Stephen Hilger’s Top 10 Games of 2021
The intention of Into The Aether has always been to celebrate games we love, and the GOTY episodes are the crystallization of that mission. This year’s episode simultaneously feels the most unorthodox and the most meaningful.
A lot of great games came out this year, despite the lack of immediate critical consensus regarding which are “the best.” It’s always a bit of a pseudoscience constructing these lists, and my attempts are less rooted in the idea of “the best” and more an exercise in examining my own taste and experiences.
Still, it was very difficult settling on ten games out of the dozens Brendon and I have played. And making an order was especially difficult. Every game I’ve selected here excelled in a certain area or spoke to me in a way that’s almost impossible to quantify.
In a sense, this is the reality of every year’s GOTY episode. Ranking anything is inherently forcing numbers on a thought that is almost unquantifiable. But I love the act of sharing my personal experience with games. To create a journal entry to look back on in the years ahead of us.
Overall, as I look back and forward, I feel a lot of gratitude and excitement. I’m so grateful to be part of this show, to engage critically with a medium I love so much, and to celebrate this handful of games that were a bright spot in such a tumultuous year.
10. League of Legends: Wild Rift
Developer: Riot Games
Publisher: Riot Games
Prior to Wild Rift, I had very limited and turbulent experience with the MOBA genre. I first tried playing DotA when I was thirteen (using dial-up) and I would get kicked out of matches before they began. A vicious and Sisyphean cycle I would learn too well.
Then later in high school, I was invited to a friend’s house for a “hangout.” Upon arrival, I tragically discovered that this “hangout” was just a room full of guys on their laptops playing DotA. My friend’s mother walked by and, to no one and everyone, mumbled “what a waste of a beautiful day.” Judged, scared, and rejected, I went for a walk instead of returning to the screen-lit room that was glued to a game I could never even try.
Suffice to say, MOBAs have been nearly impossible for me to get into. I was extremely content to write off MOBAs for life, until I decided to check out Wild Rift after reading Cass Marshall’s glowing review for Polygon. I always love taking risks for the show, and it seemed like this was the make-or-break point for my tumultuous relationship with a genre of game that never let me in.
Hundreds of matches of Wild Rift later, I am happy to report that I finally get the hype. Wild Rift not only succeeds at making the game welcoming to new players, it’s also arguably the best way to experience the wildly popular game League of Legends. Making matches 15–20 minutes long (as opposed to 45–60) and streamlining more esoteric mechanics has done wonders for making the game a digestible, enjoyable, and understandable experience. While I doubt it will replace standard League as an e-sport, Wild Rift exists for the rest of us who don’t want to make a career out of the game but are still happy to learn at our own pace.
On a surface level, Wild Rift comes with familiar trappings of other free-to-play games: there’s a battle pass, dozens of skins only acquirable with a premium currency, and a handful of different currencies all acquired at a snail’s pace. However, the game is remarkably generous with unlocking Heroes early on, and continues to constantly reward you for playing. The bar is outrageously low here, but I find Wild Rift to be less predatory in its monetization than other free-to-play games of the same genre. There’s still plenty to critique, but nothing about the game’s monetization structure directly interferes with the core experience.
And the core experience is a wonderful one! Wild Rift has sold me on a genre I had negative interest in, and expanded my expectations for what type of games can work and thrive on mobile.
The intention of Into The Aether has always been to celebrate games we love, and the GOTY episodes are the crystallization of that mission. This year’s episode simultaneously feels the most unorthodox and the most meaningful.
A lot of great games came out this year, despite the lack of immediate critical consensus regarding which are “the best.” It’s always a bit of a pseudoscience constructing these lists, and my attempts are less rooted in the idea of “the best” and more an exercise in examining my own taste and experiences.
Still, it was very difficult settling on ten games out of the dozens Brendon and I have played. And making an order was especially difficult. Every game I’ve selected here excelled in a certain area or spoke to me in a way that’s almost impossible to quantify.
In a sense, this is the reality of every year’s GOTY episode. Ranking anything is inherently forcing numbers on a thought that is almost unquantifiable. But I love the act of sharing my personal experience with games. To create a journal entry to look back on in the years ahead of us.
