2021 Aggie Award Nominees
Well, 2021 didn’t quite go as we expected, did it? But the bright side of spending more time at home is that it allowed more time for playing adventure games! And what a selection to choose from there was, with well over two hundred(!) new releases.
The more games to choose from, the harder it is to decide exactly which ones were the best, but decide we must as the annual Aggie Awards are here again!
The winners will have a bit longer to wait, but for now we’ve narrowed the choices down to ten nominees in each category. Even the first cut was painful, with so many games deserving of people’s attention being left behind, so there are no “snubs” here, only the inevitable result of so many great new titles available. If your favourite didn’t make it, rest assured, neither did many of ours! Too much quality: a good problem to have.
The categories remain the same this year – yes, including the endlessly debatable controversial “Best Non-Traditional” and “Best Traditional” awards to draw out the suspense for the ultimately GOTY.
If you think we got it all wrong – or right, of course (miracles do happen) – the chance to have your say is just around the corner, as our reader poll goes live on Monday, February 7th. So don’t wander off!
And now, our nominee finalists for 2021. Tune back in Friday, February 18th for our awards presentation to find out which games take home the golden (and silver) Aggie statuettes!
Best Story
One of the core components of any adventure, the game’s narrative must engage the player’s interest and imagination. Entertaining in its own right, a good story also immerses the player in a believable game world and serves as motivation to overcome the challenges presented. While often accompanied by quality writing, the plot is a distinct feature that may or may not be ably supported by the actual dialogue – if in fact it has dialogue at all.
Alfred Hitchcock – Vertigo
Backbone
The Forgotten City
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
Impostor Factory
Lacuna
Minute of Islands
Mutropolis
Road 96
Strangeland
Best Writing – Comedy
Arguably the hardest genre to write well, comedy done right has the ability both to amuse and uplift, finding humour in the ordinary and laughter in the unexpected. Often dismissed for not being “serious writing” (oh, the irony!), comedy has long been a beloved adventure staple and deserves appropriate recognition.
An Airport for Aliens Currently Run by Dogs
The Big Con
Chicory: A Colorful Tale
Cleo: A Pirate’s Tale
The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark
Impostor Factory
Inspector Waffles
Mutropolis
Not Another Weekend
Overboard!
Best Writing – Drama
If comedy lifts the soul, then drama explores and challenges it. Though sometimes misrepresented as dry and boring or overly theatrical, a gripping drama simply engages players on a deeper emotional level. Quality writing is essential in maintaining the player’s connection to the characters, game world, and the story unfolding.
Backbone
The Forgotten City
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
Half Past Fate: Romantic Distancing
Impostor Factory
Lacuna
Life Is Strange: True Colors
Minute of Islands
Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One
Strangeland
Best Character
Gabriel Knight... April Ryan... Guybrush Threepwood. These names roll off the tongue of any adventure gamer as a testament to the importance of compelling protagonists in an adventure. But just as important are the villains, sidekicks, and significant supporting characters, which are often the juiciest parts. This category recognizes those who have made the most memorable contribution, regardless of role.
Sir Typhil (Alien Function)
Howard Lotor (Backbone)
Galerius (The Forgotten City)
Henry Mosse (Henry Mosse and the Wormhole Conspiracy)
Inspector Waffles (Inspector Waffles)
Meredith Weiss (Lake)
Alex Chen (Life Is Strange: True Colors)
Mo (Minute of Islands)
Veronica Villensey (Overboard!)
Aine Magari (Root Film)
Best Gameplay
Puzzles are an integral aspect of adventure gameplay, but not the only one. Good pacing, rich exploration, and variety of activities are all factors in player enjoyment as well, all suitably integrated into the storyline. The best games seek the right balance of these elements for the most rewarding gameplay experience, whatever the approach.
Chicory: A Colorful Tale
Down in Bermuda
Escape Simulator
The Forgotten City
Gamedec
Lacuna
Maskmaker
Overboard!
Riddle of the Sphinx: The Awakening
Strangeland
Best Concept
A somewhat ambiguous category meant to highlight any unusual, distinctive element. A creative concept can run the gamut from unique story premise to clever game mechanics, from stylistic choice to technical innovation. For the purpose of this award, it doesn’t even need to have been successfully implemented, as it’s the idea itself that deserves the acknowledgement in a genre renowned for its conservative approach. (Note: VR is a shared evolution among many new adventures, so that alone does not constitute an individual game concept.)
Chicory: A Colorful Tale
The Forgotten City
Genesis Noir
A Juggler’s Tale
Moncage
NUTS
Overboard!
