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.
- Best Music
- Best Song
- Best Sound Design
- Best Voice Acting
- Best Graphical Style
- Best Graphics
- Best Story
- Best New Character
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Best Music
Everhood by Chris Nordgren, Cazok, Lewmoth, Dancefloor is Lava, Gunnar Olsen, ROZKOL, OurMusicBox (Jay Man), HALLEY LABS, Lolita (as Roxy), and KM_EXP – As with prior years, this award was one of the toughest choices for me to make this year, and at different times I had four different games winning this award, and multiple other games nearly made it onto the list of runners-up. Ultimately I selected Everhood as the winner because this game more than the others on the list is absolutely dependent on its soundtrack. And what’s more, it is a strange and experimental soundtrack that blends its unusual, at times even discordant synthesized music with its gameplay to create a truly unique and memorable experience.
Runners-Up:
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox by Hayato Sonoda, Takahiro Unisuga, Yukihiro Jindo, and Mitsuo Singa
Axiom Verge 2 by Thomas Happ
Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania by Naoyuki Chikatani, Satoshi Okamura, and Hidenori Shoji
Mythic Ocean by Darren Malley
New Pokemon Snap by Hiroki Hashimoto
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Best Song
Take My Hand by Ana Curcin, from Golf Club Wasteland – This is another one I went back and forth on, with the top three songs here swapping positions multiple times as I was considering this award. In the end, I landed on Take My Hand because the entire emotional tone of the game shifts on this one song. Golf Club Wasteland’s biting satire could have easily come across as purely humorous with its neon Covfefe signs and cows with glowing radioactive udders, but Take My Hand’s quiet, almost pleading tone prompts the player to contemplate the truly massive loss that brought everything to this ridiculous point, revealing that Golf Club Wasteland, as absurd as it may seem, is not a comedy, it is a tragedy. I should note that this song predates the game and was originally released in 2018, but the soulful mix included in this game gives it new meaning, so when Ana Curcin sings “All I know is that we shouldn’t be sad/when we think of the road ahead”, it sounds like someone trying to convince themselves of those words, against all evidence to the contrary.
Runners-Up:
You Want Gnomes by Chris Nordgren, from Everhood
Bowser’s Fury Theme by Daisuke Matsuoka and James Phillipsen, from Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
The Great Stray ~ Suspense Part 2 by Yasumasa Kitagawa, from The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
Skipping Along the Cobblestones by Asami Mitake, from Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy
Main Theme – Hello Banana!! by Banana Fritters, from Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania
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Best Sound Design
A Monster’s Expedition – Few games in 2021 really seemed to put a focus on their sound design. However, A Monster’s Expedition uses its sound to help bring the player into the world of the game, having their actions become the soundtrack for the game, in a manner of speaking, which does a great job setting the tone for this game’s humorous observations on humanity.
Runners-Up:
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Best Voice Acting
Disco Elysium – The Final Cut – While Disco Elysium may be two years old, the fully-voiced characters added in the Final Cut release of the game are new to 2021, and wow, what a difference it makes! All of the game’s excellent writing was already so full of personality, but it’s all taken to a whole new level with superb voice acting. Of special note are the multitude of different personalities bouncing around within the protagonist’s head, all with distinct personalities and voices, but all voiced by Lenval Brown. Jullian Champenois as Kim Kitsuragi is also well worth mention. But really, all of the voice acting in this game is phenomenal, which makes it all the more shocking that most of it was only just added in this year’s re-release of the game, as it all feels like it was meant to be here from the beginning. In any case, the voicework in Disco Elysium is perfect for the game, making this well deserving of my pick for the winner in this category.
Runners-Up:
Clone Drone in the Danger Zone
Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars
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Best Graphical Style
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles – This year featured numerous games with strong, vibrant art styles and imaginative worlds, but The Great Ace Attorney’s great accomplishment in its art design is how it evolves the 2D anime art style from earlier games with cel-shaded 3D visuals that bring its characters to life, all while remaining extremely faithful to that art style. This is further enhanced by some outstanding animation that makes each of the game’s characters absolutely full of personality, from the wild and wacky antics of the witnesses you cross-examine, to the subtle darting eyes of hero Ryunosuke as he nervously tries to think of a way out of his latest predicament.
Runners-Up:
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights
Piczle Puzzle & Watch Collection
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Best Graphics
Monster Hunter Rise – Multiple games on Nintendo Switch this year impressed graphically in different ways, but Monster Hunter Rise is the one game that really floored me with its beautiful, detailed environments, excellent animation, superb character designs, and its imaginative, fully-realized world. Everything from the mud, snow, and lava of your hunting grounds to the blossoming cherry trees of your hometown is rendered with exquisite detail here, as are the monsters you hunt and characters you encounter, all while maintaining solid framerates.
Runners-Up:
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Best Story
Disco Elysium – The Final Cut – In Disco Elysium, every line of dialogue feels impeccably well-written, and the compelling story combines noir detective elements, science fiction, great characters, and some truly excellent world-building. I feel like each of the games on this list do some of these elements well, but Disco Elysium goes well beyond this to truly excel in all of these areas.
Runners-Up:
.
Best New Character
Simon Forman, from Astrologaster – I don’t think any character on Nintendo Switch this year has been as nuanced and layered as Astrologaster’s protagonist. On the one hand, he is indeed a peddler of false treatments who gives his patients potentially dangerous diagnoses in their times of great need, and Forman’s unethical actions often exploit his position of power to profit him personally, meddling in the personal affairs of his patients (“coitus post consultatio”, indeed). On the other hand, Forman genuinely believes in the treatments he administers, sees himself as taking a great risk to help those seeking his guidance, and as for becoming romantically involved with patients, well… how can a man deny true love? Er… true love with another man’s wife… Yeah, suffice it to say, Forman certainly isn’t the hero he thinks he is, but neither is he necessarily a straightforward villain. This depth and nuance makes him my pick for the best new character on Nintendo Switch in 2021.
Runners-Up:
Kim Kitsuragi, from Disco Elysium – The Final Cut
Herlock Sholmes, from The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
Elvis Lesley, from Bravely Default II
Turnip Boy, from Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion
Cerberus, from Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny
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For commentary on today’s awards, please check out the eShopperReviews 2021 Game Awards Day 2: Technical Awards Podcast!
That’s all for today! to keep up with all of the eShopperReviews 2021 Game Awards, be sure to check back at the Awards’ Start Page, which I’ll be updating throughout the week!
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