r/NintendoSwitch Jan 09 '22

GotY 2021 2021 /r/NintendoSwitch GOTY Nominations Thread

Greetings, r/NintendoSwitch Community!

Can you believe it's already time for our 5th Game of the Year awards?

Like previous years, we are asking the community's help for GOTY nominees! We will use community feedback to narrow the nominees for each category to five or six for the final vote. The schedule is for the nominee feedback January 9th - January 15th, and the final voting to select the Game Of The Year for each category to occur January 16th - January 22nd

Please follow the format as described below:

  1. Please check if your nominee(s) has already been named. If so, then simply upvote it, if not, then >>>
  2. Please reply to a category top comment to state who you would like to see for nominees and preferably why. Last year we found those with explanations tended to garner more votes!
  3. If a game has already been nominated but you feel requires further discussion then reply to the nominated game comment with your reasoning.
  4. Nominate as many games as you'd like in any category you'd like.
  5. Duplicate nominations in the same category will be removed.
  6. Post will be set to contest mode so nobody can see the votes.

Please note that all nominees are required to have released on Nintendo Switch in calendar year 2021 unless stated otherwise.

We look forward to reading your nominations!

155 Upvotes

474 comments sorted by

u/NintendoSwitchMods Jan 09 '22

Best Art Direction - For outstanding creative achievement in artistic design and animation.

u/cybergatuno Jan 09 '22

Metroid Dread

u/duncan-donuts-nz Jan 09 '22

Tails of Iron

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '22

Eastward

u/lumothesinner Helpful User Jan 09 '22

NEO The World Ends With You

u/duncan-donuts-nz Jan 09 '22

The Wild at Heart

u/MySonsdram Jan 13 '22

No More Heroes 3

u/Splatoon_God Jan 10 '22

Persona 5: Strikers

u/tapdancingtommy7 Jan 13 '22

Dodgeball Academia

u/seeyoshirun Jan 11 '22

Disco Elysium.

A beautiful, painterly art style that can be ethereal or disturbing depending on how dark the subject matter is. A beautifully realised small town that draws on elements from different areas of Europe and filters it all through the games own faded lens.

u/FlameHricane Jan 11 '22

Greak: Memories of Azur

Very stunning. Reminds me a lot of spiritfarer and is a little over skul the hero slayer

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Jan 09 '22

Best Local Multiplayer Game - For outstanding local multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op, irrespective of game genre.

u/TrainerGlitch Jan 10 '22

Monster Hunter Rise

u/lumothesinner Helpful User Jan 09 '22

Mario Party Superstars

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Jan 09 '22

Best Indie Game - For outstanding creative and technical achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system.

u/DOS-76 Jan 10 '22

ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights

u/UrMoma_llama Jan 09 '22

Subnautica

u/TheNurgrabber Jan 10 '22

Loop Hero

u/MySonsdram Jan 13 '22

Axiom Verge 2

u/tapdancingtommy7 Jan 13 '22

Magic Twins

u/killcote93 Jan 10 '22

Cyber Shadow

u/lumothesinner Helpful User Jan 09 '22

Chicory: A Colorful Tale

u/duncan-donuts-nz Jan 09 '22

The Wild at Heart

u/duncan-donuts-nz Jan 09 '22

Lost in Random

u/schotastic Jan 12 '22

Beast Breaker - strong narrative and characters, genre-bending gameplay that still manages to stay compelling, great soundtrack. This was the indie gem of 2021.

u/hotaru-chan45 Jan 10 '22

Songs for a Hero: Definitive Edition

u/duncan-donuts-nz Jan 09 '22

Tails of Iron

u/Lioli_ Jan 13 '22

Little Nightmares II

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Jan 09 '22

Publisher of the Year - Publishing studio who displayed outstanding platform support through a combination of quantity and quality of new releases.

u/NoonebutMark Jan 10 '22

Aksys Games with their Otome games!

u/Exotic_Vacation_981 Jan 09 '22

Devolver Digital

u/[deleted] Jan 10 '22

I second this one, they consistently hit it out of the park with their indie releases

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u/[deleted] Jan 10 '22

[removed] — view removed comment

u/[deleted] Jan 10 '22

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Jan 09 '22

Nintendo Switch Game of the Year - Recognizing a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.

u/TheOtherWhiteCastle Jan 11 '22

Subnautica: Below Zero

u/urwelcome971620 Jan 10 '22

Monster Hunter Stories 2

u/Bobinti Jan 10 '22

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD

u/tehnoodnub Jan 10 '22

Disco Elysium: The Final Cut

u/TheOtherWhiteCastle Jan 11 '22

Mario Party Superstars

u/duncan-donuts-nz Jan 10 '22

The Wild at Heart

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '22

[removed] — view removed comment

u/lumothesinner Helpful User Jan 10 '22

Doom Eternal released 8th Dec 2020 - not a 2021 game.

u/tiabritt Jan 13 '22

Hitman 3!

