Same format as usual: * to indicate a replay, game name, platform, hours played (or an estimate, if the game doesn't track), a rating out of five, and a random thought as I add the game to the list.
January (7)
01 Ring of Pain [PC - 5h - 5/5 - I don't think this will have the longevity I was hoping for, but it's a lot of fun while it lasts]
02 There is No Game [PC - 4h - 3/5 - There was some real clever stuff early on, but by the end I just wanted the narrator to shut the hell up]
05 Geometric Sniper [PC - 1h - 4/5 - Fun spin on the Where's Waldo genre, if that's actually a thing]
16 Pixross [PC - 5h - 4/5 - Not the best Picross game, not the worst]
18 *Super Mario RPG (Randomized) [SNES - 5h - 4/5 - Probably not a randomizer I'll go to all that often, but every now and then it's fine]
25 *Broforce [PC - 4h - 3/5 - I don't know why I replayed this; it was exactly as I remember, good and bad]
26 The Pedestrian [PC - 4h - 3/5 - I'm not much for puzzle platformers, but the neat aesthetic kept me going]
February (2)
12 Yakuza: Like a Dragon [PC - 94h - 5/5 - Stop the presses, a Yazuka game is incredible]
13 *Super Punch-Out [SNES - 1h - 5/5 - I appreciate at least one entry in the series being a nice, breezy replay]
March (4)
22 *Shovel Knight [PC - 3h - 5/5 - I may never tire of playing this]
23 *Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows [PC - 3h - 4/5 - Still fun, but every time I play, I'm reminded that it is the least of these]
25 *Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment [PC - 3h - 5/5 - Probably the easiest of the bunch, but also the most fun]
30 *Shovel Knight: King of Cards [PC - 3h - 4/5 - It's got that late NES Mega Man vibe, where it is a great game, but feels like it is time to move on]
April (4)
01 *Castle of Illusion [GEN - 1h - 3/5 - Always a reliably okay time]
07 *Final Fantasy IV (Free Enterprise) [SNES - 4h - 5/5 - Always a reliably great time]
12 *Castlevania [NES - 1h - 3/5 - Been a while since I tried this, and it was easier than I remembered]
14 *Super Mario 3D World [Switch - 12h - 5/5 - I'd love to get a new one of these every few years]
May (5)
08 *Castlevania: Symphony of the Night [PC - 5h - 5/5 - After doing randomized runs the last few times, it was nice to do a regular playthrough]
11 Size Matters [PC - 2h - 3/5 - Somewhat neat concept, but not much of a shelf life to it]
23 *Horizon: Zero Dawn [PC - 46h - 4/5 - A few years later, still one of the better modern AAA games]
24 Pureya [PC - 6h - 4/5 - Tedious late game grinding aside, a really fun take on the WarioWare formula]
28 Mind Scanners [PC - 3h - 3/5 - Reasonably fun way to pass a few hours, but I did not find the writing or plot particularly interesting]
29 Bravely Default 2 [Switch - 44h - 4/5 - Much better than Default, didn't quite hook me as much as Second]
June (4)
01 *Mega Man 10 [PC - 1h - 5/5 - Nothing new to say!]