Overall, as I look back and forward, I feel a lot of gratitude and excitement. I’m so grateful to be part of this show, to engage critically with a medium I love so much, and to celebrate this handful of games that were a bright spot in such a tumultuous year.
10. League of Legends: Wild Rift
Developer: Riot Games
Publisher: Riot Games
Prior to Wild Rift, I had very limited and turbulent experience with the MOBA genre. I first tried playing DotA when I was thirteen (using dial-up) and I would get kicked out of matches before they began. A vicious and Sisyphean cycle I would learn too well.
Then later in high school, I was invited to a friend’s house for a “hangout.” Upon arrival, I tragically discovered that this “hangout” was just a room full of guys on their laptops playing DotA. My friend’s mother walked by and, to no one and everyone, mumbled “what a waste of a beautiful day.” Judged, scared, and rejected, I went for a walk instead of returning to the screen-lit room that was glued to a game I could never even try.
Suffice to say, MOBAs have been nearly impossible for me to get into. I was extremely content to write off MOBAs for life, until I decided to check out Wild Rift after reading Cass Marshall’s glowing review for Polygon. I always love taking risks for the show, and it seemed like this was the make-or-break point for my tumultuous relationship with a genre of game that never let me in.
Hundreds of matches of Wild Rift later, I am happy to report that I finally get the hype. Wild Rift not only succeeds at making the game welcoming to new players, it’s also arguably the best way to experience the wildly popular game League of Legends. Making matches 15–20 minutes long (as opposed to 45–60) and streamlining more esoteric mechanics has done wonders for making the game a digestible, enjoyable, and understandable experience. While I doubt it will replace standard League as an e-sport, Wild Rift exists for the rest of us who don’t want to make a career out of the game but are still happy to learn at our own pace.
On a surface level, Wild Rift comes with familiar trappings of other free-to-play games: there’s a battle pass, dozens of skins only acquirable with a premium currency, and a handful of different currencies all acquired at a snail’s pace. However, the game is remarkably generous with unlocking Heroes early on, and continues to constantly reward you for playing. The bar is outrageously low here, but I find Wild Rift to be less predatory in its monetization than other free-to-play games of the same genre. There’s still plenty to critique, but nothing about the game’s monetization structure directly interferes with the core experience.
And the core experience is a wonderful one! Wild Rift has sold me on a genre I had negative interest in, and expanded my expectations for what type of games can work and thrive on mobile.
9. Guilty Gear Strive
Developer: Arc System Works
Publisher: Arc System Works
I love the spectacle and pageantry of fighting games, and Guilty Gear Strive is flaunting it. Arc System Works have routinely proven they know how to animate fighting games and Strive is perhaps their best work yet. Much like their 2018 hit Dragon Ball Fighter Z, Strive showcases fluid 3D animation that retains the charm and look of a 2D anime. It’s a balance that is extremely hard to pull off, and the result is one of the most visually compelling games of 2021.
The best way for me to sum up all my admiration for (and critique of) Guilty Gear Strive is that it is the end result of accepting no feedback. I mean this mostly as a compliment.
Guilty Gear as a series is born from the 90’s arcade era, where it feels like every game was visually competing for one’s attention. And my God, for better or for worse, Guilty Gear won that contest. Tekken might have thought it was cool for having a wrestler with a jaguar’s head, but here comes Guilty Gear with Zappa, a possessed man who fights via the ghosts that control him, Milia Rage, an assassin who battles exclusively with her hair, and Faust, a giant doctor with a paper bag on his head whose attacks fuse the mania of Bugs Bunny with the chilling work of Don Hertzfeldt. It is unmatched in its strangeness, and that’s largely why I love it so much.
My first Guilty Gear game was Guilty Gear X on the Dreamcast. I was disturbed and intrigued enough to eventually pick up Xrd Rev 2 on the PS4. I enjoyed my time with both, but always felt like I was coming into the series too late. Fighting games are hard to break into, and Guilty Gear has always harbored a small but devoted following. After the more mainstream hit Dragon Ball Fighter Z, I was looking forward to seeing how that success impacted Arc’s approach with their next Guilty Gear game.
