The Best Games Of 2021

It finally happened – a spin-off from the Dynasty Warriors series actually turned out to be good! More than that, this hybrid of Atlus’ Persona series and Koei Tecmo’s aforementioned hack-and-slash outings – also known as ‘musou’ games, after their Japanese titles – amazed by being one of the best games of the year. While there are dozens of Warriors crossovers that simply drop the likes of One Piece, Gundam, or even The Legend of Zelda into repetitive situations where players merely wade through seas of enemies, Strikers offers a far deeper experience. A direct narrative sequel to the original Persona 5 (although not to the expanded P5 Royal upgrade), Strikers embeds itself in the same universe with returning characters, fiendish dungeons to explore, and a captivating story once again centred on the complexities of human psychology. Even the combat avoids the ‘hack down the hordes’ approach of most Warriors games in favour of a more involved and complex system that turns the battle system into an action RPG. A spectacular addition to the Persona series, offering a fitting sequel instead of a cheap brand cash-in.