Last year’s indies are making for some tough competition
The nominees for the 2023 Independent Games Festival Awards are locked in. And after a stellar year for independent games, the categories look pretty packed with viable candidates.
Both action-adventure gameĀ TunicĀ and dreamlike RPGĀ Betrayal at Club LowĀ leads the nominations at three apiece. Some other familiar faces from awards season also appear, includingĀ Immortality,Ā Neon White, andĀ NORCO.
Of course, the IGFs are also great for finding hidden gems you missed in the year prior, and the 2023 nominees are no different. While you might be aware of some notable breakouts, there may be some lesser-known games hanging around in the nominees or honorable mentions worth checking out.
The IGF Awards are part of GDC 2023, which is being held in San Francisco this coming March 20 through 24.
Here’s the full lineup for this year’s 2023 IGF nominees and honorable mentions.
2023 Independent Games Festival Awards nominees
Best Student Game
- GevaudanĀ (Nicolas Bernard)
- Mind DiverĀ (Indoor Sunglasses)
- Presenter SlidesĀ (Mathias Schifter & Brin Žvan)
- ShutterĀ (ARTFX 2022)
- SkalaĀ (Gustav Almstrƶm)
- SliderĀ (randomerz)
Honorable Mentions:Ā A Mallard’s SongĀ (Ducky Elford),Ā Error143Ā (Jenny Vi Pham),Ā Paper PlanetĀ (Doodlegames),Ā The Longest WalkĀ (Alexander Tarvet),Ā zenosyneĀ (Ezra Szanton)
Excellence in Audio
- Dome KeeperĀ (Bippinbits)
- Paradise MarshĀ (LazyEti)
- South of the CircleĀ (State of Play)
- The Forest QuartetĀ (Mads & Friends)
- TUNICĀ (TUNIC Team)
- We are OFKĀ (Team OFK)
Honorable Mentions:Ā Betrayal at Club LowĀ (Cosmo D Studios),Ā Cult of the LambĀ (Massive Monster),Ā IMMORTALITYĀ (Sam Barlow, Half Mermaid),Ā MelatoninĀ (Half Asleep),Ā Neon WhiteĀ (Angel Matrix),Ā TinykinĀ (Splashteam)
Excellence in Design
- Against the StormĀ (Eremite Games)
- Betrayal at Club LowĀ (Cosmo D Studios)
- Mr. Sun’s HatboxĀ (Kenny Sun)
- Neon WhiteĀ (Angel Matrix)
- StacklandsĀ (Sokpop Collective)
- The Case of the Golden IdolĀ (Color Gray Games)
Honorable Mentions:Ā Citizen SleeperĀ (Jump Over the Age),Ā Cursed to GolfĀ (Chuhai Labs),Ā Potion Craft: Alchemist SimulatorĀ (niceplay games),Ā SwordshipĀ (Digital Kingdom),Ā Terra NilĀ (Free Lives),Ā TinykinĀ (Splashteam)
Excellence in Narrative
- Butterfly Soup 2Ā (Brianna Lei)
- Citizen SleeperĀ (Jump Over the Age)
- I Was a Teenage ExocolonistĀ (Northway Games)
- IMMORTALITYĀ (Sam Barlow, Half Mermaid)
- NORCOĀ (Geography of Robots)
- South of the CircleĀ (State of Play)
Honorable Mentions:Ā Eternal ThreadsĀ (Cosmonaut Studios),Ā Queer Man Peering Into a Rock Pool.jpgĀ (Fuzzy Ghost),Ā RoadwardenĀ (Moral Anxiety Studio),Ā The Case of the Golden IdolĀ (Color Gray Games),Ā The Excavation of Hob’s BarrowĀ (Cloak and Dagger Games),Ā The WreckĀ (The Pixel Hunt)
Excellence in Visual Arts
- AfterglitchĀ (Vladimir Kudelka)
- How Deep Is the Dark Water?Ā (Rhett Tsai)
- PotionomicsĀ (Voracious Games)
- RPG Time: The Legend of WrightĀ (DeskWorks Inc.)
- To Hell With the UglyĀ (La Poule Noire, ARTE France)
- TUNICĀ (TUNIC Team)
Honorable Mentions:Ā I Was a Teenage ExocolonistĀ (Northway Games),Ā MelatoninĀ (Half Asleep),Ā NAIADĀ (HiWarp),Ā Potion Craft: Alchemist SimulatorĀ (niceplay games),Ā Return to Monkey IslandĀ (Terrible Toybox),Ā SwordshipĀ (Digital Kingdom),Ā Terra NilĀ (Free Lives),Ā Voodoo DetectiveĀ (Short Sleeve Studio LLC)
Nuovo Award
- AfterglitchĀ (Vladimir Kudelka)
- An OutcryĀ (Quinn K.)
- Betrayal at Club LowĀ (Cosmo D Studios)
- He Fucked The Girl Out Of MeĀ (Taylor McCue)
- Queer Man Peering Into a Rock Pool.jpgĀ (Fuzzy Ghost)
- Sylvie LimeĀ (Loveā„ļøGame)
- Time BanditĀ (Joel Jordon)
- Titanic II: Orchestra for Dying At SeaĀ (Flan Falacci)
Honorable Mentions:Ā AtuelĀ (Matajuegos),Ā IbĀ (kouri),Ā Not For BroadcastĀ (NotGames),Ā Of Moons and ManiaĀ (Absurd Walls),Ā RPG Time: The Legend of WrightĀ (DeskWorks Inc.)
Seumas McNally Grand Prize
- Betrayal at Club LowĀ (Cosmo D Studios)
- TUNICĀ (TUNIC Team)
- The Case of the Golden IdolĀ (Color Gray Games)
- IMMORTALITYĀ (Sam Barlow, Half Mermaid)
- Neon WhiteĀ (Angel Matrix)
- Not For BroadcastĀ (NotGames)
Honorable Mentions:Ā TinykinĀ (Splashteam),Ā Terra NilĀ (Free Lives),Ā RPG Time: The Legend of WrightĀ (DeskWorks Inc.),Ā RoadwardenĀ (Moral Anxiety Studio),Ā Hardspace: ShipbreakerĀ (Blackbird Interactive),Ā Citizen SleeperĀ (Jump Over the Age)
Published: Jan 24, 2023 04:45 pm