Top 10 Architecture in Video Games of 2021 (and some 2020)
that I've played because I'm just a normal human and there are like thousands of games released each year.
It’s the time of year for easy to write low research fun best of the year articles. Here is my favorite architecture (wholistic) in video games. Maybe next year I’ll do my favorite specific buildings in video games, but this year I’m feeling lazy and strapped for time.
10. 12 Minutes
I forgot to take screenshots of my playthrough, but let it be known that I find the weirdly shaped apartment charming. Trying to figure out how you could possibly fit that apartment into an actual building was fun even if it was fruitless. I swore I’d model what I thought the building looked like, but unfortunately real life picked up at the exact moment that I started modeling it.
09. Maquette
Maquette was a solid game with decent if frustrating puzzle mechanisms and a beautiful if unoriginal story. The world was an absolute pleasure to explore and I would definitely give it a second award for most interesting use of scale in a game.
08. Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye
Despite technically being an expansion, Echoes of the Eye was long enough and separate enough that I have no problem considering it its own game. I was personally a little disappointed because it was a lot more anxiety filled throughout the experience than the main game was (with the exception of the Dark Bramble, am I right?). That said I respect the game and still consider Outer Wilds my favorite game of all time, and Echoes of the Eye is a worthy expansion regardless of my taste. The architectural vernacular was interesting because its role totally flips depending on the situation. That’s all I’ll say because spoilers (and this is a game that you should avoid spoilers at all cost, thus the lack of in-game screenshots).
07. Psychonauts 2
Psychonauts 2 is one of my favorite games of the year. The gameplay was fun, the architecture for the most part was flat and uninteresting. However, it shines in some really incredible moments with its architectural design. Particularly in its clever use of the brain worlds and their themes. I was also impressed by some of the brutalist buildings in the Psychonauts HQ.
06. I Am Dead (2020)
Yes this is from 2020, but I didn’t play it until 2021 and I wasn’t even writing until January this year anyway. I loved I Am Dead so much because it literally took everything I love in real life and put it into a game. Weird little museums, section cut views of everything, orange Crocs, Toast, and the list goes on. Big shoutout to the Camel Pub as one of the most absurd buildings made from real world details.
05. It Takes Two
My wife and I devoured this game. Super fun mechanisms and a pretty touching story despite its obvious character arcs. The architecture, like Psychonauts 2, is heavily dependent on the “world” that the characters inhabit. From Honey I Shrunk the Kids “everything is big” trope to “acid trip snow globe come to life”, this game has range and is solid throughout.
04. Forza Horizon 5
You can go back to this blogpost if you want the finer details of why the architecture is great in this series, but to quickly recap, the way the game models its interiors is incredible and fills out the world. The game has many layers to its urban development. It mixes mundane architecture with landmark architecture is something that even Leon Krier would be proud of.
03. Genesis Noir
I love this game SO MUCH. It’s a well told (if confusing) story with probably my favorite spatial design in any game this year. Every single frame is a beauty to look at and there are some deeply modern designs mixed with some homage to historic art and architecture that I greatly admire. If the gameplay were just a touch more interesting this would have been a perfect 10/10 experience for me. As it is it’s a 9.9/10.
02. Cyberpunk 2077 (also released in 2020)
Cyberpunk… one of the most controversial games of the last decade. Upon release it was panned due many reasons I don’t feel like rehashing especially because it is unfair to the game as it currently exists. If you are unsure why run a quick google search and you’ll understand. Full discloser I played this over half a year after release when many patches and updates were issued. That said, this was my favorite game I played all year. I feel that the story is greatly underrated, the the gameplay is solid, the guns are interesting, the urban design is the best in any game ever, and most importantly for this article, the architecture is varied, vast, and unique in the videogame medium. I know when it came out there was an article or two saying that the architecture doesn’t have much to say, but I disagree. I think this is equal in execution of cyberpunk architecture to either Blade Runner movie (and those are both in my top 10 favorite movies of all time).
01. Sable
Sable is not only my favorite architecture of the year, but is also my favorite game released in 2021. I love games that have an incredible unique art style, are architecturally relevant OUTSIDE of video games, and respects the players time more than any other game of its genre. It avoids tropey architecture and creates buildings that I would love to see built, not to mention some of the best streetscapes I’ve seen. It feels authentic and new and I hope it has an impact on games going forward.
That’s all folks. I’ll keep my list next year to games released in 2022. I want to thank everyone that have read my blog in its infancy and stuck with me despite my inconsistent posting recently. Thanks.