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Independent Game Festival Awards Nominees Announced
This year's nominees for the annual IGF Awards have been revealed, with many of last year's most innovative games, including Papers, Please and The Stanley Parable, getting nods.
The Independent Game Awards honors games that push the boundaries of the medium, in all elements of game creation, including audio, design, and narrative. The Seamus McNally Grand Prize represents the IGF's top honors, akin to Best Film at the Oscars.
The IGF Awards will take place on March 19th at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. The IGF nominees will also be available for demo at the Moscone Convention Center from March 19-21 during the Game Developer's Conference.
Below is the full list of nominees, which include many games that were staff favorites at Game Informer.
Excellence In Visual Art
DEVICE 6 (Simogo)
Gorogoa (Jason Roberts)
The Banner Saga (Stoic)
Perfect Stride (Arcane Kids)
Samorost3 (Amanita Design)
Drei (Etter)
Honorable mentions: Shelter (Might & Delight); Galak-Z (17-BIT); The Swapper (Facepalm Games); The Yawhg (Damian Sommer & Emily Carroll); Don't Starve (Klei Entertainment)
Excellence In Narrative
The Yawhg (Damian Sommer & Emily Carroll)
Paralect (Paralect Team)
DEVICE 6 (Simogo)
Dominique Pamplemousse in "It's All Over Once the Fat Lady Sings!" (Deirdra Kiai Productions)
The Stanley Parable (Galactic Cafe)
Papers, Please (Lucas Pope)
Honorable mentions: Quadrilateral Cowboy (Blendo Games); Gorogoa (Jason Roberts); Redshirt (The Tiniest Shark); Detective Grimoire (SFB Games); Monster Loves You (Radial Games Corp. & Dejobaan Games, LLC.)
Excellence In Design
TowerFall Ascension (Matt Thorson)
868-HACK (Michael Brough)
Mushroom 11 (Untame)
Papers, Please (Lucas Pope)
Don't Starve (Klei Entertainment)
Crypt of the NecroDancer (Brace Yourself Games)
Honorable mentions: The Banner Saga (Stoic); Perfect Stride (Arcane Kids); Threes (Asher Vollmer, Greg Wohlwend & Jimmy Hinson); DEVICE 6 (Simogo); Gorogoa (Jason Roberts)
Excellence In Audio
Samorost3 (Amanita Design)
Dominique Pamplemousse in "It's All Over Once the Fat Lady Sings!" (Deirdra Kiai Productions)
The Stanley Parable (Galactic Cafe)
Crypt of the NecroDancer (Brace Yourself Games)
DEVICE 6 (Simogo)
The Yawhg (Damian Sommer & Emily Carroll)
Honorable mentions: Sokobond (Alan Hazelden, Harry Lee & Ryan Roth); The Banner Saga (Stoic); Potatoman Seeks the Troof (Pixeljam); Jazzpunk (Necrophone Games); Don't Starve (Klei Entertainment)
Nuovo Award
Dominique Pamplemousse in "It's All Over Once the Fat Lady Sings!" (Deirdra Kiai Productions)
Luxuria Superbia (Tale of Tales)
Extrasolar (Lazy 8 Studios)
Perfect Woman (Peter Lu and Lea Schonfelder)SoundSelf (Robin Arnott)
Papers, Please (Lucas Pope)
Save the Date (Paper Dino Software)
Corrypt (Michael Brough)
Honorable mentions: Shelter (Might & Delight); DEVICE 6 (Simogo); Elegy for a Dead World (Dejobaan Games with Popcannibal); SUPERHOT (SUPERHOT Team); 18 Cadence (Aaron A. Reed)
Seumas McNally Grand Prize
The Stanley Parable (Galactic Cafe)Don't Starve (Klei Entertainment)
Jazzpunk (Necrophone Games)
Papers, Please (Lucas Pope)
DEVICE 6 (Simogo)
Dominique Pamplemousse in "It's All Over Once the Fat Lady Sings!" (Deirdra Kiai Productions)
Honorable mentions: Crypt of the NecroDancer (Brace Yourself Games); TowerFall Ascension (Matt Thorson); Kerbal Space Program (Squad); 868-HACK (Michael Brough); The Yawhg (Damian Sommer & Emily Carroll)
Our Take:
The Independent Games Festival is a great institution, and has done so much to promote creative, indie development. However, one wonders if eventually it will be merged with the larger Game Developer's Choice Awards which take place at GDC, because many of these games are just some of the best games of the year, full stop.
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