This is part two of our PAX West 2019 coverage. Read part one here.
Welcome to the first Arbitrary Award Show round up! These prestigious, yet completely arbitrary, awards are chosen by a committee of one—myself—and laid at the digital feet of their incredible developers. This year’s PAX West was bursting with talent, but in the end I could only grant ten awards. Let’s start the show!
Telling Lies -Most Likely To Binge In One Night
The spiritual successor to HerStory. The main gaming mechanic behind Telling Lies is the search bar of a laptop loaded with stolen NSA footage. Dig through four character’s private lives to uncover the truth. Based on my experience with Sam Barlow’s other games, cancel your plans for the night, bring a notebook, and trust no one.
- Currently available on PC, Mac, iOS
Dungeon Boyfriend– Most painful (but like, in the good way) dating simulator
A dungeon crawling dating simulator that lets you date personifications of your weapons. Don’t want to date anyone? Thats cool, you can opt out of the dating scene in favor of spending more quality time with your cat. Dungeon Boyfriend also wins the award for most talked about game of the con—I had no less than 10 people tell me to go demo this game immediately. Sure to be a cult classic!
- Release date TBDWill be available on PC, Mac
Astroneer– Most Improved
The last time I played Astroneer was during alpha in 2017, when my friends and I would use the glitching to our advantage to find minerals quicker. Seeing how far the game has come (now with an in game camera and jet packs) made me well up with pride. It’s always nice to see the glitchy little game you believed in grow into its own. An incredibly endearing play experience that rewards you for exploring the highest peaks and lowest valleys—now with JET PACKS.
- Currently available on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4
The Devils Calculator – Most Satanic Mobile Game
A satanic mobile math game. Your calculator gets possessed by Satan, and now you have to create formulas that always equate to 666, but Satan keeps changing the rules as he’s wont to do. This game infuriates me in a way I haven’t felt since that T9 monstrosity, but I respect it. Learning is metal AF.
- Currently available on iOS, Android, Mac, PC
Wooden Nickel– Most Charming
During this charming demo, I directed the character to interact with a bookshelf, which led to them opening up a copy of Ben Franklin’s autobiography. “Oh, that’s the whole book. You’ll be here for quite a time.” One of the better eReaders I’ve seen was inside of this amazing demo. Characters mosey through the story by reading the local newspaper to trigger events. A gorgeous, relaxing game perfect for book loving cowpokes.
- Release Date TBD
- Will be available on PC, Mac, iOS, Consoles
Liberated– Most Exciting New Engine
Liberated is a thrilling, tech-noir side scroller that feels like an episode of Black Mirror. Run through the panels of a comic book to escape a dystopian fascist government using technology to hunt you. An engaging story with good art, but I spent most of the demo asking about the engine, a graphic novel framework developed for Unity by L.INC. I am so excited to read playable comics y’all. PLAYABLE COMICS.
- Available late 2019
- PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One
Out Of Space -Most Stressful Couch Co-op For Roommates
The bond forged from playing co-ops with strangers at PAX can lead to lifelong friendships. Five minutes into playing this game with two strangers, we were laughing and yelling at each other as our apartment slowly filled with alien goo. Our space plants were the only survivors. A co-op task manager where you keep your rent down by flipping crappy apartments . . . in space! Learn to cohabitate, manage a chore wheel, and keep plants alive! This game is stressful, but very fun, and teaches you to communicate better, even with strangers.
- Currently available on PC, Mac, Linux, Xbox One, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch
Kerbal Space Program 2 -Most Anticipated
I loved Kerbal Space Program but eventually tired of dooming hundreds of Kerbals to early graves. KSP2 will offer better tutorials, clearer assembly, and add the ability to travel interstellar using alien technology. The team behind KSP takes realism seriously and had rocket scientists as advisers to make sure that even their take on science fiction is grounded in reality. The dedication is inspiring, and it looks like the new tutorials will be, too.
- Available in 2020
- PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One
Supreme Courtship – Biggest Heartbreaker
Supreme Courtship was an educational friendship simulator designed to teach you more about the highest court in America. By day, you ruled on historical cases, but by night you try to befriend your fellow justices and learn about their views on important cases. After coming up $5000 under target for their Kickstarter, the Dev duo behind Supreme Courtship have thrown in the towel. Understandable, but heartbreaking. The game that got away.
- Unavailable, but you can play the demo here.
Sayonara Wild Hearts – Best In Show
A pop album video game. In just few minutes, this short demo was able to transport me to a world of neon synths and dump me, starving for more, on the con floor. I don’t want to give too much away, but everything about it—music, controls, art, and the little bit of story line—was amazing. So excited to play this game over and over again.
- Currently available on: iOS, Nintendo Switch
Honorable mentions
- BackBone – Best Vibe
- Best Friend Forever– Cutest Dating Simulator
- Graveyard Keeper– Most Addictive
- If Found– Most Likely To Make Me Hide My Tears While Playing On A Long Flight
- Freshly Frosted– Tastiest Automation
- Windjammers 2 – Most Nostalgic
Thank you for joining us for the Inaugural Arbitrary Award show! Thus concludes our PAX West 2019 coverage. In the end, it was less about the awards we made for ourselves, and more about the games we played along the way. I would like to thank the incredible devs of these 16 games, the QA testers, the editors of The Sartorial Geek, the fans, anyone that has read this far, the baristas of Joe Bar that caffeinated me as I made these trophy gifs . . . *Cue Band Music*
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