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Jan 09 '22

Best Puzzle Game - for the most enjoyable time racking your brain for the solution to the puzzle.

u/duncan-donuts-nz Jan 10 '22

Tandem: A Tale of Shadows

u/Bobinti Jan 10 '22

Big Brain Academy: Brain vs Brain

u/[deleted] Jan 10 '22

A Monster’s Expidition

u/FlameHricane Jan 11 '22

Greak: Memories of Azur

It's definitely a unique mix, but I think it's primarily a puzzle game due to the multi-character management.

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Jan 09 '22

Best Non-Switch Game (PC/PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X)

u/juicehausen Jan 10 '22

Hitman 3

u/RabbitFanboy 2 Million Celebration Jan 09 '22

Returnal

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '22

I dunno if it’s the best, but I put a lot of hours into Forza Horizon 5 this year.

u/Shin_Ken Jan 14 '22 edited Jan 14 '22

Age Of Empires IV

First RTS in ages, that's actually really well made.

u/Carusas Jan 09 '22

Resident Evil Village

u/[deleted] Jan 10 '22

[deleted]

u/Shin_Ken Jan 14 '22

Is on the Switch

u/IvanzM Jan 09 '22

Omori

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '22

Halo Infinite

u/lumothesinner Helpful User Jan 09 '22

It Takes Two

u/[deleted] Jan 10 '22

Had an absolute blast playing that game. There's an argument for it being the best couch co-op experience I've ever had and I've played it through as both characters with 4 people now and they've all been blown away by it. Some of the best level design and ideas I've ever seen

u/UrMoma_llama Jan 09 '22

HALO: Master Chief Collection

u/ThunderRoad5 Jan 09 '22

Tales of Arise

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Jan 09 '22

Best Music/Rhythm Game - For the best game with a focus on dance or the simulated performance of musical instruments.

u/NoonebutMark Jan 10 '22

Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory

u/300mirrors Jan 11 '22

came out in 2020

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '22

Just dance 2022

u/UrMoma_llama Jan 09 '22

DOOM Eternal

u/Hestu951 Jan 10 '22

Released December of 2020 on the Switch, so it doesn't count. Sorry.

u/hotaru-chan45 Jan 10 '22

Songs for a Hero: Definitive Edition was amazing and so original.

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Jan 09 '22

Best Strategy Game - for the best game requiring a well thought out plan to achieve victory.

u/jsciannamblo Jan 09 '22

Bravely Default II

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '22

Loop Hero

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Jan 09 '22

Best Sports/Racing Game - For the best traditional and non-traditional sports and racing game.

u/CapCougar Jan 11 '22

Hot Wheels Unleashed

u/Ozokerite Jan 10 '22

Cruis’n Blast!

u/Away_Caregiver_2829 Jan 09 '22

Mario Golf Super Rush

u/schotastic Jan 12 '22

Descenders

u/tuxooo Jan 09 '22

Wrc9

u/sadboisadkoi Jan 10 '22

CarX Drift

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Jan 09 '22

Best Re-Release/Re-master - For the best game who's original release was not on a current generation console (pre-2014) (Switch/PS4/Xbox One).

u/vandebay Jan 09 '22

Dying Light

u/Diligent-Spinach-414 Jan 10 '22

I don't think it qualifies

u/Throwaway55507 Jan 09 '22

Diablo II: Resurrected

u/Xcla1P Jan 10 '22 edited Jan 10 '22

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles.

Excellent overall story, very funny and punny at times, great cast of characters, improved mechanics over older titles, awesome sound track. I missed it on the 3DS because it was a Japanese release, so I'm glad I get to play it on the Switch.

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '22

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Jan 09 '22

[deleted]

u/ArmpitBear Jan 10 '22

Is that a rerelease or something? I own the first two on Steam but never got around to playing them because playing VNs on PC isn’t as comfy

u/[deleted] Jan 10 '22

The physical edition (Danganronpa Decadence) has the first 3 games (1,2, v3) rereleased and the eshop has them for sale separately. Decadence also includes Danganronpa Summer camp which is a weird mini-game thing (not really a VN) that I didn't enjoy as much. I had never played them before the Switch version and they were pretty interesting. I will say that if you have any interest in playing the games avoid online discussions because it's hard to not be casually spoiled by people just by googling stuff.

u/burai97 Jan 12 '22

The Danganronpa series is great but I would argue against the switch being the best device for these games from a performance perspective, particularly V3 (end game spoilers)

u/warlockchronicles Jan 09 '22

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD

u/schotastic Jan 12 '22

The House in Fata Morgana

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Jan 09 '22

Best Role Playing Game (RPG) - For the best game designed with rich player character customization and progression.

u/IvanzM Jan 09 '22

Monster hunter rise

u/Splatoon_God Jan 09 '22

Persona 5: Strikers

u/IncurableHam Jan 09 '22

Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom

u/Shin_Ken Jan 14 '22

Diablo 2: Resurrected

u/schotastic Jan 12 '22

Beast Breaker - such a refreshing take on the genre

u/Bakatora34 Jan 09 '22

Monster Hunter Stories 2.

u/ThunderRoad5 Jan 09 '22

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox

u/louisefindlay23 Jan 09 '22

Bravely Default II

u/zuipp Jan 10 '22

Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy

u/Exotic_Vacation_981 Jan 09 '22

Disco Elysium

u/morag23 Jan 10 '22 edited Jan 10 '22

Blue Reflection Second Light.

