The Independent Games Festival announced the finalists for their 16th annual awards yesterday. This year, six titles will vie for the Seumas McNally Grand Prize including The Stanley Parable (Galactic Cafe), Don’t Starve (Klei Entertainment), Jazzpunk (Necrophone Games), Papers, Please (Lucas Pope), Device 6 (Simogo), and Dominique Pamplemousse in “It’s All Over Once the Fat Lady Sings!” (Deirdra Kiai Productions).
The Festival jury found a lot to like about all six of those games as they show up again and again throughout the full list of finalists. You can find the complete list of finalists after the break, including the selections for the Nuovo Award, which honors “Abstract and Unconventional Game Development.”
The IGF Awards will be held on Wednesday, March 19 at the San Francisco Moscone Convention Center, directly preceding the disbursement of this year’s Game Developers Choice Awards during the 2014 Game Developers Conference.
Seumas McNally Grand Prize
- The Stanley Parable (Galactic Cafe)
- Don’t Starve (Klei Entertainment)
- Jazzpunk (Necrophone Games)
- Papers, Please (Lucas Pope)
- Device 6 (Simogo)
- Dominique Pamplemousse in “It’s All Over Once the Fat Lady Sings!” (Deirdra Kiai Productions)
Honorable Mentions: Crypt of the NecroDancer (Brace Yourself Games); TowerFall Ascension (Matt Thorson); Kerbal Space Program (Squad); 868-HACK (Michael Brough); The Yawhg (Damian Sommer & Emily Carroll)
Excellence In Visual Art
- Device 6 (Simogo)
- Gorogoa (Jason Roberts)
- The Banner Saga (Stoic)
- Perfect Stride (Arcane Kids)
- Samorost3 (Amanita Design)
- Drei (Etter)
Honorable Mentions: Shelter (Might & Delight); Galak-Z (17-BIT); The Swapper (Facepalm Games); The Yawhg (Damian Sommer & Emily Carroll); Don’t Starve (Klei Entertainment)
Excellence In Narrative
- The Yawhg (Damian Sommer & Emily Carroll)
- Paralect (Paralect Team)
- Device 6 (Simogo)
- Dominique Pamplemousse in “It’s All Over Once the Fat Lady Sings!” (Deirdra Kiai Productions)
- The Stanley Parable (Galactic Cafe)
- Papers, Please (Lucas Pope)
Honorable Mentions: Quadrilateral Cowboy (Blendo Games); Gorogoa (Jason Roberts); Redshirt (The Tiniest Shark); Detective Grimoire (SFB Games); Monster Loves You (Radial Games Corp. & Dejobaan Games, LLC.)
Excellence In Design
- TowerFall Ascension (Matt Thorson)
- 868-HACK (Michael Brough)
- Mushroom 11 (Untame)
- Papers, Please (Lucas Pope)
- Don’t Starve (Klei Entertainment)
- Crypt of the NecroDancer (Brace Yourself Games)
Honorable Mentions: The Banner Saga (Stoic); Perfect Stride (Arcane Kids); Threes (Asher Vollmer, Greg Wohlwend & Jimmy Hinson); Device 6 (Simogo); Gorogoa (Jason Roberts)
Excellence In Audio
- Samorost3 (Amanita Design)
- Dominique Pamplemousse in “It’s All Over Once the Fat Lady Sings!” (Deirdra Kiai Productions)
- The Stanley Parable (Galactic Cafe)
- Crypt of the NecroDancer (Brace Yourself Games)
- Device 6 (Simogo)
- The Yawhg (Damian Sommer & Emily Carroll)
Honorable Mentions: Sokobond (Alan Hazelden, Harry Lee & Ryan Roth); The Banner Saga (Stoic); Potatoman Seeks the Troof (Pixeljam); Jazzpunk (Necrophone Games); Don’t Starve (Klei Entertainment)
Nuovo Award
- Dominique Pamplemousse in “It’s All Over Once the Fat Lady Sings!” (Deirdra Kiai Productions)
- Luxuria Superbia (Tale of Tales)
- Extrasolar (Lazy 8 Studios)
- Perfect Woman (Peter Lu and Lea Schonfelder)
- SoundSelf (Robin Arnott)
- Papers, Please (Lucas Pope)
- Save the Date (Paper Dino Software)
- Corrypt (Michael Brough)
Honorable Mentions: Shelter (Might & Delight); Device 6 (Simogo); Elegy For a Dead World (Dejobaan Games with Popcannibal); Superhot (Superhot Team); 18 Cadence (Aaron A. Reed)
