Another year, another awesome round of XYZZY awards. You had your chance to vote, and if you didn’t, well, then you don’t get to complain about the results. Simple as that, really. Not that most would, I’m sure, as the lot is a nice and varied bunch, from… [spoilers deleted].
Oh boy. Not sure what happened there. Maybe the paragraph simply didn’t know how to handle Brendan Patrick Hennessy’s amazing entry. Nah, that’s crazy talk! I mean, sure, interactive fiction and articles such as this one are both text and… okay so I have no idea where I was going with that. It is a very impressive piece of IF though, and one you should definitely check out.
Don’t forget about the other victors, and not just because they include Sunless Sea, a personal favourite, either. There’s just nothing quite like a trip through Victorian London, ya know? That said, the full list across the thirteen categories can be found below, victors and finalists alike, so get to playing! Interactive fiction is the best kind, after all.
(Source: The XYZZY Awards)
Best Game: Birdland (Brendan Patrick Hennessy)
Finalists:
Brain Guzzlers from Beyond! (Steph Cherrywell)
Hollywood Visionary (Aaron A. Reed)
Midnight. Swordfight. (Chandler Groover)
SPY INTRIGUE (furkle)
Best Writing: Birdland (Brendan Patrick Hennessy)
Finalists:
Laid Off from the Synesthesia Factory (Katherine Morayati)
Midnight. Swordfight. (Chandler Groover)
SPY INTRIGUE (furkle)
Best Story: Birdland (Brendan Patrick Hennessy)
Finalists:
Arcane Intern (Unpaid) (Astrid Dalmady)
Cape (Bruno Dias)
Map (Ade McT)
Best Setting: Sunless Sea (Failbetter Games)
Finalists:
Beautiful Dreamer (S. Woodson)
Chlorophyll (Steph Cherrywell)
Neon Haze (Porpentine, Brenda Neotenomie)
Sub Rosa (Joey Jones, Melvin Rangasamy)
Summit (Phantom Williams)
Best Puzzles: Sub Rosa (Joey Jones, Melvin Rangasamy)
Finalists:
Brain Guzzlers from Beyond! (Steph Cherrywell)
Chlorophyll (Steph Cherrywell)
Oppositely Opal (Buster Hudson)
Scroll Thief (Daniel M. Stelzer)
Toby’s Nose (Chandler Groover)
Best NPCs: Birdland (Brendan Patrick Hennessy)
Finalists:
Brain Guzzlers from Beyond! (Steph Cherrywell)
Hollywood Visionary (Aaron A. Reed)
Midnight. Swordfight. (Chandler Groover)
Nowhere Near Single (kaleidofish)
Best Individual Puzzle: Understanding how the RPS cannon works in Brain Guzzlers from Beyond! (Steph Cherrywell)
Finalists:
Catching the fairy in Oppositely Opal (Buster Hudson)
The Hard Puzzle in Hard Puzzle (Ade McT)
Identifying the murderer in Toby’s Nose (Chandler Groover)
The skull in Sub Rosa (Joey Jones, Melvin Rangasamy)
Best Individual NPC: Bell Park in Birdland (Brendan Patrick Hennessy)
Finalists:
Dmitri in Midnight. Swordfight. (Chandler Groover)
Hana in Hana Feels (Gavin Inglis)
Winter Storm Draco in Winter Storm Draco (Ryan Veeder)
Best Individual PC: Bridget in Birdland (Brendan Patrick Hennessy)
Finalists:
Martin Voigt in Darkiss! Wrath of the Vampire – Chapter 1: the Awakening (Marco Vallarino)
Opal in Oppositely Opal (Buster Hudson)
Toby in Toby’s Nose (Chandler Groover)
Best Implementation: Midnight. Swordfight. (Chandler Groover)
Laid Off from the Synesthesia Factory (Katherine Morayati)
Best Use of Innovation: Laid Off from the Synesthesia Factory (Katherine Morayati)
Aspel (Emily Short)
Midnight. Swordfight. (Chandler Groover)
SPY INTRIGUE (furkle)
Sunless Sea (Failbetter Games)
Best Technological Development: Raconteur (Bruno Dias)
Best Use of Multimedia: Secret Agent Cinder (Emily Ryan)
Finalists:
Sorcery! 3 (Steve Jackson, inkle)
Summit (Phantom Williams)
Sunless Sea (Failbetter Games)
We Know the Devil (Aevee Bee)