Alt Games Of The year - It's All About The ~Aesthetics~
It’s… the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen. It’s… just vibing in a world. It’s… that feeling you get, when you smell that rain in the air, that coffee in the pot or that fresh bread in the oven. It’s that thing where you look at it, you just know. You know?
Best Chill Vibes
For those spaces you love just being in, relaxing. Not necessarily doing anything in particular, but that give a real sense of place. Like you just want to hang out, even if only for a while.
Nominees:
Lake
Townscaper
Haven Park
The Ramp
Dorfromantik
SuchArt: Genius Artist Simulator
Winner: Haven Park
Spending a few hours running around an old, run-down campground, cleaning it up and making it a pleasant space to be in? With beautifully vibrant landscapes, a chance to build out camp sites the way you like? AND a dedicated pew button?!
Most Visually Stunning / Awe Inspiring
Sometimes, an experience will just hit you; attempting to take it all in at once will just leave you gobsmacked, have you sit back in your chair for a minute, stunned, just trying to process what is right in front of you.
Nominees:
Exo One
PROJECTIONS
Genesis Noir
The Catacombs of Solaris Revisited
Kena Bridge of Spirits
Jett: The Far Shore
Nix Umbra
Winner: Nix Umbra
Light is your savior and also your nemesis. Plenty of games have dabbled in monotone art styles, but the use of light and darkness in Nix Umbra is next level. I hope you aren’t scared of spiders.
Coolest Mechanics
Translating inputs from fingers to screen, despite all the advances in input over the past several decades, remains an incredibly tight balancing act. Coming up with ways that just feel good is all about reducing as much friction as possible between the mind and the experience. It’s hard to describe, but when you feel it for yourself, you know.
Nominees:
Winner: Webbed
The thing you always hear about the recent Spider-Man games is “the swinging just feels so good”. Well, those games have nothing on our little spider friend here in Webbed. Getting around is such a joy, and even better - you actually get to make the spider webs!
Best Embodiment of the 90s
We’re in the prime of 25-35 year olds getting their childhoods sold back to them ad infinitum. But why? Because the 90s were rad!
Nominees:
UNBEATABLE [white label]
The Big Con
Echo Generation
Demon Turf
Road 96
Winner: Unbeatable: White Label
Unbeatable embodies a very particular slice of 90s, pulling on anime and punk rock to create a perfect rhythm experience. And it’s technically just a free demo for a full game still in the works! Incredible.
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