As part of my duty to Rogueliker’s audience, who I love more than my own children, I spend much time trawling the depths of the Internet trying to find you the latest and most interesting tidbits.
During one such trawl, this time through the murky waters of the Steam News channel, I was absolutely overwhelmed by the number of game developers on there desperately begging for votes.
Thus, I came to the conclusion that I should probably do a bit of voting myself, and maybe also encourage you lot to do the same. Sharing is caring, after all.
I’m not going to tell you who I voted for, because that’s deeply private information, but I will share the categories and a few standout titles that are in the running for each category.
The Steam Awards – Categories
Game of the Year – it’s hard to see anything other than Baldur’s Gate III cleaning up here, so you can vote for something like Risk of Rain Returns if you like, but Hopoo ain’t winning that category and neither is anyone else.
VR Game of the Year – I respectfully withdraw from commenting on this category because VR makes me want to hurl.
Labour of Love – This one’s a great chance to vote for a legacy game that you’re still playing. Is Risk of Rain 2 still your go-to? What about Hades? Vote for it then!
Best Game of Steam Deck Award – What’s your favourite game for playing on the go? This one’s a great opportunity for voting for something like Voidigo or Brotato – neither of which I’ve had a chance to write about properly yet.
Better With Friends Award – Multiplayer is becoming increasingly prevalent in the roguelike and roguelite world. Endless Dungeon won’t get a nod given the bugs it had at launch, which is a shame given the game’s focus on co-op. Risk of Rain Returns was probably the multiplayer highlight for me this year, I’ll admit as much, if you insist.
Outstanding Visual Style Award – I’m going to highlight Astral Ascent, which may have got my vote, as it’s a lovely looking game with or without the outlines switched on. You could also very easily vote for Darkest Dungeon 2, though, which has incredibly distinctive art and left early access this year.
Most Innovative Gameplay Award – It’s hard to argue for a roguelike in this genre, given our shared appreciation of video game heritage. It’s also another easy win for Baldur’s Gate III, I would think.
Best Game You Suck At Award – This, on the other hand, is the category for us roguelikers. World of Horror was an absolute terror for me when I played it, and could well have got my nod, but I’m neither confirming nor denying that.
Best Soundtrack Award – Risk of Rain Returns and Astral Ascent would both be worthy winners, in my opinion. I’ve been listening to a bit of a Chris Christodoulou lately, for what it’s worth.
Outstanding Story-Rich Game Award – Returnal came out at the start of the year on PC, and does a great job of wrapping up the roguelite gameplay loop into a legible story. Worth voting for? No, everyone’s going to vote for Baldur’s Gate aren’t they!?
The final category, the so-called Sit Back and Relax Award, doesn’t feel like the natural stomping grounds for our collective focus here on Rogueliker, so I’m skipping that one, too.