While I wouldn’t say Strive is beginner friendly for newcomers to the fighting game genre, Strive is easily the best entry point into the series for those who are curious about Guilty Gear. There are a lot of smart design changes that may be divisive for longtime fans, but I’ve overall found to be successful. In general, every character has significantly fewer moves, attacks deal more damage than prior games, and matches are over faster. While this might sound like an oversimplification, what these changes lead to is a faster understanding of a character. I always felt I knew what tools I had in every match, so it was more about understanding what worked best in the moment than trying to pull off a never-ending combo I had to memorize.
I do wish Strive had a bit more single player content. There’s an Arcade and Survival mode, and a very helpful tutorial that goes through all the mechanics. But outside of the “Story” mode that is a four-hour-long anime film, there isn’t too much to do outside of playing matches online. Fighting games often have revisions, so I’m hopeful there will be some more variety in future updates.
But all of that is icing. The game we got on release was entirely focused on the mechanics and presentation, and that focus has paid off beautifully. Guilty Gear Strive is the first fighting game in many years to grip me and make me want to learn how to play it on a deeper, mechanical level.
8. Wildermyth
Developer: Worldwalker Games
Publisher: Worldwalker Games, Whisper Games
Wildermyth is a very special game that delivers on the promise of much bigger RPGs, and I have a feeling it will be a point of comparison for all RPGs to come. While many games seek to emulate the tabletop experience, most play out like a module or an authored campaign. Wildermyth instead focuses on the joy of writing the story yourself: encouraging the player to use their own creativity and to fill in the blanks on a journey largely written through improvisation.
The best and worst thing about Wildermyth is how good your first campaign will be. You start to see a bit behind the curtain after that, but even still, every campaign will feel unique if you’re willing to roleplay and immerse yourself in the group of adventurers. The thrill of seeing three seemingly regular people grow into legendary heroes never gets old, and Wildermyth secretly has great turn-based combat and a rewarding sense of progression within the traditional class system. For example, you can have a rogue who is more of an archer, or a bard, or an assassin. And I always found myself making these class decisions based on who I thought the character was, not necessarily what role I needed in battles.
The only part of the game that loses me a bit is the world map navigation. It’s always a bit difficult to control, and I never liked splitting up the party. I enjoy the variety and I like seeing how the world grows alongside the party, but I can’t help but wonder if the game would have benefited from just focusing on the comic panel narrative and combat.
Critiques aside, Wildermyth is a game that accurately explains why people love the tabletop experience. By sharing the authorship with the player, Worldwalker Games have not only given us a great RPG, but a foundation for countless RPGs to come.
7. Monster Hunter Rise
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
I don’t think anyone will ever truly know how Capcom got this game to run on Switch. After months of enduring the dial-up fast airport in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, seeing friends instantly arrive in Rise’s village, posing and ready to hunt, was maybe one of the most shocking twists of 2021.
Monster Hunter: World was my entry point into the series and is a game I love dearly. So I was very excited for Rise, especially after the incredible demo.
World was a very hard act to follow, and Rise made a wise decision to focus on different elements than its predecessor. While World showcases wildly imaginative settings and the spectacle of giant monsters clashing in destructible environments, Rise zeroes in on the actual hunts and makes the core gameplay loop an even more seamless experience.
In general, hunts just feel better. The layout of the hub makes prepping for hunts faster and easier, and the early game hunts are a digestible length. The addition of the wirebugs and palamutes add such incredible mobility options, I imagine both will be a series staple from now on.
However, even with all the gameplay improvements, I’d argue the biggest success of Rise is the setting. While the narrative is almost entirely people telling you “good job!” and giving you food, the charm of the village is one of the main contributing factors for the highly enjoyable gameplay loop. It’s a wonderful place to return to, and as a player, it was a place I genuinely wanted to protect.
In our first episode about Rise, we referred to it as “paradoxically cozy” and that remains the best way for me to communicate my love for this game. Whether you are taking on a life-or-death hunt or just picking mushrooms on an expedition, Rise provides a world for you and your friends that is genuinely happy you’re there.
6. Resident Evil Village
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Wow, Capcom had a great year, didn’t they? Like Rise before it, Resident Evil Village also had the unfortunate task of following a big hit in its respective series. RE7: Biohazard successfully revived Resident Evil from the brink of oblivion, so it was Village’s job to convince audiences the series could continue. And despite the messiness of Village, I think it’s easily one of the best entries in the franchise.
