My favorite games of 2021 that weren't actually released in 2021

Although I played and loved a lot of games this year that were actually released in the last 12 months, I also played and loved a lot of games that came out before 2021.

In particular, I played more Vita games in 2021 than I have in years—three of which are highlighted below. I also played a handful of DS games.

A Kappa’s Trail (DS)

This Nintendo DSiWare game is a breath of fresh air for several reasons, though the most noteworthy are that it makes full use of the DS system's touch screen (in fact, the machine's directional pad or face buttons are disabled during play) and it forces players to figure out what to do right from the word go.

Granted, I'd hardly call this digital release one of my favorite games of 2021 if all it offered were a lack of handholding and slick, stylus-centric controls. On that note, A Kappa's Trail is also quite a looker, no shock given the wizards at Brownie Brown (of Mother 3 and Magical Starsign fame) made it. Its lead-a-big-headed-kappa-to-the-end-of-each-winding-stage-while-avoiding-myriad-pitfalls-and-perils gameplay is unique, too, not to mention tense, thanks to the creepy disembodied hand that slowly stalks you and threatens to cut short your otherwise jaunty journey.

Don't worry, the latter isn't overly off-putting; instead, it injects the game with a welcome dose of drama that elevates the experience beyond "pleasant but boring."

Airship Q (PC/Vita)

When I imported my copy of this game many moons ago, all I knew about it was that it was supposed to be Terraria with cats. In reality, that description isn't entirely accurate. Airship Q is a far more straightforward title than Terraria, though this doesn't mean it's constricted. On the contrary, it's as open as you could hope for it to be; however, there are times you'll be forced in a particular direction to advance Airship Q's rather meager story.

Now to throw some cold water onto this little "review": Airship Q is a bit janky. In particular, its block- and physics-based world regularly does its best to spoil your progress and fun by trapping your craft or keeping you from reaching your intended destination. This usually induces laughs rather than rage, but don't be shocked if it causes the occasional fit. It shouldn't prompt you to huffily pull the plug on your playthrough, though, or at least it shouldn't if you do like I did and think of this aspect of the game as charming instead of irritating.

Gravity Rush (PS4/Vita)

Gravity Rush is one of those games that are filled with brazen, brilliant ideas that never fully gel. The characters (Kat, the protagonist, especially) and steampunk-ish setting fascinate, and its soundtrack alternatingly soothes and soars. Speaking of soaring, dashing and falling through the air as the aforementioned Kat is one of the more exhilarating experiences I've had in a game in eons.

Dashing and falling into one or more of Gravity Rush's low-key nightmarish enemies, on the other hand, tends to be tiresome rather than breathtaking, and it didn't take me long to both dread and even detest such tussles. Fulfilling the game's many missions gets old quickly, too, though not as completely as its battles.

Perhaps appropriately, the story in Gravity Rush veers wildly between riveting and ridiculous—almost like it exists to meld the game's positive and negative attributes. It leans toward the former more than the latter, though, and that was enough for me.

A ringing endorsement, right? Maybe not, but the fact is I'm still thinking of my time with Gravity Rush, and I'm also already contemplating taking another stab at it. In other words, its pros outweigh its cons, or at least they did for me. Considering how bold Gravity Rush is overall, putting up with its handful of quibbles isn't such a difficult task.  

Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk (PC/PS4/Switch)

I avoided starting Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk for ages because screenshots of it intimidated me. Specifically, the number of party members depicted in said screens got me thinking this dungeon-crawling RPG would be far too convoluted for my feeble brain. After finishing and putting more than 75 hours into it, I'm glad to report it's not. In fact, its multi-character battles are far more conventional than initial impressions suggest.

Which isn't to say Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk is traditional to a fault. It actually offers up several innovations that make it seem surprisingly fresh. Two standout examples: you can jump over pits while exploring its many maze-like dungeons, and you can break through walls to examine previously inaccessible areas.

Building and customizing your party, which can eventually include as many as 40 members (each of whom are puppets, not humans), provides a similarly unique thrill. Unfortunately, it's a bit too deep to delve into here. The game does a decent job of explaining it as you go along, thankfully.

Another area in which Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk excels is its story. Hell, a dungeon role-playing game having anything more than a barebones backstory is worth noting, but the one included here wouldn't be out of place in your typical JRPG. That it ends up being rather poignant only adds to the allure.

Ripened Tingle's Balloon Trip of Love (DS)

Ripened Tingle's Balloon Trip of Love is such a bizarre mashup of ideas that I'm frankly amazed the powers that be at Nintendo greenlit its development. It's a point-and-click game that stars everyone's favorite jumpsuit-wearing oddball, Tingle, and sports a story that parodies The Wizard of Oz.

Actually, there's more to Ripened Tingle's Balloon Trip of Love than just pointing and clicking. You solve puzzles, complete mini-games, and even woo some ladies, too.

Whether or not you tend to enjoy this genre, it's worth checking out—in large part because it was developed by the talented crew at Vanpool, an offshoot of the renowned Love-de-Lic (known for cult classics Moon: Remix RPG Adventure and UFO: A Day in the Life).

