(Editor’s note: Please note that the author of this article, Kyle LeClair, also served as an IGF judge. He was not asked nor compelled to write this article by the IGF.)
Tonight was a night for several great games to be honored at GDC during their two big award shows, the Independent Games Festival Awards and the Game Developers Choice Awards. However, it was one game that wound up stealing the show by setting a new record with its wins, that being Daniel Mullins Games' roguelike deckbuilderInscryption.The game wound up not only winning the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at the IGF Awards and the Game of the Year award at the GDCA held immediately after, making it the first game in GDC history to win top honors at both of the event’s two big award shows.
At the IGF Awards, it was practically a sweep for Inscryption, as it ended up winning every single award it was nominated for: Excellence in Design, Excellence in Narrative, Excellence in Audio, and of course, the Seumas McNally Grand Prize. Other winners included the hand-crafted graphics adventure gamePapeturawinning for Excellence in Visual Art, unique 2nd-person adventure gameLive Adventurereceiving the award for Best Student Game, bizarre ever-growing dumping ground gameMemory Cardgetting the Nuovo Award, and puzzling traffic simulationMini Motorwaysnabbing the Audience Award. Inscryption faced tough competition for the top prize, though, beating outLoop Hero,The Eternal Cylinder,Unsighted,Cruelty Squad,andUnpacking,the latter game tying Inscryption for having the most nominations and being up for all of the same awards.
Don’t feel bad for Unpacking, though, as it then proceeded to outscore Inscryption at the GDCA. While Inscryption took home top honors with Game of the Year (beating outDeathloop,Forza Horizon 5,It Takes Two,andResident Evil Village), it went home empty-handed elsewhere, while Unpacking nabbed both the Innovation Award and Best Audio. Not to be outdone,Ratchet and Clank: Rift ApartandValheimalso went home with two awards: Best Visual Art and Best Technology for Rift Apart, and Best Debut (for Iron Gate Studio) plus the Audience Award for Valheim. Other games emerging victorious includedPsychonauts 2with Best Narrative,It Takes Twowith Best Design, andBoyfriend Dungeonwith the Social Impact Award. Steven Spohn ofthe AbleGamers Foundationalso received the Ambassabor Award, while Dran Quest creator Yuji Horii received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Between the record-setting Inscryption and all of the other amazing award winners and nominees, this truly was a night celebrating the best games of 2021. You can check out the full lists of winners and nominees over atthe official IGF siteandthe official GDCA site.