While Biohazard focuses solely on the Baker family and their extremely haunted house, Village provides the player with a sampler platter of horror. The game is divided into four areas that are each ruled by its respective lord. And by nature of the variety, some acts of the game hit harder than others.
In my experience, I found Lady Dimitrescu’s castle and Donna Beneviento’s dollhouse to be the strongest parts of the game. Lady D’s area is the perfect blend of puzzles, combat, horror — and camp — the secret ingredient found in the best Resident Evil games. Meanwhile, Donna B’s dollhouse is just pure terror. I was warned about the area, so I invited two of my closest friends over to help me get through it. We all screamed in atonal unison for a solid hour. I said the game wasn’t scary before that, and I was punished for my sins.
The other two areas have their moments, and the game is consistently fun, but the mission of the game feels less clear. Moraeu’s swamp and Heisenberg’s factory both serve as an enjoyable homage to Resident Evil 4, and the Moreau boss fight is especially fun. But the RE4 influence was clear from the start, so those areas feel like a bit of a retread. I wonder if changing the order would’ve helped a bit.
The narrative also gets confusing near the end, and Ethan Winters goes from being an audience surrogate to one of the most accidentally bizarre protagonists I’ve seen in a game.
But even the best Resident Evil games were never known for their narrative cohesion, so when I look back at my time with Village, I remember the fun and the screams more than the plot twists about mold or Ethan’s cringey one-liners. As I watched the credits, I felt excited for where the series could be heading next. I just wonder which path it will take.
5. The Forgotten City
Developer: Modern Storyteller
Publisher: Dear Villagers
Look, if you do the Oblivion zoom-in, I’m going to love your game. The minute I locked eyes with the slightly uncanny Galerius, I knew this game was the one. Though The Forgotten City has much more going for it than just its Elder Scrolls roots.
The Forgotten City is about a society in the Roman Empire that lives under one law: the golden rule. This rule states that if anyone in the city commits a sin, everyone living there is turned into a golden statue. “The many shall suffer for the sins of the one.” The city’s magistrate has reason to believe someone is going to break the rule and tasks the player with finding out who it will be before the city meets its predicted doom.
To say anything else would potentially spoil the experience, but in the eight-to-ten hours it takes to complete the game, you will talk to all the city’s residents and hear almost every possible point of view on the golden rule that could exist. Some fear it. Some don’t believe it. Many abuse it. And it quickly becomes clear that this law is a less than ideal way to run a society.
The rule and the initial mystery serve as a framing device for a plot that explores the cyclical nature of history, the parallels of religion and mythology, the inevitability of sin, and the struggle to accurately define what a sin even is.
Not every story in The Forgotten City is wrapped up evenly, and certain characters feel a bit mishandled, but I found the incredibly ambitious narrative stuck the landing. Amidst all the societal critique, there is an optimism for humankind in The Forgotten City that feels deserved and genuine. It’s an inspiring experience.
4. Shin Megami Tensei V
Developer: Atlus
Publisher: Sega
While playing Shin Megami Tensei V, as I was fusing the “demons” Mothman and Alice (in Wonderland) to fight a phallic beast in a chariot, I kept laughing about the parents in the 90’s that were worried Pokémon was satanic.
Shin Megami Tensei is a long running JRPG series that (not too dissimilar from Pokémon) involves recruiting and training monsters. In the case of SMT, replace monsters with demons that are artistic interpretations of many different gods and figures of folklore, myth, and religion. SMT is probably best known in the west as the series Persona spun-off from. While the two series share a very similar battle system and many of the same demons, the experience of Persona is largely driven by the narrative while SMT games tend to be very combat centric.
Knowing this difference, I was unsure how I would enjoy SMT V. I am a huge persona fan, largely for narrative reasons, so I wasn’t confident the battles alone would be enough for me.
What I have learned is that despite their inherent connection, Persona and Shin Megami Tensei are going for completely different experiences.
The modern Persona games all focus on personal connections in a narrative and mechanical way. The stronger your relationship is with a character in Persona, the more abilities you gain for battle. The life-sim element of Persona perfectly intertwines with the dungeon crawling in a way where it feels like the actions you take in one area of the game benefits the other. You feel the weight and meaning of friendship and love in Persona in every aspect of the game.
