80 Days takes top honours in IGF Awards finalists
This year's Independent Games Festival will celebrate a really diverse array of indie games.
The 2015 IGF Awards Finalists list is notable for its wide spread. While in some previous years we've seen a small handful of titles dominate, this year is characterised by a dazzling array of individually nominated titles.
The highest-scoring title is 80 Days, a mobile game in which players take on the famous round the world trip, enjoying a rich narrative and steampunk setting along the way. It was nominated for the Excellence in Design, Excellence in Narrative and Seumas McNally Grand Prize awards.
Take a look in the trailer below.
Five other titles scored two nominations each; Invisible, Inc; Metamophabet; Outer Wilds; The Talos Principle; and This War of Mine.
Otherwise, every category is stuffed with new and interesting games. This is likely a result of the IGF's growing recognition as well as the increased number of indie developers with each passing year; not only are more award-worthy games being made, but more of them are being submitted to festivals and awards as consciousness of events increases.
The IGF Awards are held just before the GDC Awards. This year's ceremony will be held on March 4.
Here's the full list of finalists, but do check out the IGF website for descriptions of all finalists.
- Seumas McNally Grand Prize:
- 80 Days
- Invisible, Inc.
- Metamorphabet
- Outer Wilds
- The Talos Principle
- This War of Mine
Honorable mentions: Donut County (Ben Esposito); Endless Legend (Amplitude Studios); Killer Queen (Joshua DeBonis & Nikita Mikros); Shovel Knight (Yacht Club Games); The Sailor's Dream (Simogo); and The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (The Astronauts).
- Excellence in Visual Arts:
- Donut County
- else Heart.Break()
- Lumino City
- Memory of a Broken Dimension
- Metamorphabet
- Oquonie
Honorable mentions: Crawl (Powerhoof); Future Unfolding (Spaces of Play); Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine); Mini Metro (Dinosaur Polo Club); The Sailor's Dream (Simogo); and The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (The Astronauts).
- Excellence in Design:
- 80 Days
- Framed
- Invisible, Inc.
- Killer Queen
- Outer Wilds
- The Talos Principle
Honorable mentions: Desert Golfing (Captain Games); Dungeon of the Endless (Amplitude Studios); Endless Legend (Amplitude Studios); Helix (Michael Brough); Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes (Steel Create Games); and Mini Metro (Dinosaur Polo Club).
- Excellence in Audio:
- Ephemerid: A Musical Adventure
- Phonopath
- Shovel Knight
- The Sailor's Dream
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
- Thumper
Honorable mentions: Deep Under the Sky (Rich Edwards and Colin Northway); FOTONICA (Santa Ragione); Goat Simulator (Coffee Stain Studios); Hotline Miami 2 (Dennaton); Nuclear Throne (Vlambeer); and Smash Hit (Mediocre).
- Excellence in Narrative:
- 80 Days
- Coming Out Simulator 2014
- Ice-Bound: A Novel of Reconfiguration
- Pry
- This War of Mine
- Three Fourths Home
Honorable mentions: Curtain (Llaura, dreamfeeel); Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) (Upper One Games / E-Line Media); Outer Wilds (Team Outer Wilds); The Fall (Over The Moon); The Sailor's Dream (Simogo); and The Talos Principle (Croteam).
- Nuovo Award:
- Become a Great Artist in Just 10 Seconds
- Bounden
- Desert Golfing
- Elegy for a Dead World
- how do you Do It?
- Plug & Play
- Rooftop Cop
- Tetrageddon Games
Honorable mentions: Curtain (Llaura, dreamfeeel); Ice-Bound: A Novel of Reconfiguration (Down to the Wire); International Jetpack Conference (Rob Dubbin and Allison Parrish); Outer Wilds (Team Outer Wilds); Phonopath (Kevin Regamey); and Push Me Pull You (House House).