10 Best Video Games Of 2021 (So Far)

3. Returnal

A powerful clockwork machine of a game, Returnal is Housemarque's first foray into a 3D roguelike, and while it's not as tight as Supergiant's Hades, the lengths it goes to showcase a heart of risk-reward gameplay become super satisfying.

That gamble on the design side - that you'll stick around long enough to see all six biomes through to completion - has certainly put a lot of people off, but for every "game over" there's an unlock; for every boss that defeats you, some experience banked that lets you gain the upper hand next time.

Returnal's gameplay is a meaty mix of melee sword swipes, air-dashes and punchy third-person shooting. It knows those quintessential ingredients are enough to draw in a certain type of "never give up" gamer.

For those who'll lick their wounds, level up and see it through, there's nothing else like it this year.