Inscryption is officially the first game to win Game of the Year at both the GDC awards and the IGF awards.
The bonkers escape room card game from developer Daniel Mullins Games was crowned Game of the Year at last night's GDCA festivities, and as the official GDC account noted on Twitter, it's now the first game to win GOTY at GDC and IGF, two of the biggest industry-led events in gaming.
Inscryption was not only the Independent Game Festival's Game of the Year winner - a title which puts it level with the likes of Outer Wilds, Night in the Woods, and Minecraft - it was also a recurring nominee across multiple categories such as excellence in narrative, excellence in design, and excellence in audio. Likewise, Inscryption was nominated for multiple categories at GDC, also including best narrative, best design, as well as the innovation award. In taking the top prize, it sits among some true juggernauts, including The Last of Us, God of War, and Breath of the Wild.
These accolades have arrived just two months after Inscryption passed one million copies sold, a milestone celebrated with a characteristically disgruntled statement from its iconic stoat.
It's easy to see why Inscryption has been so widely praised and recognized. It starts off as a grim and clever card game and quickly evolves into a compelling meta-narrative which uses the fourth wall like a punching bag that it pummels with your reeling brain. Without wishing to spoil, it's actually several excellent card games in one, but it's the characters that keep you coming back to its seemingly bottomless well of unraveling stories. And to think it all starts with an army of dead squirrels.
You can play Inscryption for yourself on PC via Steam, GOG, and Humble Bundle. There's a free demo on Steam, too, in case you somehow still aren't sold on it.
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