10 Subnautica [PC - 20h - 3/5 - Been a while since I played something that was such a mix of great and annoying]
26 Subnautica: Below Zero [PC - 20h - 4/5 - Better in some ways, worse in others compared to the original, but overall I liked it a bit more]
28 Sunblaze [PC - 5h - 4/5 - Nicely tuned to my skill level, where most levels required a few tries but I never got stuck]
July (4)
03 Mass Effect [PC - 28h - 4/5 - Much smaller in scope than I expected, but had that KOTOR feel that modern games lack]
05 Mario Golf: Super Rush [Switch - ?h - 2/5 - At least as far as the story mode goes, I don't know that I've ever had less fun in a Mario sports game]
08 Alwa's Legacy [PC - 7h - 4/5 - Not sure I'll remember it a year from now, but in the moment, just a rock solid metroidvania]
25 *Dark Souls [PC - 24h - 5/5 - This was initially my least favorite of the three, but I've come to appreciate it more with each playthrough]
August (8)
03 Final Fantasy [PC - 7h - 5/5 - Every remake of this has its pros and cons, and this is no different, but it is always a fun revisit]
04 Mini Motorways [PC - 6h - 3/5 - Much like its predecessor, a decent way of killing a little time, but not much lasting appeal]
17 Final Fantasy II [PC - 14h - 4/5 - Finally played through this after all these years; definitely the least of the classic games, but still a pretty good time all in all]
22 Haven Park [PC - 3h - 3/5 - I bet you could put together a good essay analyzing why A Short Hike was amazing and this was just so-so]
24 *Bonk's Revenge [TG16 - 1h - 4/5 - I don't think I would have guessed this would have been my first playthrough on my new MiSTer, but here we are]
27 *Mega Man X [SNES - 2h - 4/5 - It's been long enough since I played that I forgot the boss order, for shame]
30 *WarioWare Inc [GBA - 1h - 5/5 - I'll never not enjoy a playthrough of this one]
31 *Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night [PC - 14h - 5/5 - First time replaying the vanilla game since release; still incredible!]
September (5)
11 Final Fantasy IV [PC - 9h - 5/5 - Game is always a nice nostalgia trip, but I will say, unlike with 1-3, the pixel remaster felt like it added very little to the experience]
11 *Super Mario World [SNES - 6h - 4/5 - Not my favorite entry in the series nowadays, but it's still a Mario]
12 Path of Giants [PC - 2h - 3/5 - Competent and forgettable; I have nothing to say other than this was an okay way to kill a few hours]
25 Dreamscaper [PC - 16h - 5/5 - While I don't think this will have the typical run-based-game longevity, I think the initial time spent in getting that first victory was better than most]
29 Luna's Fishing Garden [PC - 2h - 4/5 - Wish there was just a smidge more to this, but what was there was breezy and pleasant]
October (4)
08 *Cuphead [PC - 3h - 5/5 - Always a little frustrating and a lot of fun]
14 Jack Axe [PC - 3h 3/5 - Never gripped me in any way, but still competent enough; the type of game I'll forget I ever played a few months from now]
21 A Little Golf Journey [PC - 5h - 3/5 - Really enjoyable early on, but later worlds' gimmicks are just anti-fun, which kind of soured the whole thing]
24 Hero of the Kingdom The Lost Tales 1 [PC - 2h - 4/5 - This is the fourth one of these I've played, and the fourth one I've gotten hooked on without really knowing why]
November (1)
30 What the Golf [PC - 5h - 4/5 - Jokes start to wear a little thin toward the end, but overall a fun, silly time]
December (7)
03 Astalon: Tears of the Earth [PC - 10h - 5/5 - One of the best metroidvanias I've played in recent years]
11 Arkos [PC - 2h - 3/5 - Perfectly competent, but me taking weeks to beat it despite it only being a few hours long isn't a ringing endorsement]
13 Maneater [PC - 9h - 4/5 - Kind of shallow and repetitive, with iffy controls, but the core concept helped it be more than the sum of its parts]
15 Guardians of the Galaxy [PC - 17h - 5/5 - This was like the best bits of AAA and Telltale; more big budget games like this please]
17 Shadows of Adam [PC - 9h - 3/5 - This did an admiral job of mimicking a C-tier 16-bit RPG, for better and worse]
21 Fights in Tight Spaces [PC - 8h - 3/5 - Hard putting my finger on exactly why, but unlike other run-based games, I've just totally lost interest in this one after the initial win]
26 UnMetal [PC - 8h - 4/5 - I'd love to see the engine and mechanics handed over to a writer who isn't 12 years old]
2021 Completed (57)
01 - GBA
01 - GEN
01 - NES
43 - PC
01 - PS1
06 - SNES
03 - Switch
01 - TG16
