Here are our picks for the Best Video Game Direction in 2021.

5.) Psychonauts 2 — Tim Schafer

A dormant franchise for twelve years needs a steady hand to lead its revival; with its first mainline game since 2005, Tim Schafer brings Psychonauts 2 to life, building upon the world he established initially. Psychonauts has always been a world of the absurd, but it takes a clear direction to open up the world to the sizeable accessible audience within the Xbox ecosystem. Psychonauts 2 is a complete story told as much throughout its moment-to-moment gameplay and the ongoing narrative. Exploring the Motherlobe and the surrounding areas, it is clear to see the attention to detail within the world at large and within every moment and character interaction that happens within it.

— Ciaran Marchant

4.) Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart — Marcus Smith / Mike Daly

The task of making a new Ratchet & Clank game, 12 years after the release of the last full-length original entry in the series, could not have been easy—but the team at Insomniac found the balance between feeling like the originals and moving things forward. Dodging, shooting and platforming feel second nature, while new traversal options shine, especially across the game’s larger world maps.

The way the game utilises its rift and multiverse elements smartly continues the series’ time-puzzle lineage—especially on Cordelion, where shifting between universes to progress an underwater base (while avoiding a terrifying hunter) becomes a PS5 showcase. Rift Apart plays like we remember the classics while feeling fresh, mixing platforming and action into a fantastic new experience.

— Ashley Hobley

3.) It Takes Two — Josef Fares

Before release, Game Director Josef Fares made a bold claim that anyone who gets bored playing It Takes Two would be paid $1000. That confidence rests on the constant stream of new mechanics the game gives you—and takes away—long before they can outstay their welcome.

It Takes Two’s excellence in direction comes from how these systems are integrated into a true co-op experience. You’re learning your toolkit and your partner’s in tandem, and the interplay is always polished and fun. The game seems timed to the second: just when you tire of linear platforming, it opens up; just when you crave a switch, it pivots. Balancing so many styles while ensuring neither player feels like “player two” earns it a top spot for 2021 direction.

— Wil James

2.) Returnal — Harry Krueger

The pick-up-a-gun, shoot aliens, die, repeat structure of Returnal isn’t built like other roguelikes. What you keep between deaths is minimal, and—until the suspend option—there wasn’t a great way to brute-force your way through. Yet Returnal rewards players who learn weapon quirks, room design, enemy spray patterns and boss attacks. Meld that with a haunting alien world that keeps you off-kilter and you’ve got a singular vision from Harry Krueger—even if that vision kicks your ass a lot.

— Dylan Blight

1.) Deathloop — Dinga Bakaba, Sébastien Mitton

Within the tight parameters of a repeating day on Blackreef, Dinga Bakaba and Sébastien Mitton keep momentum through impeccable direction. Deathloop makes progression feel constant—even as you revisit the same districts at the same times—because the story and leads are always nudging forward. Where many time-loop games lose players early, Deathloop succeeds through clarity, pace and style.

— Ciaran Marchant

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