Last year identified the independent hit, Balatro? Do not nominate for the big award of IGF. Animal Well, which turns damn near every journalist of the game into a tired obsession? Unnamed for anything. UFO 50, a big, important, large achievement of Big Boy stolen by our 2024 list? It do Receive a big award nomination.
I do not agree with any nominations or absence in this year’s independent game festival award, so I don’t mention any of the above to stir the trouble. Instead, I look at this list and think: Wow, video games are more diverse than ever, so much so that there is no longer a cultural story that dominates even in the field of independent gaming.
If you are not familiar: the IGF prize has been operating for 26 years and the winners are announced in GDC. Candidates, and winners, chosen by a collection of developers and journalists. This is one of the few video game awards not only a simple contest.
Jenny Jiao Hsia consumed me leading the package with five nominations, the story of Despelote football right behind with four people, and Nun on Indika had three. Good animals, in fairness, there are some honor. This is a full list:
Seumas McNally
- The cave of QUD (free game / game kitfox)
- Consumption of me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet WP, Ken “Coda” Snyder)
- Despelote (Julián Cormero, Sebastian Valbuena / Panic)
- Indika (Odd Meter / 11 Bit Studios)
- Thank God, you are here! (Dinner / panic coal)
- UFO 50 (Mossmouth)
Temple referrals: Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode), Balatro (localthunk / PlayStack), Blue Prince (Dogubomb / Raw Fury), mouthwash (Organ wrong / Important reflexes), Nine Sols (Redcandlegames), Wizards violate tactical (suspicious development)
Excellent in design
- Balatro (localthunk / playstack)
- Blue Prince (Dogubomb / Raw Fury)
- The cave of QUD (free game / game kitfox)
- Consumption of me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet WP, Ken “Coda” Snyder)
- Pacific Drive (Ironwood Studios / Kepler Interactive)
- Witch violates tactics (suspicious development)
Temple referrals: Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode), there is no case that has not been resolved (SOMI), UFO 50 (Mossmouth), Lok Digital (Letibus design, iCedrop / Draknek game and friends), Eigengrau (Martin Maurersics)
Excellent in narration
- The cave of QUD (free game / game kitfox)
- Closer to the distance (OSMOTIC STUDIOS / SKYBOUND GAMES)
- Consumption of me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet WP, Ken “Coda” Snyder)
- Despelote (Julián Cormero, Sebastian Valbuena / Panic)
- Indika (Odd Meter / 11 Bit Studios)
- There is no case that has not been resolved (somi)
Temple referrals: Blue Prince (Dogubomb / Raw Fury), Tieu Thu (other interactive tales), mouthwash (important organs), witches violate tactics (suspicious development), thank you here! (Dinner / panic), Thaumaturge (theory of Fool / 11 Bit Studios)
Excellence in visual art
- The sun of the Sun (René Rother / Devolver Digital)
- Consumption of me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet WP, Ken “Coda” Snyder)
- Hauntyi (Moonloop / Firestoke)
- Judero (Talha and Jack Co, J. King-Spooner, Talha Kaya)
- Nine Sols (Redcandlegames)
- Thank God, you are here! (Dinner / panic coal)
Temple referrals: Crow Country (SFB Games), Death of the Reprobate (Joe Richardson), miniature (other Tales interactions), Tiny Glade (Pounce light), Ultros (Hadoque / Kepler)
Nuovo Award
- Consumption of me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet WP, Ken “Coda” Snyder)
- Despelote (Julián Cormero, Sebastian Valbuena / Panic)
- Extreme evolution: Driving to theology (Sam Atlas)
- Ginger (Kevin Du / Lizu Ktap)
- Individualism in the era of death: A declaration of Big Tech Tech Flip Rant Rant (Alienmelon) (Alienmelon)
- Starship Home
- Tapeçaria (Tapestry) (MUT/MOOCHI (with the help from the working group of Plindludics))))
- Exit 8 (Kotake created / Active Gaming Media Inc)
Temple referrals: Arctic eggs (Water Museum, Cockydoody, Abmarnie, Cameron Genex / Important Reflection), Judero (Talha and Jack Co, J. King-Spooner, Talha Kaya), to Maizilind to infinity (Kas Ghobadi, Juli TestGame personality (Lizardry / Playism)
Best student game
- A Mountain Toad Entertainment / Rubika Supinfogame)
- Movement (Eversea / Leafaleaves Club)
- Spurt growth: A trendy interruption on the times of a wrong calculation (my computer game)
- Slot waste (Vinny Roca / Pickpucks Productions)
- The Werecleaner (Hugs’ Hugs / USC Games)
- The year unknown (Julian Heuser)
Temple referrals: Card of Heart (Goodmind Games), Duck Paradox (Middle Magic / Middle West game), Lost Garden (Ori Shany, Yoni Pushett, Ramon Zerem), Perfect World (Michael Overton Brown), Timeworks (StarWorks Studios)
Excellent in sound
- Anger’s feet (free life / Devolver Digital)
- Despelote (Julián Cormero, Sebastian Valbuena / Panic)
- Indika (Odd Meter / 11 Bit Studios)
- Oddada (Sven Ahlgrimm, Mathilde Hoffmann, Bastian Clausdorff)
- Thank God, you are here! (Dinner / panic coal)
- Unimaginable to fall (pixeljam)
Temple referrals: Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode), mouthwash (Frong Organ / Reflectial Reflex), Pacific Drive (Ironwood Studios / Kepler Interactive), Rise of the Golden Idol (Color Gray Games / PlayStack), UFO 50 (Mossmouth)
