"When we do actually consider the games of 2021, something notable sticks out. The best games of the year were new installments of older series rooted in older genres, only with a psychological and emotional depth we wouldn't normally expect from games of the past. Psychonauts 2 built on the emotional framework of the 2005 original and explored the memories, feelings, and regrets of its elderly characters. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart used its cartoon mascots to examine self-doubt, loneliness, and anxiety with charm, wit, and heart. Metroid Dread tapped into a vein of terror that gradually disappeared from the Metroid series over the decades, bringing it back with more power than before. These aren't the only memorable or moving games of the year, but they are the best, and it's because of the way they make us feel—not just the physical and intellectual satisfaction of playing them, but the way they touch our hearts and minds."
