The Independent Games Festival Announces This Year’s Competition Finalists

The Independent Games Festival website has released its list of finalists for the annual festival competition. Every year the IGF awards the best and brightest independent developers and games. Here’s the list of finalists:

Seumas McNally Grand Prize:

Amnesia: The Dark Descent (Frictional Games)

SpyParty (Chris Hecker)

Desktop Dungeons (QCF Design)

Minecraft (Mojang)

Nidhogg (Messhof)

Honorable mentions: Neptune’s Pride (Iron Helmet Games); Super Crate Box (Vlambeer); Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale (Carpe Fulgur); Bit.Trip Runner (Gaijin Games); Retro City Rampage (Vblank Entertainment).

Excellence In Visual Art

Bastion (Supergiant Games)

The Dream Machine (Cockroach)

Cave Story (2010 Edition) (Nicalis)

Bit.Trip Runner (Gaijin Games)

Hohokum (Honeyslug & Richard Hogg)

Honorable mentions: Retro City Rampage (Vblank Entertainment); Cobalt (Oxeye Game Studio); Faraway (Steph Thirion); Helsing’s Fire (Ratloop); Flotilla (Blendo Games).

Technical Excellence

Minecraft (Mojang)

Confetti Carnival (SpikySnail Games)

Amnesia: The Dark Descent (Frictional Games)

Neverdaunt:8Bit (Robot Loves Kitty)

Miegakure (Marc Ten Bosch)

Honorable mentions: Cobalt (Oxeye Game Studio); Achron (Hazardous Software); Hazard: The Journey Of Life (Demruth); Overgrowth (Wolfire Games); Swimming Under Clouds (Piece Of Pie Studios)

Excellence In Design

Desktop Dungeons (QCF Design)

Super Crate Box (Vlambeer)

Nidhogg (Messhof)

Faraway (Steph Thirion)

Minecraft (Mojang)

Honorable mentions: Helsing’s Fire (Ratloop); Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale (Carpe Fulgur); Flotilla (Blendo Games); Bo (Mahdi Bahrami); Brutally Unfair Tactics Totally OK Now [B.U.T.T.O.N.] (Copenhagen Game Collective)

Excellence In Audio

Bastion (Supergiant Games)

Retro City Rampage (Vblank Entertainment)

Amnesia: The Dark Descent (Frictional Games)

Bit.Trip Beat (Gaijin Games)

Cobalt (Oxeye Game Studio)

Honorable mentions: Bit.Trip Runner (Gaijin Games); Cave Story (2010 Edition) (Nicalis); Jamestown (Final Form Games); NightSky (Nicalis); Planck (Shadegrown Games)

Best Mobile Game

Shot Shot Shoot (Erik Svedang)

Colorbind (Nonverbal)

Helsing’s Fire (Ratloop)

Solipskier (Mikengreg)

Halcyon (Stfj)

Honorable mentions: Flick Kick Football (PikPok); Shibuya (Nevercenter); Spirits (Spaces Of Play); Tentacles (Press Play); Trainyard (Matt Rix)

Winners of the competition will be announced on March 2nd, 2011 at Moscone Center in San Francisco. The ceremony precedes the 2011 Game Developers Choice Awards and is part of GDC 2011.

[Source]