PC Gamer - UK (2022-01)

Nat Clayton, featuresproducer: Apex

Legends has alwaysbeengood. But for

those firstfew years itfeltlikeRespawn

was still figuring out how torun anongoing battle

royale. But in2021the studionailedit. Season9 is

the clear standout, bringingusnot onlya strong

new character inValkyrie, but a new Arenasgame

mode– a distinctlyRespawn takeonCounter-

Strikethat letsyou immediately get intoa fair

fight. Arenasprovedthat Apexhas

legsbeyondbattleroyale,

cementing the gameasnot justa

goodBR, but one of the bestteam

shootersaround.

But italsofeels likeApexisjust

somuchmoreconfident thisyear,

bothasa gameand asa world.

Respawn’s storytellinghas gone

intooverdrive, bringingin

community artists, and animators tohelpfleshout

the world, while leaning fully intovoice lines and

BRdowntimetobring the game’scasttolife. Apex

isa soapopera now, and every new season

escalates the drama between our sci-fi buds.

The game’slatest season, Escape, has only

reinvigorated myexcitement for the gameafter a

somewhat lacklustretenth season. LikeOlympus,

Storm Point isa gorgeousreimagining of whatan

Apexmap can looklike, and Ash isa strong

initiator who managed tobemorethanmere

Titanfall 2 nostalgia. But atthe end of the day,

Apexisstill the bestand onlyshooter for punting

yourself downa hill at400mphasa floating

Scottishlass. Whatmorecould you everask for?

Phil Savage,UKeditor-in-chief: There’s a lot of

personality inApex’smaps, and – aseachgets

tweaked and upgradedoverits

seasons and through Town

Takeoverevents– plentyof

history too. King’sCanyonhas

covered its vastempty spaces

withnew attractions, and World’s

Edgeisbreakingapart atthe

seams. Despite this, eachnew

map manages tobring its own

personality. The mostrecent,

Storm Point, feels likea strongreactiontoearlier

maps, withmoreclearly definedroutesthatfunnel

players intoconflict ininteresting ways.

The strengthof Apex’sthird yearisthatthere’s

alwayssomething new tolearn. But the enduring

appeal of Apexasa whole isthatit’sbuilt onsuch

anenjoyable foundation. Try sliding intoa

teamfight, SMGsblazing, and tell meany other

battleroyaleisworth yourtime.

CRUELTY SQUAD

Surely the result of a food

poisoning fever dream, Cruelty

Squadalso gleefully aims to

depict what rancid sushi does

to your body as a first-person

shooter. Playing Cruelty Squad

is bathing in wall-to-wall puke

textures and embracing the

filthiness of a hypercapitalist

existence where you sell body

parts on the stock exchange

and use your own intestines as

a grappling hook. The

open-ended missions are a

genuine treat to puzzle out.

Wesley Fenlon

DORFROMANTIK

This year I was really looking

for videogames to be my calm,

chill escape from an

increasingly weird and

stressful reality. So you can

understand why I fell so in love

with this gentle puzzle game

about building idyllic little

countryside towns, one tile at a

time. I’m terrible at actually

scoring points, but I’m always

completing the true objective:

creating a place I’d love to go

on holiday.

Robin Valentine

APEXLEGENDS

GAME OF THE YEAR2021

EACH NEW MAP

MANAGES TO

BRING ITS OWN

PERSONALITY

BEST

ONGOING

2021