Top 12 Board Games of 2021

So here it is! The 2021 games of the year. I was going to do a top 10, but I simply could not decide between all these great games, and so you are blessed with 12 beauties this year instead. One for every month!

Best Card Game - TEN

Best Surprise of the Year - Riverside

Best Mid-Weight Game - Furnace

Best Solo Game - Rolling Realms

Best Party Game - Night of the Ninja

Best Roll & Write - Hadrian's Wall

Best Heavy Game - Golem

Best Adventure Game - The Adventures of Robin Hood

Best APP based Game - Destinies

Best Family Game - Juicy Fruits

Best Euro Game - Tinners' Trail

Best Dungeon Crawler - Resident Evil 3

Best Card Game - TEN

TEN is a fantastic game. You can read the full review here but if you are looking for a new card game to play with you family then I cannot recommend TEN enough. It is so much fun, plays fast, and can be taught and played with anyone.

Best Surprise of the Year - Riverside

Riverside was recommended to me by Marie from Burtons Boards when we visited the Essen Spiel this year. I had not heard of it before, and I certainly was not in the market for another roll and write game. But after playing the game at the show with designer Eilif Svensson, I was hooked! The game has a beautiful look, the art on the box is one of my all time favorites! The game itself plays incredibly smoothly and offers some highly satisfying cascading turns, something essential for me in a good roll and write.

What makes this game special over other games is the way the game feels like an event. So many roll and writes feel like a mathematical equation to me. Either with a pasted on theme, or no theme at all. In Riverside, I don't feel like I am Captain a ship of tourists, but I do feel immersed in this beautiful snow landscape and fully engrossed in my mission.

Best Mid-Weight Game - Furnace

Furnace is a stunning game. I love engine builders so that must be said right from the start. But even without my mechanical bias, this is a truly great game. You can read my thoughts here, but I would recommend this game to anyone for any group.

Best Solo Game - Rolling Realms

Rolling Realms holds a special place in my heart for what designer Jamey Stegmaier did with it during lock down, but even with the sentimentality removed, this game holds up as one of the best solo experiences I have ever had. I enjoy solo games when they are somewhat removed from a big immersive theme. This goes against everything I say about games in a group. But playing solitaire I don't want to have a game do that as it just makes me miss my friends who I would usually share this epic experience with. Alone, I would rather get into the math, strategy and game choices. Rolling Realms does this better than most with a simply stunning solo experience which you can read more about here from the brilliant Mostly Solo, who explains solo games better than most!

Best Party Game - Night of the Ninja

Night of the Ninja has hit the table for me so many times. As soon as I have a big group I play this game. I don't care if they are gamers or not, this games works with everyone! You can play at home, on the couch, round a table, or in the pub. This game is so versatile and is always brilliant. It looks stunning and just writing about it makes me want to play again. Who is coming round for a game? You can read more about it here in my Brotherwise Games feature.

Best Roll & Write - Hadrian's Wall

Ok, this is the third roll & write on this list, but they are all just too good to not include, and they all tick slightly different boxes. Hadrian's Wall works well for a solo game just like Rolling Realms, but due to the epic nature of this game, it just feels better to me with others. Where Rolling Realms suits both group or solo play, Hadrian's Wall to me is more about trying to beat other peoples scores, and there are some parts of the game that are affected by other players unlike most roll and writes. As such, Rolling Realms takes the spot for best solo game, and Hadrian's Wall takes the overall top spot for best Roll & Write. But really, they are all fantastic and this was just my way to fit them all onto the top 12. Which lets face it, was supposed to be a top 10 anyway. You can read a little more about this game here at Erlijne's great website.

Best Heavy Game - Golem

Golem's inclusion in this list may be a little premature as I have only played it a few times, hence it not having a full review here yet. But I just love the game so much from my early plays I feel confident it will stand the test of time and repeat plays. The theme intrigues me. You can watch more about this here. I love the way the board looks. The idea behind some of the mechanics is really interesting, such as the marbles acting as a randomly determined option each turn. The choice of which of the three tracks to work on, and how to best deploy your Golem and Students is a delicately balanced and intriging strategic decision.

There are not many turns in this game, but they all feel very important. The game has received some minor criticism for the way it has handled the theme, but personally I think they have done an okay job. They called in a cultural expert and personally I find it intriguing and interesting more than anything else. Maybe my opinion will change on this over time or with more thought. But for now, I am simply left wanting to play again.

Best Adventure Game - The Adventures of Robin Hood

The story in this game is a lot of fun. The art is simply stunning. The game teaches you how to play it better than any game I have ever experienced before. But what stands out the most is the joy from opening parts of the board up like an advent calendar. There are no two ways about it. That is just a lot of fun! For my full review, head here.

Best APP based Game - Destinies

I have not reviewed this game yet as I hope to run a feature soon on the use of Apps with games. When that is done I will link that here.