children – click here.
OMG Game of the Year 2021 – Graphics, Sound and Visual title – click here.
OMG Game of the Year 2021 – Action-Adventure, Racing and Cooperative – click here.
OMG Game of the Year 2021 – Action/Beat’em Up, Platformer and Sequel – click here.
OMG Game of the Year 2021 – RPG, Multiplayer and Most Disappointing – click here.
Join us tomorrow for the best Sports, Simulation and Fighting for 2021.
Pottsy for One More Game
