Earlier this week The Game Awards released its lengthy list of awards. The show has a diverse offering this year from Trending Game to Best Esports Moment. However, let us go over the list of games that some people may have missed. These five games are about to be on their biggest stage yet and it is fantastic to see these games honored among some of the biggest
And your nominees for Best Indie Game of the year are…
Celeste
This game is a platformer created by Canadian developers Matt Thorson and Noel Barry. It follows the adventures of a girl named Madeline as she attempts to make her way up a dangerous mountain. The gameplay has compared to others such as Super Meat Boy as the players navigate through progressively more difficult challenge rooms. With inventive levels and the “one more try” mentality, Celeste made a big splash in the industry and seems to be receiving well deserved praise. Celeste is also nominated for Game of the Year, the most prestigious award of the show.
Dead Cells
A roguelike-Metroidvania developed by Motion Twin, Dead Cells is a hyper-stylized game with an extreme challenge. The player begins their run with no stat boost or weapons. Instead, they must gather them along the way. However, death erases nearly all progress. Every run is a clean slate. The game seems to have gained popularity through its extremely successful Switch version as the on-the-go nature of the Switch allowed players to do a quick “run” when they had a break.
Into The Breach
The second game from Subset Games, famous for their smash hit FTL, Into the Breach is a turn-based strategy game…with giant mechs! The player has control of three mechs that can be tweaked to the players liking. With these three mechs, the player attempts to defeat the oncoming threat, the Vek! With the battle scenarios being procedurally generated the player is forced to adapt to their surroundings making each playthrough unique and exciting.
Return of Obra Dinn
Possibly the most unique game of the bunch, Return of Obra Dinn follows the story of an insurance adjuster who unravels the mystery of an East India Company owned ghost ship. Developed by Lucas Pope, the game is presented in first person and a color style reminiscent of old Macintosh computers. The game is soaked in an old and creepy atmosphere. The player must explore all corners of the ship to gather clues and answer the question of what really did happen to the passengers of the Obra Dinn.
The Messenger
A throwback to titles like Ninja Gaiden, The Messenger is a side-scrolling action adventure game by Sabotage Studio. The protagonist is a ninja who is seeking revenge on the demon king who attacked his village. The game has time warp mechanic that the player can initiate by jumping through portals. When the portals are activated the is game switched from an 8-bit style to 16-bit. Yet another indie game this year that found a huge fan base on the Nintendo Switch.
It is fantastic that these games will get the recognition they deserve. While there can only be one winner I’m sure that these games will reach an even wider audience because of this. The more people playing these amazing games, the better!
Be sure to tune in to The Game Awards live streaming from Twitch, Youtube and various other outlets on December 6, 2018, 7:30 PM CST.