Best Genres & Games to Play if You’re Stuck at Home - Article

by Craig Snow , posted on 10 November 2021 / 6,252 Views

The following is a guest editorial.

In this day and age of the pandemic and quarantining, there's a good chance that you will, at some point, have to stay stuck at home for a while. At first, this may seem like being in a prison, but in some respects it can be a blessing in disguise. This is especially true if you love to play games. You might seek your thrill at trustly online casinos or, if casino games aren't your cup of tea, you can try out some new video games. Here's a selection of some of the best genres to delve into if you're stuck at home.

Action/Adventure Games

One of the best ways to get out of glorified home arrest is to go on a virtual adventure. The AAA video game space is packed with well-written, immersive action/adventure titles that will provide you with exciting stories, wonderful characters, and engaging gameplay.

One of the most notable examples is the highly acclaimed post-apocalyptic The Last of Us series, with both the first title and its slightly more controversial and polarising sequel, The Last of Us Part II, being available on PS4. Indeed Sony's offering in the genre are extensive - other major hits include the Samurai-inspired Ghost of Tsushima (PS4 & PS5), Kojima's latest experiment Death Stranding (PS4, PS5, PC), and of course the narrative-focussed God of War reboot (PS4), which is due a sequel next year in the form of God of War Ragnarök (PS5).

Of course other publishers aren't slacking in this arena either. Square Enix's recent adaptation of Guardians of the Galaxy (PC, PS4, PS5, NS, XOne, XS) is proving a critical hit; Ubisoft's Far Cry 6 (PC, PS4, PS5, XOne, XS) has just launched, while the company's other premier franchise, Assassin's Creed, continues to go from strength to strength with Valhalla (PC, PS4, PS5, XOne, XS); Capcom's Resident Evil Village (PC, PS4, PS5, XOne, XS) was also well received, not to mention sold incredibly well too; and indie developer Ember Lab has done a remarkable job with Kena: Bridge of Spirits (PC, PS4, PS5).

RPGs

Talking of narrative-driven games, RPGs are another great option, especially for those looking to sink a dozen or more hours into a game. Here you'll find everything from the more mainstream and newcomer friendly JRPGs like Pokémon Sword/Pokémon Shield (NS), to the giant of the sub-genre Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4, PS5), all the way to niche series with cult followings, most recent examples of which include Neo: The World Ends with You (PC, PS4, NS) and Bravely Default II (PC, NS).

If you're looking for something in-between the two extremes, then check out the beautiful and innovative Tales of Arise (PC, PS4, PS5, XOne, XS) - it proved incredibly popular with our own writer Thomas Froehlicher.

And if western RPGs are more your cup of tea, then the grandfather of the dungeon crawler, Diablo II, was recently given a stunning visual overhaul and a chest full of quality of life changes in Diablo II: Resurrected (PC, PS4, PS5, XOne, XS, NS). Bethesda's Skyrim continues to prove popular, a decade since it first released, and is now available on all next gen platforms and even VR. Another set of modern classics that can be replayed or discovered for the first time are the first three Mass Effect games, in the form of Mass Effect Legendary Edition (PC, PS4, XOne), which features upgraded versions of all three titles in the series' main trilogy.

Fun Co-Op Titles

In case you're stuck at home with a family member or a spouse, you can use the opportunity to try out some fun co-op games together. There are plenty of games in this category that tell great stories, including Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, which tells the story of two young brothers seeking to find a cure for their father's illness and can be played cooperatively on Switch.

This year saw the release of It Takes Two (PC, PS4, PS5, XOne, XS), which may well be a dark horse for Game of the Year. As the name implies, it has to be played cooperatively, either offline or online, and had our own Lee Mehr raving about its qualities. If you enjoy that then check out developer Hazelight Studios' previous offering, A Way Out (PC, PS4, XOne) - a co-op game about an attempted prison escape.

If you like shooters then you can't beat the Halo series for cooperative (and competitive for that matter) campaign gameplay. Halo: The Master Chief Collection (PC, XOne, XS) is incredible value for money, as it includes Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, and Halo 4 - all in one package! The earlier games all received graphical upgrades too. So if you have a lot of time to spare why not play through all of the Halo campaigns with a friend or relative?

Platformers

The classic platformer genre continues to go from strength to strength, especially on Switch, which this year saw the release of Metroid Dread - a well-received new entry in the sci-fi series that gave birth to the Metroidvania genre. Even our usually hard-to-please Paul Broussard thought it was outstanding.

Want something slightly more cheerful? Then try out Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, which also released this year on the Switch. A re-release of the WiiU title Super Mario 3D World, it boasts a large expansion, in the form of Bowser's Fury.

Talking of comebacks, cult classic Psychonauts finally received a sequel this year and, fortunately, it looks like Double Fine managed to do the original justice. Psychonauts 2 (PC, PS4, XOne, XS) is one of the highest rated games of the year so far.

Another highly rated sequel that released just this year is Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (PS5). Insomaniac's latest release boasts sumptuous visuals on Sony's new console and makes great use of the platform's power and unique features, like haptic feedback.

Puzzle Games

While we're on the subject of co-op games and platformers, Portal 2 (PC, PS3, X360) is one of (if not the) best puzzle-platformer games ever made, and not only does it feature an amazingly funny single player campaign but also an equally funny cooperative multiplayer one too. If you haven't played it yet I strongly recommend it.

If you want to practice your cognitive skills then you can't do much better than puzzle video games and there are plenty on the market, from casual juggernauts like Candy Crush Saga (PC, Mobile) and Tetris (Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, XOne, XS, and Switch), to narrative-driven adventures like Machinarium (PC, PSV, PS4, XOne, NS), or even horror puzzlers like Little Nightmares 2 (PC, PS4, PS5, XOne, XS, NS) and Inside (PC, PS4, XOne, NS).

This year's 12 Minutes (PC, XOne, XS) mixes all of the above together and features performances from James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley, and Willem Dafoe; it's well worth a playthrough.

And last, but certainly not least, there's Animal Crossing: New Horizons (NS). It almost defies genre classification, but that didn't stop it from being something of a worldwide phenomenon over the last year and a half. A relaxing, heart-warming title, New Horizons is filled with activities and goals, quirky characters, and creative freedom. Its release couldn't have been timed better.

3 Comments

scrapking (on 10 November 2021)

A game like Forza Horizon 5... open world, lots to do, and so much variety that it doesn't get old fast. It's structured like an adventure game (a main quest, lots of side quests, lots of things to discover, and even a levelling system), but with the added replayability of improving your times in individual challenges (something most on foot, on horseback, etc., adventure games don't replicate in the same way).