These are the 2016 Independent Games Festival finalists

Lots of love for Undertale

The 2016 Independent Gಞames Festival has figured out its finalistℱs.

The Seumas McNally Grand Prize will go to either Darkest Dungeon, Her Story, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, Mini Metro, Superhot, or Undertale. If you’re a regular reader, you’re probably familiar with most if not all of those games by now. They come up a lot, and for good reason.

But I’d push you to also look through the rest of the list — particularly the honorable mentions, where there are lots of lesser-known gems to be found. The winners will be announced during an awards ceremony on Wednesday, March 16 in San Francisco. Capybara’s Nathan Vella is hosting again.

Excellence in Visual Art

•  (Dinosaur Polo Club)
•  (Fernando Ramallo & David Kanaga)
•  (KO_OP)
•  (League of Geeks)
•  (Night School Studio)
•  (Red Hook Studios Inc.)

Honorable Mentions:  (Black Pants Game Studio [Sebastian Stamm]);  (Fishing Cactus);  (noio & Licorice);  (Snowman);  (Spaces of Play);  (System Era Softworks)

Excellence in Narrative

•  (Everything Unlimited Ltd.)
•  (Hanako Games)
•  (Numinous Games)
•  (Sam Barlow)
•  (Toby Fox)
•  (Question)

Honorable Mentions:  (Night School Studio);  (Schell Games);  (Star Maid Games);  (Tim Follin / Baggy Cat Ltd);  (Tom Bissell and Matthew S. Burns)

Excellence in Design

•  (Dinosaur Polo Club)
•  (noio & Licorice)
•  (Sam Barlow)
•  (Steel Crate Games)
•  (SUPERHOT)
•  (Zachtronics)

Honorable Mentions:  (Boneloaf);  (Michael Brough);  (Misfits Attic);  (Snapshot Games);  (Zachtronics);  (Zeke Virant)

Excellence in Audio

•  (Dinosaur Polo Club)
•  (Fernando Ramallo & David Kanaga)
•  (Numinous Games)
•  (Red Hook Studios Inc.)
•  (Speelbaars)
•  (Toby Fox)

Honorable Mentions:  (Alonso Martin);  (Everything Unlimited Ltd.);  (KO_OP);  (Night School Studio);  (noio & Licorice);  (Seaven Studio)

Nuovo Award

•  (Everything Unlimited Ltd.)
•  (Fernando Ramallo & David Kanaga)
•  (Northway Games & Radial Games)
•  (Pol Clarissou)
•  (Sam Barlow)
• (Star Maid Games)
•  (Steel Crate Games)
•  (Tim Garbos, Martin Kvale and Joel Nyström)

Honorable Mentions:  (cabbibo);  (Glitchnap);  (KnapNok Games and Nifflas’ Games);  (Pol Clarissou, Armel Gibson);  (Spaces of Play);  (Zach Gage);  (Zachtronics)

Best Student Game

•  (Bonfire Games)
•  (Gabe Cuzzillo)
•  (Jenny Jiao Hsia & Alec Thomson)
•  (Kenny Sun)
•  (Pol Clarissou)
•  (team ok)

Honorable Mentions:  (Anarteam);  (A Stranger Gravity);  (DAM: David Shiyang Liu, Alex Hu and Mac Lotze);  (Mr. Whale’s Game Service);  (Studio Wumpus);  (Winnie Song)

Seumas McNally Grand Prize

•  (Dinosaur Polo Club)
•  (Red Hook Studios Inc.)
•  (Sam Barlow)
•  (Steel Crate Games)
•  (SUPERHOT)
•  (Toby Fox)

Honorable Mentions:  (Everything Unlimited Ltd.);  (Fernando Ramallo & David Kanaga);  (KnapNok Games and Nifflas’ Games);  (Luis Antonio);  (Night School Studio);  (Numinous Games);  (Star Maid Games);  (Zeke Virant)

[IGF]