Mutazione receives four nominations for IGF Awards 2020, including grand prize

The Independent Games Festival (IGF) has announced the finalists for the 22nd annual IGF Awards, which will take place on Wednesday, March 18, at GDC 2020.

Mutazione by Die Gute Fabrik received the most nominations (four) across Visual Art, Audio, Narrative, and the Seumas McNally Grand Prize. Other games receiving multiple nominations included Knights and Bikes (Foam Sword Games), Elsinore (Golden Glitch), A Short Hike (Adam Robinson-Yu), Untitled Goose Game (House House), Eliza (Zachtronics), and Slay the Spire (Mega Crit Games).

IGF winners will take home prizes collectively totaling over $20,000, including the Seumas McNally Grand Prize of $10,000. These amounts are lower than last year's pool of $50,000 and grand prize of $30,000, but this year all finalists will also receive a $1,000 stipend.

Here are the finalists for each category of the 2018 IGF, as well as honorable mentions:

Seumas McNally Grand Prize

• Eliza (Zachtronics)
• A Short Hike (Adam Robinson-Yu)
• Untitled Goose Game (House House)
• Anodyne 2: Return to Dust (Sean Han Tani and Marina Kittaka)
• Mutazione (Die Gute Fabrik)
• Slay the Spire (Mega Crit Games)

Honorable Mentions: Katana Zero (Askiisoft), Lonely Mountains: Downhill (Megagon Industries), Song of Bloom (Philipp Stollenmayer), Wide Ocean: Big Jacket (Turnfollow), Elsinore (Golden Glitch), Astrologaster (Nyamyam), Heaven's Vault (Inkle)

Excellence in Visual Art

• Mutaione (Die Gute Fabrik)
• Knights and Bikes (Foam Sword)
• Void Bastards (Blue Manchu)
• Creature in the Well (Flight School Studio)
• Eastward (Pixpil)
• Stone Story RPG (Martian Rex/Standardcombo)

Honorable Mentions: Luna: The Shadow Dust (Lantern Studio), Eastshade (Eastshade Studios), Minute of Islands (Studio Fizbin), Katana Zero (Askiisoft), Song of Bloom (Philipp Stollenmayer), A Short Hike (Adam Robinson-Yu), Creaks (Amanita Design)

Excellence in Audio

• Observation (No Code)
• Vectronom (Ludopium)
• Astrologaster (Nyamyam)
• Knights and Bikes (Foam Sword)
• Mutazione (Die Gute Fabrik)
• Untitled Goose Game (House House)

Honorable Mentions: Afterparty (Night School Studio), Kind Words (Lo fi chill beats to write to) (Popcannibal), Manifold Garden (William Chyr Studio), Alt-Frequencies (Accidental Queens), Don't Look (Don't Look Team), Lonely Mountains: Downhill (Megagon Industries), Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1 (Cosmo D)

Excellence in Design

• Katana Zero (Askiisoft)
• Lonely Mountains: Downhill (Megagon Industries)
• Slay the Spire (Mega Crit Games)
• A Short Hike (Adam Robinson-Yu)
• Elsinore (Golden Glitch)
• Patrick's Parabox (Patrick Traynor)

Honorable Mentions: Guildlings (Sirvo Studios), Nauticrawl (Andrea Interguglielmi); Blabyrinth (Sleeping Beast Games); Children of Morta (Dead Mage); Void Bastards (Blue Manchu); Untitled Goose Game (House House); Creature in the Well (Flight School Studio)

Excellence in Narrative

• Mutazione (Die Gute Fabrik)
• Heaven's Vault (Inkle)
• Elsinore (Golden Glitch)
• Wide Ocean: Big Jacket (Turnfollow)
• Eliza (Zachtronics)
• Lionkiller (Sisi Jiang)

Honorable Mentions: American Election (Greg Buchanan), Night Call (Monkey Moon, BlackMuffin), Astrologaster (Nyamyam), A Short Hike (Adam Robinson-Yu), Adventures With Anxiety! (Nicky Case), Observation (No Code)

Nuovo Award

• Tales from Off-Peak City Vol.1 (Cosmo D)
• Infini (Barnaque)
• The Space Between (Christoph Frey)
• Life Tastes Like Cardboard (Demensa)
• Promesa (Julián Palacios)
• Song of Bloom (Philipp Stollenmayer)
• The Longing (Studio Seufz)
• Pagan: Autogeny (Oleander Garden)

Honorable Mentions: Astrologaster (Nyamyam), Elsinore (Golden Glitch), Fit for a King (Brent Ellison & Tanya X. Short), My Exercise (Atsushi Wada, Ryoya Usuha, Nobuaki Doi), Where the Bees Make Honey (Brian Wilson), Smile For Me (Gabe Lane and Yugo Limbo / LimboLane)

Best Student Game

• Orbital Bullet (SmokeStab)
• A Juggler's Tale (Kaleidoscube)
• Forgotten (Mutiny Games)
• Neon Beats (Okyo Games)
• Bore Dome (Goblin Rage)
• Nothing in Sight (Nothing in Sight Team)

Honorable Mentions: Unhatched (Filip Loster); Du Rejser (You Travel) (Victor Selnæs Breum + Katinka); Trail Mix (Puzzsoft); Where the Bees Make Honey (Brian Wilson); Northbound (Johannes Köberle & Arno Justus); Evergreen Blues (David Su and Dominique Star)