Alt Games Of The Year - PLAY By Genre, Part 2
But where genre shines at is best is the way in which you can find experiences that suit you. You know if you are a fan of Roguelikes, because you dig that “just one more run” essence of Hades. You feel in your bones when you are the type of person to finally crack a particularly tough tactical skirmish. Best of all, it helps you hunt through the colossal sea of options to find an experience that is, simply, you.
Best City Builder / Management Game
Whether you like buildin’ em up or tearin’ em down, the hole left by SimCity has been met with a staggering variety of permutations and twists on the classic idea in recent times.
Nominees:
Kainga: Seeds of Civilisation
Timberborn
Patron
Going Medieval
Before We Leave
Factory Town
Hundred Days - Winemaking Simulator
Winner: Timberborn
Even in early access, Timberborn is a feat of mechanical beaver engineering. Building out your dream rodent haven full of dams, farming structures and (checks notes) carousels(?). Plus, how cool is the word “lumberpunk”?
Best Survival Game
A genre that is just about solely the realm of the indie dev, nonetheless one that captures the minds of millions. Venture into the great wilderness, take on hordes of monsters/zombies/animals, all from the luxury of your well air-conditioned home.
Nominees:
Winner: Len’s Island
Len’s Island takes a bit of a softer approach, giving you space to explore and build without being as brutal as more traditional survival games. Ever fantasized about getting stranded on your own private island, but in a good way? This is that game.
Best Immersive Sim
“Wait, a category with only one nomination? That’s not how awards work!” Well buddy, I don’t make the rules, that’s just how it is. … Actually, I do make the rules. That’s why this category exists: because this game deserves its props.
Nominees:
Winner: Hexcraft: Harlequin Fair
No one does games like Oleander Garden, and the Hexcraft series is singular in it’s atmosphere, mood and ambition. An immersive sim not just for the player, but where a group of other AI characters have their own wants, motives and plans.
Best Tactics/Strategy Game
From the small scale battlefields to the grand galactic expanse, turn based or in real time, mystical to futuristic.
Nominees:
Guile & Glory: Firstborn
Stronghold: Warlords
Star Dynasties
Dark Deity
Wildermyth
Winner: Wildermyth
The perfectly balanced tactical gameplay, procedural generation and bespoke storytelling edges Wildermyth into one of the best tactical storytelling games out there today. An epic yarn is the backdrop for your own, personal group of ragtag heroes.
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