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A Short Hike wins the IGF Grand PrizeAwards for Mutazione and Heaven’s Vault too
Awards for Mutazione and Heaven’s Vault too
Image credit:adamgryu
Image credit:adamgryu
Yourwinners from the 22nd annual Independent Games Festival Awardsare:
Excellence in Visual Art -Knights And Bikes($2000)
That’s the lovely adventure of two kids on a Cornish-ish island. “It’s such a warm game,” Matt said in ourKnights And Bikes review. “Touching and heartfelt, masterfully capturing the cosy excitement of the places and stories we explore as children.” Chuffing pretty too.
Excellence in Audio -Mutazione($2000)
Visit an island of mutants, make friends, become tangled in their lives, and worry about overstepping your bounds in this cracking soap opera. It’s got a great soundtrack, characters speak with musical noises, and you can plant your own songs with seeds.
“Mutazione allows you to be an artist, as you choose where your plants will grow, perhaps with a big splash of pink leaves on the left and a smattering of bright mushrooms across the ground, and also a composer,” Alice Bee said in ourMutazione review. “Then you can sit and watch, and listen to it. It’s a miracle that all the little sounds come together to make music.”
We declared itthe best games of 2019too. My favourite part was anything involving swimming, Miu, or swimming with Miu.
Also! Mutazione is still free for keepsies for another few short hourson the Epic Games Store, until 3pm UK time. Hop to!
Excellence in Design - Patrick’s Parabox ($2000)
Huh,this oneis new to me! A puzzle game about pushing boxes into boxes in boxes in boxes in boxes with infinite recursion? I’ll keep an eye open for when it’s done and out.
Excellence in Narrative -Heaven’s Vault($2000)
Sail the rivers between stars, learn and translate languages of long-dead civilisations, and see where that takes you.
“You pull at threads and you tease out the meaning of a whole civilisation, the most satisfying unravelling imaginable,” Alice said in ourHeaven’s Vault review"And I already know that there are secrets I didn’t properly uncover, because it was a bit of history I didn’t chase down far enough."
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Nuovo Award - The Space Between ($2000)
Also new to me,this. Drifting into a dreamy, surreal play at night? I’m game.
Best Student Game - Bore Dome ($2000)
Anothernew one to me, cool! A… first-person puzzle game about experiencing boring and medicocre moments with weird simulated senses and actions? I’ll play this when it’s out, no doubt.
Audience Award -A Short Hike($2000)
“I did want to keep exploring, and once I’d found everything there was to find, I kept playing just to hang out for longer in its world,” our Graham said when declaring it one oflast year’s best games"Just as Claire found more than she expected on her mountain climb, I found more in A Short Hike. It’s a spiritually refreshing videogame – and how many of those are there?"
Seumas McNally Grand Prize - A Short Hike ($10,000)
You again? Hello! In that case, I’ll show you towards Katharine saying “A Short Hike is the best Animal Crossing game this side of New Horizons.”
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What else was nominated? You can see the full list of finalistsover here.
I’m glad to see three games I don’t know this year. The IGF Awards may not be as wild and exciting as they once were but I’m always glad to be introduced to evidently-pretty-good games I’d missed so far.
Disclosure: Hannah Nicklin, a former RPS contributor and pal of mine, wrote Mutazione.
