Game of the Year for Indie Games
Inside
Previously known for Limbo, Playdead’s latest puzzle platformer–Inside has been met with similar fan obsession and rightfully so. You can’t talk about Inside without talking immersion. And with some of the best sound design of 2016, this game has earned it’s spot as the best indie of the year.
Inside was in development for a number of years and the game reflects all those hours of hard work. Although the campaign is short, it manages to give you everything you need. A beautifully dark artstyle, incredibly responsive NPCs, puzzles that challenge yet sidestep player frustration, and hold-your-breath intensity. Not to mention those gruesome death sequences Limbo fans know and love. Evading security dogs and using mind-control for my own agenda, I found myself enchanted by this twisted world. From the underwater girl who will crack your submarine window if she catches you to rooms where gravity can be reversed with the flick of a switch, Inside is an experiment gone right. It’s a game with memorable moments and enough mystery to leave you thinking long after it’s over. Best played in one sitting with the lights off and the sound up, Inside offers us some of the most inspired work of 2016.
Runner Up
Hyper Light Drifter
Developed by Heart Machine and funded via Kickstarter, Hyper Light Drifter is a 2D action RPG in the style of the retro games many of us grew up loving. The vibrant colors and pixel art take us back to simpler times while gameplay that remains timeless, Hyper Light Drifter is primarily based on the key director, Alex Preston’s vision to create a game inspired by his own congenital heart condition.