This week’s issue of Weekly Famitsu magazine #1726 (January 6–13, 2022 double issue) features a questionnaire that was given to 151 Japanese celebrities and game creators to rank the ‘trendiest’ games of 2021.
Among the Famitsu editorial team and the Japanese game creators and celebrities, the top 10 most popular games are:
- Resident Evil: Village (Capcom / May 8, 2021)
- Uma Musume Pretty Derby (Cygames / February 24, 2021)
- Monster Hunter: Rise (Capcom / March 26, 2021)
- Tales of Arise (Bandai Namco / September 9, 2021)
- Shin Megami Tensei V (Atlus / November 11, 2021)
- Tsukihime – A Piece of Blue Glass Moon – (Type-Moon / August 26, 2021)
- Metroid Dread (Nintendo / October 8, 2021)
- Apex Legends (Electronic Arts / February 4, 2019)
- Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt Red / December 10, 2021)
- Lost Judgment (Sega / September 24, 2021)
Titles included are not only among those released in 2021, as the list represents games released at any time which were the most popular this year.
Notably 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim ranked at position 24, right above Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl and right behind Actraiser Renaissance.
Three different Atlus developers were given the questionnaire.
Naoto Hiraoka’s Top Games of 2021
The Atlus Managing Director. He has been involved with Shin Megami Tensei, Persona 3, Persona 4, etc. Currently, he oversees the entire Atlus game development business.
1. Project Winter (Other Ocean / May 23, 2019)
I’ve been playing this since last year. I never get tired ot playing it with my friends, no matter how many times we play! It’s amazing!
2. Resident Evil: Village (Capcom / May 8, 2021)
This was another great one. Personally, I think Chris came out with a bang, and it was a bliss.
3. Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars (Square Enix / October 28, 2021)
Please pay attention to the old-fashioned RPG flavor, as well as features that can only be expressed by cards.
Shinjiro Takada’s Top Games of 2021
Product manager at Atlus Creative Department 1st Production, which handles the Shin Megami Tensei series. In 2021, he was involved as a producer for Shin Megami Tensei V himself.
- Hades (Supergiant Games / September 17, 2020)
This is the first title I’ve gotten to play in a long time. The overall level design is superb, with a perfect level of difficulty that allows you to progress one step at a time, with a nice touch of challenging elements added at just the right time, making it addictive to keep on playing. The game’s storyline gradually evolves as your relationship with the gods grows, and the playtime of 30 minutes to an hour per round is just right. I recommend it.
2. Dragon Quest Walk (Square Enix / September 12, 2019)
Playing the same as last year. I’ve been playing this game for a while now. In the past, I ranked in official “Dragon Quest Monsters” tournaments, which made me very happy, and this hit me because it was another game that I could collect monsters. I’m looking for a Killer Panther.
3. Metroid Dread (Nintendo / October 8, 2021)
Difficult…! But I can’t stop. You’ll die a lot, but the tempo for retry is 0. It’s a highly addictive, demonic game.
Kazuhisa Wada’s Top Games of 2021
The Creative Producer and Chief Director of the Persona Team, he has worked on the “Persona Dancing” series and released “Persona 5 Royal” in 2019.
1. Shin Megami Tensei V (Atlus / November 11, 2021)
It’s hard to know when to stop because I have a hard time deciding when to put the game down. I’m happy every time I meet familiar demons.
2. Metroid Dread (Nintendo / October 8, 2021)
At first, I was confused by the new elements, but when I got used to the gameplay, the sense of how everything came together was the best.
3. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (505 Games / June 18, 2019)
When I started playing, it was so interesting that I ended up playing endlessly. The voice when you eat something is addictively cute.
4. Ori and the Blind Forest (Microsoft Studios / March, 11 2015)
The fantastic graphics like what’s in a picture book were amazing.
The top games of 2020 for Atlus developers Katsura Hashino, Daisuke Kanada, Kazuyuki Yamai, and Kazuhisa Wada can be read in last year’s post.