“ODDADA” is one of the leading winners of Indie Cup Europe '24.
Sven Ahlgrim, Mathilde Hoffmann
The winners of Indie Cup Europe '24 have finally been announced, showcasing the best upcoming projects from independent studios and solo developers across Europe. After a rigorous four-month voting process, many incredible games were awarded prizes.
Of the eight awards, only one game won multiple honors: “Phonopolis,” a beautiful puzzle adventure set in a hand-drawn 3D world made out of cardboard. But the biggest prize of the night went to Paintbucket Games' World War II-era detective game, “The Darkest Files.”
I was honored to serve as a judge this year, along with over 100 other judges from the industry. It was an incredibly enriching experience. For my Critics' Choice category, we independently whittled down over 200 nominees to 20, and then narrowed it down to 11 finalists based on popularity. To be honest, there could have been 40 or 50 that could have competed for the grand prize. It's a testament to the creativity of small teams and individual projects.
Still, there are only a limited number of winners. Who will take home the big prize?
List of winners of Indy Cup Europe 2024
Excellence in Gameplay: The Darkest Files
Paintbucket Games is back on the awards circuit after winning an award at Indie Cup Germany '23, but it's no surprise they didn't get anything this time. The Darkest Files is characterised as a historic combination of The Return of Obra Dinn and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, including the iconic “No!” line. It's been in development for a while and doesn't have a release date yet, but it's definitely one to add to your wishlist.
Critics' Choice Award: Phonopolis
There's no doubt that Phonopolis is something special. Czech studio Amanita Design has created one of the most visually unique experiences of the last five years. This story of “standing up against the tyranny of the leaders” features fantastic art direction and a ton of great puzzle ideas and mechanics.
Like The Darkest Files, there's no set release date for Phonopolis, but it clearly has plenty of time to perform at its best, and by the way, the game was up against some strong competition: other personal favorites include headstrong sandbox adventure Henry Halfhead, high-speed longboard sloth racer Driftwood (currently in Early Access), and brutal RPG shooter Dreadhunter.
Creator's Choice Award: ODDADA
Another great loser in the Critics' Choice category finally gets the recognition it deserves in the Creators' Choice category. ODDADA, the brainchild of German duo Sven Ahlgrimm and Mathilde Hoffmann, is one of the most creative, beautiful and relaxing games to grace the Indie Cup, let alone 2024. Even better, ODDADA was released on Steam yesterday (August 15th) and is definitely worth checking out, especially since it's under $10.
Rising Star Award: Yes, Your Grace: Snowfall
Brave At Night's sideways approach to the kingdom management RPG genre is fantastic, and there's every reason to think it could be a great alternative to the popular formula. Due out in Q1 2025, we won't have to wait too long.
Artistic Excellence Award: Phonopolis
Phonopolis' second award of the night was by far the most deserving of the two: nothing else looked or played quite as good as this one.
Most Experimental Game: Tarnished Blood
Juggler Games' quirky, time-bending, turn-based roguelike RPG is strange to say the least, but different in every way. In it, you “serve an ancient guardian tree” and defeat giant enemies to harvest their essence.
Next Big Thing: Hollow Home
In this “Early Consider” award, which is open to games in early development including pre-alphas and prototypes, Twigames' Hollow Home unsurprisingly stood out from the crowd. In this isometric narrative RPG, you take on the role of a teenager trapped in an occupied city, learning survival skills, building relationships, making difficult daily choices and dealing with tragedies along the way.
WINGS Award: Two Falls (Nishu Takuashina)
The final “Special Competition” award, presented by our friends and partners at Indie Cup Europe, was announced as Two Falls by Unreliable Narrators. In this game, you play Jeanne, a French woman who crosses the Atlantic Ocean in search of a new life in the middle of the 17th century Canadian wilderness, and Maikan, a dog hunter trying to figure out what's causing the forest's problems. It's due for release later this year, and like all the other games on this list, it's a fantastic game.
