IGF 2012 Awards: Fez takes top gong, Dear Esther wins visual nod
The annual Independent Games Awards presented a wide spread of genres and styles with this year's winners.
The Seumas McNally Grand Prize, the event's top honour, went to Fez, which has been in development for five years, been nominated several times, and is finally coming out on Xbox Live Arcade this year.
Dear Esther won in the visual category; The Chinese Room's atmospheric adventure began life as a Half-life 2 mod and was praised for its visuals even then; on the updated Source engine, it officially has award-winning graphics.
Newcomer Beat Sneak Bandit took out the mobile award from a crowded field, an impressive achievement for fledgling studio Simogo. Australian effort Antichamber took technical excellence, and Spelunky nabbed excellence in design. Botanicula was applauded with best audio.
The Audience Choice award went to tactics favourite Frozen Synapse, and Microsoft gave its XBLA sponsorship award - which comes with a publishing contract - to Super Time Force.
See the full list of finalists below, with winners in bold:
- Student Showcase:
- The Bridge
- Dust
- The Floor Is Jelly
- Nous
- One and One Story
- Pixi
- The Snowfield
- WAY
- Technical Excellence:
- Antichamber
- Fez
- Prom Week
- Realm of the Mad God
- Spelunky
- Excellence In Design:
- Atom Zombie Smasher
- English Country Tune
- Frozen Synapse
- Gunpoint
- Spelunky
- Best Mobile Game:
- ASYNC Corp.
- Beat Sneak Bandit
- Faraway
- Ridiculous Fishing
- Waking Mars
- Excellence In Visual Art:
- Botanicula
- Dear Esther
- Lume
- Mirage
- Wonderputt
- Excellence in Audio:
- Botanicula
- Dear Esther
- Pugs Luv Beats
- To the Moon
- Waking Mars
- Audience Award
- Antichamber
- ASYNC Corp
- At A Distance
- Atom Zombie Smasher
- BeatSneakBandit
- Botanicula
- Dear Esther
- English Country Tune
- Faraway
- Fez
- Fingle
- Frozen Synapse
- GIRP
- Gunpoint
- Johann Sebastian Joust
- Lume
- Mirage
- Prom Week
- Proteus
- Pugs Luv Beats
- Realm of the Mad God
- Ridiculous Fishing
- Spelunky
- Storyteller
- To The Moon
- Waking Mars
- WAY
- Wonderputt
- Nuovo Award Finalists:
- At a Distance
- Dear Esther
- Fingle
- GIRP
- Johann Sebastian Joust
- Proteus
- Storyteller
- WAY
- Seumas McNally Grand Prize:
- Dear Esther
- Fez
- Frozen Synapse
- Johann Sebastian Joust
- Spelunky
Microsoft XBLA Sponsorship Award: Super Time Force