Tandem: A Tale of Shadows
Twelve Minutes
Unbound: Worlds Apart
Best Setting
Adventures can transport us to memorable places we’ve never been before, including those we never even imagined. Or perhaps to locales inspired by real-world locations, but never quite like this, making them feel fresh and new and awe-inspiring all over again. In these games, the setting is like an integral character of its own, inseparable from the story taking place within its borders.
Backbone
The Forgotten City
Lake
Maskmaker
The Medium
Minute of Islands
Papetura
Saint Kotar
Slice of Sea
Strangeland
Best Graphic Design
If a picture is worth a thousand words, this category speaks volumes. Regardless of technique, this award recognizes games that are not only visually attractive but stylistically distinctive. One look at a screenshot should elicit not only jaw-dropping admiration, but intuitive recognition of the game to which it belongs. This award includes both game world and character design, but not cinematics.
The Artful Escape
Backbone
ENCODYA
Genesis Noir
Growbot
Milo and the Magpies
Minute of Islands
Mundaun
Strangeland
TOHU
Best Animation
From “bustling” city streets that look deserted to clouds that never move, animation is rarely the genre’s strong suit, often the victim of budget constraints. But richly animated adventures add so much to player immersion that any game that goes the extra mile in this area is deserving of appreciation. This category includes in-game character and ambient animations, plus cinematic cutscenes.
Backbone
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes
ENCODYA
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
Happy Game
The Medium
Minute of Islands
Omno
Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One
Voyage
Best Music
As a complementary element playing in the background, often a game’s music is noticeable only when it becomes intrusive, but a strong score and attention to timing can add so much to the ambience. Dramatic escalations can heighten tension at just the right moments, while a catchy theme song can make a soundtrack truly memorable, and an in-game number even more so. Whatever its particular strengths, the game that excels musically deserves its accolades, even if its impact is subtle.
The Artful Escape
Critters for Sale
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
Impostor Factory
Lake
Life Is Strange: True Colors
NUTS
Road 96
Scarlet Hood and the Wicked Wood
TOEM
Best Acting (Voice or Live Action)
Often under-valued by publishers but never by gamers, good acting can enhance a player’s investment in characters as surely as poor acting can ruin it. With so much international localization, voice-overs can be difficult to skillfully oversee, but any game benefits greatly from proper direction and believable acting. Live acting, meanwhile, adds an entirely new realistic dynamic, but the added realism makes it that much harder to pull off successfully. This category refers to the overall quality of performances in a game, not to individual characters.
Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The First Cases
The Forgotten City
Lake
Life Is Strange: True Colors
Minute of Islands
Mutropolis
Sam & Max: This Time It’s Virtual!
Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One
Strangeland
Twelve Minutes
Best Sound Effects
As with animation, sound effects are frequently given short shrift in adventures, but effective use of audio adds a vital layer of moody ambience. You may not be able to put your finger on the reason, but some games make you feel like you’re really there, and often the atmospheric sounds have drawn you in subconsciously.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes
Down in Bermuda
Genesis Noir
Happy Game
Lake
Milo and the Magpies
Minute of Islands
Papetura
Time Loader
Warp Frontier
Best Non-Traditional Adventure
For a genre that’s remained largely unchanged for decades, it’s actually got a rich history of experimental titles that push the creative envelope in unique, memorable ways. They don’t “evolve” or “redefine” adventures, but rather expand our understanding of what an adventure can be with their bold vision. Purists may resist, but this award honours those games that stretch beyond traditional genre conventions to offer something completely new, or at least present the familiar in imaginative new ways.
Chicory: A Colorful Tale
The Forgotten City
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
Lake
Minute of Islands
NUTS
Omno
Overboard!
Road 96
Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One
Best Traditional Adventure
Why mess with a good thing? While innovative adventures provide a welcome breath of fresh air, the lifeblood of the genre continues to be the many games that closely adhere to the comfortable, tried-and-true design formulas. Full of inventory and/or logic puzzles, memorable character dialogue, epic storylines and immersive exploration, they may not have changed much since Monkey Island and Myst – or even the original Zork for some – but they’re no less enjoyable when done well.
Almost My Floor
Backbone
The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark
Lacuna
Life Is Strange: True Colors
Murder Mystery Machine
Mutropolis
Not Another Weekend
Slice of Sea
Strangeland
Best Adventure of 2021
You wish! We’re not telling. But there’s a good chance you’ve seen its name once or more already. To end the suspense, tune back in Friday, February 18th to find out!
