Most Innovative Games of 2021

most innovative

It’s awards season here at Twinfinite, and throughout this month we’re going to look back at our favorite games of 2021. While it certainly wasn’t the busiest year for the games industry, there were certainly a few gems that stood out as doing something new and special, so here are our picks for the most innovative games of 2021.

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Voted on by our editors, these were the games that stood apart from the pack by introducing us to something new, whether it be via gameplay, story or something else entirely, so let’s take a look at the best of the year.

Most Innovative Games of 2021

Honorable Mention: Before Your Eyes

Features editor Andrew McMahon: Enough can’t be said about how emotional and breathtaking the journey of Before Your Eyes is, despite it only lasting a few hours. The twists and turns of its tragic story are enough to make the grumpiest gamer shed a tear, as it discusses the frailty and fleet beauty of life. Even without this amazing story, though, Before Your Eyes stands out as one of the most innovative games of the year simply due to its main gameplay mechanic involving a webcam.

You see, instead of having players click forward when they’re ready to progress the story in this narrative adventure, Before Your Eyes tracks eye movement. The player not only uses this to look around at certain spots but also to move forward in time via blinking. The most interesting part about this is that sometimes you unconsciously blink, skipping forward in the story and making you miss out.

While this may sound tedious, it plays into the story and its themes perfectly and results in one of the most unique video game experiences out there.


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Author
Alex Gibson
Alex was a Senior Editor at Twinfinite and worked on the site between January 2017 and March 2023. He covered the ins and outs of Valorant extensively, and frequently provided expert insight into the esports scene and wider video games industry. He was a self-proclaimed history & meteorological expert, and knew about games too. Playing Games Since: 1991, Favorite Genres: RPG, Action