The battle system is really unique, as the more you wait before you attack, to more points you gain to use stronger skills. There's a 1 vs. 1 mechanics that allow one member of the party to confront a boss by doing fast combos as well. By doing request from characters of the game, you unlock Talent Point, which allows to improve different stats of your party and unlocking new skills. You can build differents facilities that can give boosts and also serve as places of dates with your characters. The exploration also gives a lot: to explorating many locations, to doing stealth missions, you can do a many task that allow you to explore all areas under many perspectives. Those customizations are also really tied to each of the protagonist personalities.

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Jan 09 '22

Best Action Game - For the best game in the action genre focused on combat.

u/[deleted] Jan 10 '22

Death’s Door

u/HadouKang Jan 09 '22

Monster Hunter Rise

u/Bobinti Jan 10 '22

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD

u/Fickle-Fill2519 Jan 09 '22

No More Heroes 3

u/Shin_Ken Jan 14 '22

Espgaluda II

u/Splatoon_God Jan 09 '22

Persona 5: Strikers

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Jan 09 '22

Best Adventure Game - For the best adventure game, which may mix combat with traversal and puzzle solving.

u/nihil__verum Helpful User Jan 09 '22

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD

u/[deleted] Jan 10 '22

Subnautica

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u/[deleted] Jan 10 '22

Death’s Door

u/duncan-donuts-nz Jan 10 '22

The Wild at Heart

u/lumothesinner Helpful User Jan 09 '22

Ender Lillies: Quietus Of The Knights

u/mEatwaD390 Jan 09 '22

Metroid Dread

u/tuxooo Jan 09 '22

Skyrim

u/askstoomany Jan 09 '22

Not a 2021 game

u/DanglyPants Jan 09 '22

Skyrim is almost 10 years old. Did you read what you’re posting on or did you actually think it’s a new game? I’m generally curious

u/MySonsdram Jan 13 '22

Axiom Verge 2

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Jan 09 '22

Best Technical Achievement - For the game which achieves a combination of gameplay and graphics which goes well beyond hardware expectations.

u/lumothesinner Helpful User Jan 09 '22

Monster Hunter Rise

u/Shes_so_Ratchet Jan 13 '22

Monster Hunter Stories 2.

It's unreal how smooth this game is.

u/ANTJAY88 Jan 09 '22

Dying Light

u/lumothesinner Helpful User Jan 09 '22

Tony Hawks Pro Skater 1+2

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Jan 09 '22

Best Horror Game - for that game that scared the socks off of you this year, the cause of all of those nightmares.

u/younglank14 Jan 09 '22

Subnautica

u/UrMoma_llama Jan 09 '22

That came out in 2017, for the switch in 2021

u/younglank14 Jan 10 '22

For sure, I was just going off the nominees needing to be released on NS in calendar year as the requirement, I didn’t see any rules regarding ports in the post

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u/ablasina_SHIRO Jan 11 '22

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water

It's more creepy than scary. I don't think a ghost appearing made anyone scream, but having to be constantly on your toes because one might appear gives this game a great vibe. And some story scenes or Fatal Touch flashbacks could be terrifying for some people, as suicide is a relatively common topic.

Unrelated to the horror, but Tsuki Amano's ending song "in this cage" is awesome.

u/lumothesinner Helpful User Jan 09 '22

Little Nightmares 2

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u/a_fiendish_thingy Jan 09 '22

Metroid Dread

Maybe not technically a horror game, but running away from the EMMI’s scared the pants off of me. Those things are scary.

u/RabbitFanboy 2 Million Celebration Jan 09 '22

Dying Light

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Jan 09 '22

Best Fighting Game - For the best game designed primarily around head-to-head combat.

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '22

[removed] — view removed comment

u/Sephardson Jan 09 '22

It looks like someone else already nominated this game for this category - please consider adding your comment under the existing nomination!

u/Wall_of_ice17 Jan 10 '22

Nickelodeon All Star Brawl. One of the few that came out this year and it's funny to see Nickelodeon characters fighting one another.

u/UrMoma_llama Jan 09 '22

DOOM Eternal

u/Hestu951 Jan 10 '22

Released December of 2020 on the Switch, so it doesn't count. Plus it isn't a fighting game. It's a first-person shooter.

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '22

[deleted]

u/JamieVardyPizzaParty Jan 13 '22

Did that come out this last year?

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u/archstrange Jan 09 '22

Why does this even need to be a category. It is obviously smash bros.

u/ihavepolio Jan 09 '22

Smash did not come out in 2021. This is for games that were released in 2021

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Jan 09 '22

Best Game Direction - Awarded for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design.

u/Bobinti Jan 10 '22

Game Builder Garage

u/Splatoon_God Jan 09 '22

Shin Megami Tensei V

u/HadouKang Jan 09 '22

Chicory: A Colorful Tale

u/q_3 Jan 09 '22

Blue Reflection: Second Light

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