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Grand Prize finalists for 2019 IGF Awards include Return of the Obra Dinn, Minit

Stephany Nunneley-Jackson avatar
News by Stephany Nunneley-Jackson News Editor
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The 21st annual Independent Games Festival has announced finalists for the 2019 IGF Awards which takes place in March.

After an initial screening process of over 500 entries overseen by more than 300 judges, finalists for the 2019 IGF Awards have been selected.

The IGF Awards will take place March 20 immediately after the 2019 Game Developers Awards. Nominees for the latter can be found through the link.

Return of the Obra Dinn, which is also up for GDC 2019 Game of the Year, received the most IGF nominations. Multiple nods were also given to Do Not Feed The Monkeys, Paratopic, and Alto's Odyssey.

Other notable multi-award nominees include Noita, Mirror Drop, and Hypnospace Outlaw.

Last year's Grand Prize went to Infinite Fall's excellent Night in the Woods.

The complete list of finalists for the 21th annual Independent Games Festival, including honorable mentions, can be found below.

2019 Independent Games Festival finalists

$30,000 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

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