Graphics, music, sound, writing… All of these elements enhance a videogame, but every now and then, a developer manages to deliver in one of these areas in a way that shines through and not only enhances, but elevates the rest of the experience to a whole other level. These awards go to the games that excelled in one of these areas.
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Best Music
Sayonara Wild Hearts – This was a very competitive category this year – multiple games with excellent soundtracks got cut by my “only five runners-up” limit, and I changed my mind multiple times before deciding on a winner. However, in the end, I felt I had to give it to Sayonara Wild Hearts, a game that not only creates a truly memorable experience using its Electro-Pop soundtrack, but I would argue that this game simply wouldn’t be the amazing game it is without its soundtrack.
Runners-Up:
Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition
Octahedron: Transfixed Edition
Cadence of Hyrule: The Crypt of the Necrodancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair
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Best Song
Parallel Universes by Daniel Olsén and Jonathan Eng feat. Linnea Olsson – From Sayonara Wild Hearts – Like choosing Best Music, it was tough to choose a favorite song from this year, and I had to cut plenty that I thoroughly enjoyed to make it down to five runners-up and one winner. Few songs got played on repeat during my day quite like Epilogue from Farm Together, few songs perfectly encapsulated the spirit of the game they represented like Kakariko Crypt from Cadence of Hyrule, and few songs were as deeply moving as Light of Nibel from Ori and the Blind Forest. But in the end, I feel like this should be about what the song does for the game, and Parallel Universes from Sayonara Wild Hearts is not only a fantastic, catchy song, but the way it was utilized in the actual game made for what was, in my opinion, the best singular musical moment of 2019 in videogames.
Runners-Up:
Epilogue (Instrumental Version) by Josh Woodward – From Farm Together
Light of Nibel by Gareth Coker feat. Aeralie Brighton, Rachel Mellis and Tom Boyd – From Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition
Kakariko Crypt by Danny Baranowsky – From Cadence of Hyrule: The Crypt of the Necrodancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda
Sayonara Wild Heart by Daniel Olsén and Jonathan Eng feat. Linnea Olsson – From Sayonara Wild Hearts
Valor by Chipzel – From Octahedron
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Best Sound Design
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice – Players are brought into Senua’s psychosis through amazing use of voices surrounding the player, both helping and hindering them. This is a game that you absolutely want to play with a surround sound setup, preferably surround sound headphones if you have them. The sound in this game is a major part of the experience, both in building its world and telling its story, and without the powerful force that sound plays in this game, it wouldn’t have had anywhere near the lasting impact it does.
Runners-Up:
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair
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Best Graphical Style
Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince – Right from the start, this game’s visuals are stunningly gorgeous, and this is thanks largely to some really good world design and use of color that fills the screen with stunning detail that your eyes just want to soak in. Every screenshot of this game feels like a work of art, and it looks even better in motion, with little details strewn about that make this game truly feel like the magical adventure it really is.
Runners-Up:
Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition
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Best Graphics
Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition – In 2019, multiple games were ported to Switch that previously would have been thought impossible to run on Nintendo’s platform, but Dragon Quest XI S was a game that did so with such deft subtlety that for the most part only a side-by-side comparison would show that any sacrifice had been made. The result is that Switch owners got a massive, detailed, colorful, beautiful world that was one of the best-looking things the Switch has ever had running on it.
Runners-Up:
Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
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Best Story
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice – This was a game that told an amazing story in a way that no other medium can, by taking you inside the head of its protagonist, and forcing the player to experience her psychosis and leaving the player wondering what was real and what was just another element of Senua’s madness, even after the game ends and the credits roll.
Runners-Up:
Dandy Dungeon: Legend of Brave Yamada
The Tenth Line Special Edition
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That’s all for today! to keep up with all of the eShopperReviews 2019 Game Awards, be sure to check back at the Awards’ Start Page, which I’ll be updating throughout the week!
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