The nominations for the Debug Indie Games Awards 2024 have been announced!

DEBUG INDIE GAMES AWARDS 2024

The inaugural ceremony takes place on Friday 02 Feb 2024, at Metronome, Nottingham (UK) with tickets still available. We will be there to cover it all! Check out the nominated games for each category, developers and where to play some incredible video games…

‘Safe in our World’ Award for Mental Health

  • Fall of Porcupine by Critical Rabbit – available on all platforms
  • The Last Worker by WIRED PRODUCTIONS LIMITED – available on all platforms
  • A Space for the Unbound – available on all platforms
  • Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical – available on all platforms
  • VIDEOVERSE by Kinmoku – available on Steam
  • The Wreck – available on all platforms

This award will be judged by the good people at charity Safe in our World!

‘Everyone Can’ Award for Accessibility

  • C-Smash VRS by RapidEyeMovers – available on PSVR2
  • COCOON by Geometric Interactive – available on all platforms
  • The Forest Cathedral by Whitethorn Games, Inc. – available on PlayStation
  • Stories of Blossom
  • Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical – available on all platforms
  • VIDEOVERSE by Kinmoku – available on Steam

This award will be judged by the brilliant Manchester-based charity Everyone Can – learn more here!

Free Play Award

  • An Arcade Full of Cats developed by Devcats – available on Steam
  • BloodDome Classic developed by Halftone Gaming – available on Steam
  • Iron Guard: Homecoming  – available on Meta Quest

  • The Mountain Is As It Always Was by Christine Mi – available for free here!
  • TELEFORUM by CRITICAL REFLEX – available on Steam
  • Time Survivors: Chapter 0

Best Sound Design

Highlighting indie games with fantastic sound effects, voice acting and/or atmospherics. The nominees are:

  • Beyond The Long Night by Noisy Head Games – available on Steam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6AmvyH4zik&t=3s

  • COCOON by Geometric Interactive – available on all platforms
  • EVERSPACE 2 by ROCKFISH GAMES – available on PlayStation
  • Tchia by Kepler Interactive Limited – available on PlayStation & Steam
  • TELEFORUM by CRITICAL REFLEX – available on Steam
  • Tin Hearts by WIRED PRODUCTIONS LIMITED – free demo available on Xbox

Best Art Direction

There’s much more to a great looking game than high polygon counts…

  • COCOON by Geometric Interactive – available on all platforms
  • El Paso, Elsewhere
  • The Last Worker by WIRED PRODUCTIONS LIMITED – available on all platforms
  • Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical – available on all platforms
  • Wildfrost
  • World of Horror

Best Narrative

“Narrative can mean a lot in a game, and an indie doesn’t have to be story-driven to weave a good narrative”

  • American Arcadia by Out of the Blue Games – available on Steam

https://youtu.be/dBPi9pi0bSI?si=UvvlEOMyyjgB7DX5

  • Goodbye Volcano High by KO-OP MODE INC. – available on PlayStation
  • The Last Worker by WIRED PRODUCTIONS LIMITED – available on all platforms
  • TELEFORUM by CRITICAL REFLEX – available on Steam
  • This Bed We Made – available on PlayStation
  • VIDEOVERSE by Kinmoku – available on Steam

Best Soundtrack

  • Alien Hominid Invasion
  • COCOON by Geometric Interactive – available on all platforms
  • El Paso, Elsewhere

https://youtu.be/9hrQyPuiXY0?si=IUO5vH1OLGppyPw2

  • Loddlenaut
  • Tchia by Kepler Interactive Limited – available on PlayStation & Steam
  • Wildfrost

Innovation & Creativity Award

  • COCOON by Geometric Interactive – available on all platforms
  • Death Unphased
  • Direct Drive – available on Playdate

  • Make Way
  • Noun Town: VR Language Learning
  • Slay The Princess

Best New Studio

  • Critical Rabbit
  • Galaxy Grove
  • Geometric Interactive
  • Monumental Collab
  • Pixelpogo
  • RapidEyeMovers

Best VR Award

  • C-Smash VRS by RapidEyeMovers – available on PSVR2

  • Colorway Antics
  • Elysium Trials
  • GAZZLERS
  • The Last Worker by WIRED PRODUCTIONS LIMITED – available on all platforms
  • Noun Town: VR Language Learning

Physical Release of the Year

  • Cuphead: Collector’s Edition

https://youtu.be/-yYdqPFCQys?si=bNwD8GHwMLCtgjH6

  • EVERSPACE 2: Stellar Edition by ROCKFISH GAMES – available on PlayStation
  • Full Void: Special Edition by OutOfTheBit Limited – available on Evercade

https://youtu.be/GtCkY212eTc?si=ZJ7Giag0Eo90lVWO

  • The Last Worker: Jüngle Pronto Edition by WIRED PRODUCTIONS LIMITED – available on all platforms
  • Sword and Fairy: Together Forever – available on PlayStation
  • Tchia: Oléti Edition by Kepler Interactive Limited – available on PlayStation & Steam

Retro World Award

  • Chew Chew Mimic developed by Rigg’d Games – available on a multitude of systems including an upcoming Dreamcast release
  • Doodle World Redrawn – available on NES with an alternative version on Nintendo Switch

https://youtu.be/gycRfj101hc?si=RzoRp0YC27Iysz1J

ICYMI Award

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7HyG6vJ7dY&t=3s

  • Outer Wilds by Annapurna Interactive – available on PlayStation
  • Rain World by AKUPARA GAMES – available on PlayStation
  • The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow
  • Xeno Crisis – available on Evercade, along with a multitude of retro gaming systems, now including N64

https://youtu.be/v4AU7_MC-do?si=Tn3YeSjRjYcMnCHV

Subscribers’ Choice Award

  • Bomb Rush Cyberfunk – available on PlayStation
  • COCOON by Geometric Interactive – available on all platforms
  • Full Void by OutOfTheBit Limited – available on Evercade

  • Pizza Tower
  • Sea of Stars by SABOTAGE STUDIO INC – available on PlayStation
  • Viewfinder by Thunderful Publishing – available on PlayStation & Steam

Best Gameplay

  • C-Smash VRS by RapidEyeMovers – available on PSVR2
  • Cassette Beasts By Raw Fury – available on Xbox, Nintendo Switch & Steam
  • COCOON by Geometric Interactive – available on all platforms
  • El Paso, Elsewhere
  • EVERSPACE 2 by ROCKFISH GAMES – available on PlayStation
  • Pizza Possum by Cosy Computer – available on all platforms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXRP-d6Bba8&list=PLqTjNlkwhlT0RqfpQsNaqYAYriuNOS8ri&index=14

THERE’S MORE!

There are also Debug Game Of The Year and Unsung Hero awards, for which there are no nominations but winners will be announced on the night!

And finally, we have Most Anticipated with a total of 24 games nominated, including Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sy4AelTSFaU

The full list is included in the official Debug live stream announcement video at the top of this post… We can’t wait!

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