Return of the Obra Dinn Leads IGF Awards Nominations

On Thursday, the Independent Games Festival (IGF) announced the nominees for the 21st annual awards event. Return of the Obra Dinn leads the pack with five nominations: Excellence in Audio, Design, Visual Art and Narrative, plus the Seumas McNally Grand Prize.

The IGF exists to honor “the most influential, innovative and acclaimed projects in independent game development,” per a press release. It will take place on March 20 at 9:30 p.m. ET during the 2019 Game Developers Conference (GDC). It will be hosted by Meg Jayanth, the award-winning writer of 80 Days and a former IGF Award winner for Excellence in Narrative.

We at Paste Games have included Return of the Obra Dinn on many of our lists: It’s one of our five best games of October 2018, best PC games of 2018 and best videogames of 2018 lists. It’s even on Games Editor Garrett Martin’s list of the ten best videogames of 2018.

All GDC 2019 pass-holders will be able to attend the IGF Awards and the Game Developers Choice Awards ceremonies. Both events will be livestreamed via GDC’s Twitch channel and other to-be-announced streaming platforms.

You can see the full list of finalists and honorable mentions below.

Seumas McNally Grand Prize:

– Minit (Kitty Calis, Jan Willem Nijman, Jukio Kallio & Dominik
Johann)
– Opus Magnum (Zachtronics)
– Noita (Nolla Games)
– Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope)
– Hypnospace Outlaw (Jay Tholen, Mike Lasch, Xalavier Nelson Jr., Corey Cochran)
– Do Not Feed the Monkeys (Fictiorama Studios)

Honorable Mentions:
Wandersong (Greg Lobanov & A Shell in the Pit)
Subnautica (Unknown Worlds Entertainment)
Mirror Drop (Ian Lilley)
Moss (Polyarc)
Unavowed (Wadjet Eye Games)
Iconoclasts (Joakim Sandberg)
Virtual Virtual Reality (Tender Claws)
Beat Saber (Beat Games)

Excellence in Visual Art:

– Forgotton Anne (ThroughLine Games)
– Alto’s Odyssey (Team Alto)
– Hypnospace Outlaw (Jay Tholen, Mike Lasch, Xalavier Nelson Jr., Corey Cochran)
– Just Shapes & Beats (Berzerk Studio)
– Mirror Drop (Ian Lilley)
– Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope)

Honorable Mentions:
Beat Saber (Beat Games)
Wandersong (Greg Lobanov & A Shell in the Pit)
Subnautica (Unknown Worlds Entertainment)
Moss (Polyarc)
Iconoclasts (Joakim Sandberg)
Guildlings (Sirvo Studios)
Paratopic (Arbitrary Metric)

Excellence in Audio:

– ETHEREAL (Nonsense Arts – Nicolás Recabarren and Tomás Batista)
– Hypnospace Outlaw (Jay Tholen, Mike Lasch, Xalavier Nelson Jr., Corey Cochran)
– Moss (Polyarc)
– Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope)
– Alto’s Odyssey (Team Alto)
– Paratopic (Arbitrary Metric)

Honorable Mentions:
Creaks (Amanita Design)
Holedown (grapefrukt games)
Pikuniku (Sectordub)
The Messenger (Sabotage)
Distance (Refract Studios)
Wandersong (Greg Lobanov & A Shell in the Pit)
Wattam (Funomena)

Excellence in Design:

– What the Golf? (Triband)
– Do Not Feed the Monkeys (Fictiorama Studios)
– Noita (Nolla Games)
– Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope)
– Dicey Dungeons (Terry Cavanagh, Chipzel, and Marlowe Dobbe)
– Opus Magnum (Zachtronics)

Honorable Mentions:
Subnautica (Unknown Worlds Entertainment)
Carto (Sunhead Games)
Black Room (Cassie McQuater)
JUMPGRID (Ian MacLarty)
Mirror Drop (Ian Lilley)
Hypnospace Outlaw (Jay Tholen, Mike Lasch, Xalavier Nelson Jr., Corey Cochran)
Beat Saber (Beat Games)

Excellence in Narrative:

– Wandersong (Greg Lobanov & A Shell in the Pit)
– Genital Jousting (Free Lives)
– Unavowed (Wadjet Eye Games)
– Seers Isle (Nova-box)
– Watch Me Jump (Jeremy Gable)
– Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope)

Honorable Mentions:
Do Not Feed The Monkeys (Fictiorama Studios)
The Hex (Daniel Mullins Games)
Speed Dating for Ghosts (Copychaser Games)
after HOURS (Bahiyya Khan, Claire Meekel, Tim Flusk, Abi Meekel)
Fortune-499 (AP Thomson)
Marie’s Room (like Charlie)
Tango: The Adventure Game (Gualicho Games)

Nuovo Award:

– Circle0 (yesyes)
– eCheese Zone (Seemingly Pointless)
– Noita (Nolla Games)
– Mirror Drop (Ian Lilley)
– Black Room (Cassie McQuater)
– Paratopic (Arbitrary Metric)
– Do Not Feed the Monkeys (Fictiorama Studios)
– Nth Dimension[al] Hiking (Zachariah Chandler)

Honorable Mentions:
All Our Asias (Sean Han Tani)
Hypnospace Outlaw (Jay Tholen, Mike Lasch, Xalavier Nelson Jr., Corey Cochran)
Cyberpet Graveyard (alienmelon)
levedad (solimporta)
Subserial Network (Aether Interactive)
macdows 95 (gamebra.in)
The Norwood Suite (Cosmo D)
Nerve Damage (Dennis Carr)

Best Student Game:

– Grace Bruxner Presents: The Haunted Island, a Frog Detective Game (Grace Bruxner)
– After HOURS (Bahiyya Khan, Claire Meekel, Tim Flusk, Abi Meekel)
– En Garde! (En Garde! Team)
– levedad (solimporta)
– Sole (Gossamer Games)

Honorable Mentions:
We Should Talk (HeartBeetStudio)
Coffin Rot Brewing Co. (Rosser-McGraw Studio)
Fling to the Finish (SplitSide Games)
Indecision. (Bilge Kaan)
Seasons (David Su and Dominique Star)
supertype (Philipp Stollenmayer)
Atlas’ Fate: Between Light and Darkness (Baby Robot Games)
Marbloid (Supyrb)