In SMT V you are brutally and intentionally alone. Ironically, that isolation creates a gripping atmosphere I couldn’t get enough of.
Like Monster Hunter Rise, SMT V has a core gameplay loop that the entire game is built around. Each act of the game, you’ll be tossed into a new area to explore, with new demons to fight or recruit, and a boss or two to take out. Whenever you recruit demons, you can fuse them to create more powerful ones. As unforgiving as the game can be, it is constantly encouraging and rewarding player experimentation. When you inevitably come across a boss that feels impossible, victory will likely be the result of changing up your team as opposed to grinding. This makes victory feel personally earned and not something solely based on numbers going up.
There are drips of story in between these areas, but the bulk of this game is exploration and combat: two elements that are strong enough here to carry the experience.
I was surprised to realize I almost wanted less story. The inciting event of the plot and the atmosphere of the first area were strong enough, I was pretty content just existing in my head for the rest of the game. There are some interesting ideas explored in the main plot, but it largely does little to engage, and characters exist mostly as vehicles for various alignments.
What I find more successful in the narrative are the themes at play and the subtext that exists in the mechanics. The idea of those in power telling the younger generation “you figure it out” after being dropped into a god-less wasteland carries enough weight for me. The protagonist and his handful of teenage companions exist in a world that has largely abandoned them, and the only people (or demons) that offer help want something in return.
SMT V is most interested in battling and the thrill of becoming more and more powerful while seeing what types of creatures you can create. But as much as the mechanics are in the spotlight, SMT V is also a game that’s asking the player what kind of world they want to live in right as it’s ending. That irony and sadness added a lot to my experience running around the glittery desert, excited to find soda cans I could sell to a small zombie with an even smaller crown.
3. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Developer: Insomniac Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is such a joyful and fun experience, there’s almost nothing else meaningful to say about it. Even in our GOTY episode, we equated praising this game to “eating peanut butter out of the jar.” But I love Rift Apart enough to continue to gush — so I will!
Rift Apart exists alongside my favorite works of Studio Ghibli and Pixar that clearly have a younger audience in mind, but don’t compromise the work out of fear of being too dark. Or even worse, throw in a weird, forced joke for the adults (though this might be more present in older R&C games with titles that feel alarmingly Leisure Suit Larry adjacent). I believe children are almost always more perceptive and intelligent than adults give them credit for, and Rift Apart also trusts its audience, regardless of age. There are meaningful and surprisingly heavy themes explored in Rift Apart, and those moments exist seamlessly in a game that never forgets its tone and genuinely succeeds at being for all ages.
Of course, the most immediate and constant praise for Rift Apart must go to its visuals. I have a feeling it’s going to be a while before we see another game make this much use out of the PS5’s hardware, which heightens the already stellar art direction.
Insomniac have routinely proven they are masters of traversal mechanics, and this game has further cemented that legacy. Every level is centered around a different style of navigation: one area has Ratchet zipping around on jet boots, while another has Rivet using magnet boots to get around debris adrift in space. Some are less successful, but the fun is in the variety, and that variety is mirrored by the series’ staple of incredibly strange weapons. Every gun has multiple functions based on if you’re pressing or fully pulling down the left and right trigger. I assumed this would be messy in execution, but they have successfully made four buttons out of two, and I imagine this design will be influential for many games on the horizon.
As stated before, there’s so much to praise here, but what I keep coming back to is the story. It’s the kind of narrative where you may easily predict the beats, but you’ll look forward to what you predicted happening. It feels like when Insomniac started this project, they asked themselves if Ratchet & Clank could exist in 2021? The uncertainty is echoed by many of the characters. It is a story about wondering if you’re a has-been, or a failure, or at all worthy of love and affection. All the heroes (and villains) going through their own surprisingly grounded personal arcs is complemented by the over-the-top cartoon action. Rift Apart is a heartwarming adventure that truly understands what it means for a game to be both visually and narratively cinematic.
2. Metroid Dread
Developer: MercurySteam, Nintendo EPD
Publisher: Nintendo
Samus is so cool.
I’m tempted to leave it there because that’s what I said out loud after beating Metroid Dread, and that is the statement literally everyone I know makes when they tell me what they thought of the game.
