So, we’re somehow in the last quarter of the year now, meanwhile I’m still trying to process 2020. But that’s okay! I’m totally not going to let the demons set in hahA. Anyway, to keep the nasties at bay, I’ve turned to video games for a bit of an escape. Especially as we’re in lockdown right now, I mean what else am I going to do? Therefore, I wanted to share a few of the games I’ve been enjoying in 2021. Not all of them are necessarily from the year 2021, but rather it’s a bit of a hodgepodge of stuff that I’ve been enjoying. Each of which has helped the sadness from setting in, doing so in their own special way.
Catherine
If you’ve yet to check out our brand spanking new gaming podcast Load Latest Save, Catherine happened to be the first game I talked about, a puzzle game about the dastardly act of cheating on your partner. Because it’s a premise that has pretty much remained untouched in the medium, I came to it for the story, and saw it through because of the shenanigans our protagonist Vincent constantly found himself in. See despite being in a relationship with the prim and proper Katherine (who is ready to settle down), whilst moping around the bar one night, Vincent meets the fun and bubbly Catherine, and before he knows it, is waking up next to her.
However, ever since the incident he finds himself in a bizarre dream world every night where he must ascend a block tower, with this 3D Tetris-esque portion of the game serving as the primary gameplay. You see if Vincent falls down the tower and dies in his dreams, he’ll die in real life too! How is this wacko dream world related to Catherine or Katherine? You’ll have to find out for yourself! My favourite part of this game is that I found it incredibly cosy to be in the bar with Vincent and his friends every night, despite how smelly they all look. A fun escape in a year where I was unable to do this myself! (I promise I’m not as smelly).
Let’s Catch
Okay, so this one is going to make me look insane, but bear with me. Let’s Catch is an old WiiWare game where you throw a baseball back and forth. That’s it. That’s the whole game. But if you’ve ever done something similar in real life, you’ll notice how you might begin to discuss stuff you wouldn’t usually be able to without it. So the people you play catch with begin opening up about their lives. Sharing their struggles and personal issues with you as the ball is tossed back and forth, as you learn about who they are, and how everyone knows each other in the small town.
It was also nice to just experience being outside, something I haven’t been able to do a whole lot in the last two years now. There’s also a background plot as UFOs keep appearing overhead, and it becomes increasingly apparent that there is alien life interested in your small town games of catch but uh, don’t worry about that for now.
Muscle March
This part of the list was going to be a different game. I figured the less people that knew I played this the better. But if we’re already on this path, may as well double down on the insane. Muscle March is another WiiWare game about muscly people chasing each other frantically. They run through walls, doors and buildings in their quest to catch a sneaky thief who stole… something? This game is honestly too absurd to remember.
In order to catch him, your chosen muscle boy will pursue them on foot, and you must match the silhouettes left by the thief as they’ve smashed through buildings by copying their pose in real life using the Wii remote and nun chuck. Meaning yes, you must pose ridiculously multiple times within mere seconds if you wish to ever catch up with the thief. Do the wrong pose and you crash into the wall like a silly sausage. The game is over as quickly as it begins, and I sincerely regret sharing all of that with you.
Lego City Undercover
So I think I needed a good ‘turn my brain off and chill out’ kind of game this year to chip away at after getting home from work. And I definitely found it when I picked up Lego City Undercover for the Switch. Playing as a cop in the sprawling and bustling Lego City, you go undercover (gasp) to infiltrate the big bad crime gang. I can’t remember what they’re called, or even why they were especially bad. Mostly because hijacking old lady’s cars and launching them off of cliffs all in the name of the law made up roughly ninety percent of my total play time. It’s basically GTA for kids. It also has a ton of jokes throughout, with movie references, goofy characters and a light-hearted story that never takes itself too seriously.
Low stakes, cheap and easy, just what you need if you’ve found it’s all been getting a bit much for you lately!
So, that was my list of some games I’ve been enjoying in 2021!
I’m not sure how many of them are worth checking out, but I’d love to hear what you’ve been playing too! Be sure to let me know down in the comment section below! Otherwise, feel free to check out some of our other gaming blog posts here, or check out some of our other content over on our YouTube Channel.