Spelunky (PC/PS4/Switch/Vita)

Admittedly, my obsession with Spelunky began after I bought the Switch port that released this past autumn. I quickly moved over to the Vita version, though, and that's where I spent most of my time with this masochistic title.

That I enjoyed it enough to play it for more than 20 hours is a near-miracle, I must say. This type of platformer has never been my cup of tea for all sorts of reasons I won't bore you with now. What's different about Spelunky? For starters, I feel like I'm at least slightly more in control of my destiny while playing it than I do while attempting similar efforts. Also, dying in Spelunky rarely devastates me. And even when it approaches doing so, I still typically end up laughing at the comedic cruelty of it all before moving on to just one more run.

If you're wondering why I or anyone else would willingly go through such hell over and over again, well, my only answer is that I like the challenge of it. Success, at both the individual stage and overall game level, always seems within reach—if only I could do this next time, or not do that. It's easy to blame yourself, rather than the game, for failing, though never so harshly you give up and move on to something less taxing. 

See also: my favorite games of 2020 that weren't released in 2020

My five favorite non-3DS games of 2012

I may have singled out THE "DENPA" MEN as my favorite 3DS game of 2012 yesterday (with Theatrhythm Final Fantasy coming in a close second), but that doesn't mean it was the only game I had a blast playing this past year.

In fact, I had a blast playing a number of games that were released for the other current-ish systems I own. Here are the ones I considered the cream of the crop, as they say:

* Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom (PSP)--If you read my "somewhat gay" review of this game, you're likely a bit shocked that I decided to include this release, which was published in North America by Aksys Games, here. So am I, to tell you the truth. While thinking back on all the titles I played this year, though, I kept coming back to this one. Although I still think it's more of a novel than a video game, it did a surprisingly great job of keeping me interested in its goings-on from start to finish--which is something that can't be said of every game these days.

* Kirby Mass Attack (DS)--Of all the titles included in this post, this is the one I've spent the least time with thus far. Still, I've experienced enough of it to know it's an enjoyably unique game--and one that I'll surely return to next year when I inevitably find myself without anything new to play.

* Rhythm Heaven Fever (Wii)--It's amazing how many hours you can spend playing a single game when you set your mind to it. I say that because I'm pretty sure I clocked well over 20 hours with Rhythm Heaven Fever during its first week in my possession. Was it because of the adorably wacky graphics? The toe-tapping soundtrack? The "just one more time, I swear" gameplay? I have a feeling it was all three--and then some.

* Spelunky (XBLA)--You know how sometimes you look forward to something (like a game) for so long that when you get your hands on it at long last you experience a letdown? Well, I was more than a bit worried that would happen to me once I finally acquired Spelunky, as I'd been waiting for the XBLA version for what seemed like ages. Thankfully, it didn't. On the contrary, I've enjoyed this tough-as-nails (and surprisingly precious) platformer more than I even imagined I would--although it would be nice to actually "beat" it at some point.

* Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii)--That I haven't yet completed this open-world RPG is criminal, if you ask me. I can't even tell you why I left it at an unfinished state early this summer (although I have a feeling a quick trip "home" may have had something to do with it). What I can tell you is that I pretty much loved every minute I played of it until that point. (I say "pretty much loved" because I found a few aspects--like the camera in general and one boss battle in particular--to be irksome.) Here's hoping I'm able to work my way back into--and through--this sentimental journey in 2013.

See also: Past 'favorite games of the year' posts

Dustin' off my Xbox 360 due to Fez, Sega Vintage Collection: Monster World and Spelunky

You know how people used to love to say (usually on nerdy Internet forums), "Guess it's time I dusted off my Wii!" every time an interesting game was announced or released for Nintendo's latest console?

Well, I say the same thing every time an interesting game hits Microsoft's XBLA or XBLIG services.

The fact is, I don't turn on my Xbox 360 all that often. In part that's because the system is in our basement (lame reason, I know, but it's cold and dark down there!), and in part it's because I just don't have much interest in it or its games these days.



My Xbox 360 won't be dusty for much longer, though, thanks to the digital trifecta that is Fez, Sega Vintage Collection: Monster World and Spelunky.

Oddly, I've only bought (and barely played--surprise, surprise!) the most recent of these releases--that being Spelunky--thus far. Mark my words, though: Both Sega Vintage Collection: Monster World and Fez will follow suit later this week.

Have any of you played one or more of the above-mentioned titles? If so, what did you think of them?

Warm up your Xbox 360s, boys and girls: Spelunky's finally on its way

And when I say "on its way," I mean it: This highly anticipated part-platformer-part-roguelike title, made by Derek Yu and Andy Hull, will hit XBLA a week from tomorrow (that would be Wednesday, July 4) with a price tag of 1,200 Microsoft Points.

Although I've never played the original freeware version of Spelunky, I've looked forward to the release of this XBLA-based remake ever since I first heard about it this time last year.



Here's the trailer that announced the XBLA re-imagining of this platformer-cum-roguelike, by the way. It includes footage of both versions--in case you've never heard of, let alone seen, Spelunky before now.

Curious about the history behind this well-regarded game? Check out Russ Frushtick's recently published (over at theverge.com) article, "Spelunky: The Everlasting Platformer."