Every day from late December to mid-January, we’ll be revealing our 30 favourite games of 2021 bit by bit. Here’s number 19.

#19. The Legend of Tianding

The Legend of Tianding is one of those rare instances where you can get cathartic high-flying action and learn some actual history. Since the 2D action game is set during the 1900s part of history where Japan ruled Taiwan, you’ll find a lot of bits of history as collectables that come with its own description, telling you more about what preceded during these troubled times in the nation’s past. That’s a pretty good incentive to get players to go do more research and find out more elsewhere; the power of video games, y’all!

In addition to that, The Legend of Tianding also has great controls, well-paced action beats, a bright comic book aesthetic, and some challenging boss fights. Like we said on our review, Liao Tianding himself can probably mop the floor of half the Smash Bros competitors with his moveset and fast skills alone. It’s really fun to just steal weapons from Japanese soldiers and use them for high-flying DMC-style combos on a 2D plane. Let’s hope that developer Creative Games Computer Graphics Corporation and publisher Neon Doctrine continue on this 2D action-heavy path in the future.