This is another moment of “eating peanut butter out of the jar” because Metroid Dread is a nearly perfect video game. The genre of game Metroid has arguably created has grown wildly over the years, and I think many were wondering if Dread would prove that Metroid, in 2021, could stand alongside games that have expanded the genre like Ori and Hollow Knight.
The answer, of course, is yes — and Samus is so cool. There is a confidence to Metroid Dread, both in the design of the game and within Samus herself, that really sells the experience. The game asks a lot of you but communicates the path to victory while also giving the player just enough freedom to explore the many environments at their own pace.
Dread also feels like the swan song of this type of Metroid game, which is a little bittersweet, but I can’t think of a better note to end on. Samus is done in this game. She rarely talks, but we see in the animation of her character how good she has gotten at being a bounty hunter and how excited she is for this to all be over.
This game also serves as a sequel to Metroid Fusion, a game that took the series closer to horror. In Fusion, Samus loses her powers and is stalked by a mutated version of her former, more powerful self. There is an identity crisis in Fusion that leads to the triumphant reclaiming of power and identity in Dread that is very cathartic to experience.
Samus has returned to prove that she is just as powerful as she used to be, and Metroid is still the best in the genre. What awaits both the character and fans of the series is an exciting new horizon.
1. Chicory: A Colorful Tale
Developer: Greg Lobanov
Publisher: Greg Lobanov, Finji
Chicory: A Colorful Tale takes place in a fantasy world where all color is manifested by one royal artist known as the Wielder. Almost every artist dreams of being the Wielder — except the current one, Chicory, who has locked herself off from the world, causing all color to disappear. Shocked by this event, Chicory’s janitor (who is an adorable dog named after the player’s favorite food) decides to pick up Chicory’s brush and give this whole Wielder thing a shot during her absence.
The game is largely structured like a top-down Zelda game. There are towns full of extremely lovable characters (also all named after food) and dungeons full of puzzles. Muffins’ (my favorite food / protagonist’s name) main tool in this quest is the brush. Depending on the system you play on, one method of control moves Muffins around, and the other moves the brush. While you can color in the monochromatic, coloring book-esque world at your heart’s content, the paint also serves a direct gameplay purpose. Early on, you get powers that allow the paint to glow in the dark, acting like a torch. Later you can swim in the paint (much like in Splatoon) which allows you to navigate to previously unreachable areas. The brush is essentially your Zelda omni-tool — as well as an actual paint brush.
I think some might see the subject matter of Chicory and feel it’s not for them because they “aren’t an artist” which is ironic because Chicory has a direct response to that assumption.
Chicory is a game largely about imposter syndrome and the idea that “being an artist” is some type of fantastical title out of reach and understanding. If you’ve ever fallen victim to the demons in your head saying “you’re not good enough” I think this game will resonate with you, regardless of your experience with visual art.
Throughout the game, Muffins constantly doubts herself, despite constant encouragement. Every now and then, the game will ask you to draw something because an NPC is requesting art. No matter what you do, they’re happy with the commission, and it will be displayed proudly by the character. But no matter what other people say, Muffins can’t shake the feeling she’s a fraud because she just happened to pick up the brush when it was dropped.
Chicory also suffers from her own insecurities and the immeasurable pressure of being the wielder. Eventually, Chicory and Muffins confide in each other. Their relationship is the heart of the story, and their scenes feature some of the best writing in an already wonderfully written game.
I’ve played games that tackle mental health and anxiety, but Chicory successfully puts words to feelings many of us have experienced but maybe struggle to articulate. It’s a game that doesn’t pull its punches but also never betrays the welcoming tone suggested by the art style. It gets surprisingly heavy, but in a way that benefits the narrative and makes the positive message feel earned.
Chicory also doesn’t pretend that the insecurities that plague the cast will ever go away. Like all our own struggles with mental health, there are things we can do to help ourselves, but whatever it is we struggle with is not something we can cure. It’s part of us. And in some ways, this mental adversity in Chicory is the reflection of creativity. You can’t make art for anyone in this game without second-guessing it. The creative journey, or any pursuit for that matter, is inherently full of insecurity, doubt, and pain. But without taking it, we choose not to add color to the world.
There is a scene in the game where the protagonist asks Chicory if she really thought she could be the wielder. Chicory gives a gentle reminder that Muffins didn’t ask for the brush. She just picked it up herself. Maybe that’s all it takes.