Quadrilateral Cowboy, Blendo’s hacking-based heist game, took home the “Seumas McNally Grand Prize” last night during the 2017 Independent Games Festival Awards. Its 1980s-inspired world also helped Quadrilateral Cowboy capture the “Excellence in Design” category.
The other big winner last night was Heart Machine’s Hyper Light Drifter, which was also the recipient of two statuettes. The action RPG’s glitchy 16-bit graphics were rewarded with a win in the “Excellence In Visual Art” category, and its mass appeal ensured an “Audience Award” victory.
The Independent Games Festival Awards are awarded annually in conjunction with the Game Developers Conference, and you can view a replay of the entire ceremony through the GDC’s Twitch channel.
But if you’re in a hurry, a list of all the winners can be found after the break.
Seumas McNally Grand Prize
- Inside (Playdead)
- Stardew Valley (Concerned Ape)
- WINNER: Quadrilateral Cowboy (Blendo Games)
- Event[0] (Ocelot Society)
- Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)
- Overcooked (Ghost Town Games)
Excellence In Visual Art
- The Flame in the Flood (The Molasses Flood)
- Inside (Playdead)
- Virginia (Variable State)
- Old Man’s Journey (Broken Rules)
- WINNER: Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)
- She Remembered Caterpillars (Jumpsuit Entertainment)
Excellence In Narrative
- WINNER:Ladykiller in a Bind (Love Conquers All Games)
- 1979 Revolution: Black Friday (iNK Stories)
- Virginia (Variable State)
- Orwell (Osmotic Studios)
- Event[0] (Ocelot Society)
- One Night Stand (Kinmoku)
Excellence In Design
- Imbroglio (Michael Brough)
- Ultimate Chicken Horse (Clever Endeavour Games)
- Duskers (Misfits Attic)
- Overcooked (Ghost Town Games)
- Event[0] (Ocelot Society)
- WINNER: Quadrilateral Cowboy (Blendo Games)
Excellence In Audio
- The Flame in the Flood (The Molasses Flood)
- WINNER: GoNNER (Art in Heart)
- Virginia (Variable State)
- Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)
- Everything (David OReilly)
- Inside (Playdead)
Nuovo Award
- Islands: Non-Places (Carlburton)
- Close (Tobias Zarges and Moritz Eberl)
- Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor (Sundae Month)
- WINNER: Oiκοςpiel: Book I (David Kanaga)
- Everything (David OReilly)
- Virginia (Variable State)
- Mu Cartographer (Titouan Millet)
- Lieve Oma (Florian Veltman)
Best Student Game
- Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor (Sundae Month)
- Lily: Colors of Santa Luz (Lily, Colors of Santa Luz Team)
- WINNER: Un Pas Fragile (PAF Team)
- FAR: Lone Sails (Mr. Whale’s Game Service / Mixtvision)
- Frog Climbers (TeamCrew)
- Bamboo Heart (Sokpop Collective)
Audience Award
WINNER: Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)
ALT.CTRL.GDC Award
WINNER: Fear Sphere (New Arcade)
