How’s your 2024 been thus far? It might only be little under two weeks old by the time this article is published, but eh, it’s still a new year. Which means new possibilities, and above all else, new indie games! Oh, and another round of Indie Games Festival (IGF) finalists. Quite a few fun ones amongst this lot, like A Highland Song, 1000xRESIST, and of course, COCOON. A varied bunch too, which is always nice. And groovy. Very groovy.
But before ya scroll through the lot: IGF 2024 is scheduled to take place on March 20th at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, as part of GDC, and finalists will be playable during that. Better be quick though, as the list totals twenty-nine, and one can only do so much in seventy-two hours. Best of luck to the finalists, and may the best indie game(s) win!
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BEST STUDENT GAME
- goodbye.monster (Monster Team)
- Once Upon a Jester (Bonte Avond / Crunching Koalas)
- Pile Up! (Remoob / Catoptric Games, IndieArk)
- Planetka (TeTerka)
- RAM: Random Access Mayhem (Xylem Studios)
- TRY AGAIN (the Rejects / USC Games, the Rejects)
Honorable Mentions: A Day With Mochi (San Felicete Studio / Rubika Supinfogame), Barkane: The Folds of Calamity (Chase O’Brien & VGDev), Birds Aren’t Real: The Game (USC Games), Cyberside Picnic (Michael Luo / Cathode Radiator), Entangled (Fibula Studio), Lime Juice (Benbees), Re:Fresh (Merge Conflict Studio)
EXCELLENCE IN AUDIO
- A Highland Song (Inkle)
- COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)
- Nour: Play With Your Food (Terrifying Jellyfish / PANIC)
- Rhythm Doctor (7th Beat Games / 7th Beat Games, indienova)
- Tchia (Awaceb / Kepler Interactive)
- Venba (Visai Games)
Honorable Mentions: Anthology of the Killer (Thecatamites, Tommy Tone, A. Degen / Thecatamites), El Paso, Elsewhere (Strange Scaffold), Let’s! Revolution! (Antfood, BUCK / Hawthorn Games, BUCK), Planet of Lana (Wishfully / Thunderful Publishing), Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical (Summerfall Studios / Humble Games)
EXCELLENCE IN DESIGN
- Chants of Sennaar (Rundisc / Focus Entertainment)
- Cobalt Core (Rocket Rat Games / Brace Yourself Games)
- COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)
- Cryptmaster (Paul Hart, Lee Williams, Akupara Games / Akupara Games)
- Final Profit: A Shop RPG (Brent Arnold)
- Isles of Sea and Sky (Cicada Games, Jason Newman, Craig Collver / Cicada Games, Jason Newman, Gamera Game)
Honorable Mentions: 20 Small Mazes (FLEB), Peaks of Yore (Anders Grube Jensen / TraipseWare), Price of Flight (WATERBOX), Timberborn (Mechanistry)
EXCELLENCE IN NARRATIVE
- 1000xRESIST (Sunset Visitor / Fellow Traveller)
- A Highland Song (Inkle)
- Mediterranea Inferno (Lorenzo Redaelli, EYEGUYS / Santa Ragione)
- The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood (Deconstructeam / Devolver Digital)
- The Wreck (The Pixel Hunt)
- Venba (Visai Games)
Honorable Mentions: Goodbye Volcano High (KO_OP), Saltsea Chronicles (Die Gute Fabrik / Die Gute Fabrik), Slay the Princess (Black Tabby Games), Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical (Summerfall Studios / Humble Games) The Archivist and the Revolution (Autumn Chen)
EXCELLENCE IN VISUAL ART
- Anthology of the Killer (Thecatamites, Tommy Tone, A. Degen / Thecatamites)
- Clash: Artifacts of Chaos (ACE Team / Nacon)
- Darkest Dungeon II (Red Hook Studios)
- Little Goody Two Shoes (AstralShift / Square Enix Collective)
- Phonopolis (Amanita Design)
- Venba (Visai Games)
Honorable Mentions: 30 Birds (RAM RAM Games, Business Goose / ARTE France), Chants of Sennaar (Rundisc / Focus Entertainment), Goodbye Volcano High (KO_OP), NIDUS (Caleb Wood), SLUDGE LIFE 2 (Terri Vellmann, DOSEONE / Devolver Digital)
NUOVO AWARD
- 1000xRESIST (Sunset Visitor / Fellow Traveller)
- Anthology of the Killer (Thecatamites, Tommy Tone, A. Degen / Thecatamites)
- Cryptmaster (Paul Hart, Lee Williams, Akupara Games / Akupara Games)
- Kevin (1997-2077) (Kevin Du)
- Mediterranea Inferno (Lorenzo Redaelli, EYEGUYS / Santa Ragione)
- NIDUS (Caleb Wood)
- The Forest Cathedral (Wakefield Interactive, Brian Wilson / Whitethorn Games)
Honorable Mentions: BlueSuburbia (alienmelon), goodbye.monster (Monster Team), In Stars and Time (insertdisc5 / Armor Games Inc.), Nour: Play With Your Food (Terrifying Jellyfish / PANIC), The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood (Deconstructeam / Devolver Digital)
SEUMAS MCNALLY GRAND PRIZE
- 1000xRESIST (Sunset Visitor / Fellow Traveller)
- A Highland Song (Inkle)
- Anthology of the Killer (Thecatamites, Tommy Tone, A. Degen / Thecatamites)
- COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)
- Mediterranea Inferno (Lorenzo Redaelli, EYEGUYS / Santa Ragione)
- Venba (Visai Games)
Honorable Mentions: Chants of Sennaar (Rundisc / Focus Entertainment), Final Profit: A Shop RPG (Brent Arnold), Goodbye Volcano High (KO_OP), In Stars and Time (insertdisc5 / Armor Games Inc.), Rhythm Doctor (7th Beat Games / 7th Beat Games, indienova), Tchia (Awaceb / Kepler Interactive), The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood (Deconstructeam / Devolver Digital)
