Dreams: Presenting your final nominees for the 2nd annual Impy Awards
It’s that time once again. Over at Media Molecule, we’ve spent the last couple of months digging through a mountain of nominations for our annual Impy Awards, during which we celebrate the best, brightest, weirdest, cleverest, and most exciting creations made in Dreams over the past year. You know how Scrooge McDuck dives into a big pile of treasure? It’s been a bit like that, only with video games (and short films, and sculptures, and music, and and and…)
It was tremendously difficult. It’s been almost a whole year since Dreams launched, and so there are more brilliant creations than ever for us – and our special guest judges, many of whom you’ll recognise from around the game industry – to choose from. We’ll be celebrating the coMmunity as a whole – and our 1st birthday! – on February 14 with a wondrously over-the-top awards show that we’ve built entirely within Dreams. Yes, you read that correctly.
But today, we’re finally coming up for air to bring you our selected shortlists for this year’s Impy Awards. Before we reveal all, remember that the following categories are decided by the coMmunity, and that you can vote for your winners here:
You have until February 4 to cast your votes for these categories. Got it? Good. And now, fresh from the treasure pile, here are the final nominees:
Funniest Creation
Pig Detective 3 – Death on Detox Island – Team Pig Detective
Push to Open – ParsleyGuy_Alex
“This Halloween” – Music Video – TheRedProphett
Throwing a New Year’s Eve Party With Barry Blobfish – Zach-inator6
Opposite Day 8: It Ain’t Great! – MrCaseyJones
Scare of the Year
The Twilight Shift – RurouniDan
Left to Rot [HORROR] – Denjo92
Vestige – AVNDR_found
Trauma – NauticalSquatch
THE INVOCATION – TheBlightBeast
Best Art Direction
The Snowgardens – HalfUp
Where leaves fall from Serenity – Sparten__X53
Bon Appétit ! [WIP] – Elfiooh
THEOGONY – ZIIQ
Untitled Space Opera. – ORD6
Best Sculpture
Pumpkin Spice – SootyPinions
Cheetah Head – SuperCatchyName
A Greasy Meal – VitaminG_90
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove – BADROBO82
Silver Elder Dragon Head Sculpt – palscage
Best Animation
The Snowball – byvsen
NOGUCHI’S BELL – Episode 1 Trailer – Cyber_Sheep_Film
Lightning Bolt! Lightning Bolt! – patekkah
Go Hiking! – arseny3d
Nine Tails Story / DEMO – Esuki
Best Character
8-Bit – Zypher755
*lash – FeyzPS
Alfie (Alfred Elephant) – PuddyDoke
A very Plane character – icecreamcheese
Mrs Meek – Andymationb
Best Narrative
Pig Detective 3 – Death on Detox Island – Team Pig Detective
The Snowball – byvsen
Pollen – TRIX9
The Hermit – Lidlig
The Snowgardens – HalfUp
Best Gameplay
Tiamatan – girlfromcroydon
Octane – Azure_Kn1ght
Press X to Puzzle – Pixel_Gorilla
STEAMBOUND – donut_mutt
Alpine Dream (Snowboarding) – TheOtterbon
Best Music
Pig Detective 3 – Official Soundtrack – ReddishBoat
Grey Song a Day Album – SaucelessOne
MasherButtons – For The Dreams I Can’t Remember (venwave Remix) – Venwave
Morgonblues – byvsen
Splatty’s Adventure – NiloFranck
Best Audio Design
The Snowball – byvsen
Disappearance at Birch Hollow – Mandelbo
Left to Rot [HORROR] – Denjo92
GL/TCH-R [WIP] – Elca_Gaming
Vineland – ZIIQ
Best Innovation
Moldable Maze Testing Levels (WIP) – TannicAlloy
IMPCEPTION – cgCody
Community Events TV – Bella_Iris
The Entropy Games – Entropy-Tamed
Musicalia – Glitch_Me_Up
Best VR Experience
Tectonic – sanderobros
ESCAPE – A minimalist Escape Room – SlurmMackenzie
Please Press the Button – Aecert
Jungle Bill VR – Nbeyeler
ME – Wargarble
Best Voice Acting
KeldBjones in LOCK
Bella_Iris in The Widow
Zodira in The Twilight Shift
xMightyViciousx in Deeno Teaser Trailer: In-Dreams Cut
SKINNYCHAD in Shuffleboard
Favourite Video Creator
SakkusMind
UglySofaGaming
LadyLexUK
VinceKully
byvsen
Favourite Streamer
KeldBjones
Elca_Gaming
MickYayger
cutaia_net
ApesOnFire
Hidden Gem Dream
Binary Bash – danikaka
RElax unWIND – der_timme
A Crime on Floor 99 – Frostadoodle
Musicalia – Glitch_Me_Up
Grey Song a Day Album – SaucelessOne
Hidden Gem Creator
Zypher755
stevie128k
Lidlig
beanbob101
Helekosi
Best Curator
LadyLexUK
Pookachoo
OcularFixation
Nephrendil
Lucid_Stew
Most Improved Dreamer
Yledbetter10
HeyitsmeDG
NotreDamin
girlfromcroydon
JechtaPlays
Most Helpful Dreamer
TAPgiles
Aecert
VinceKully
SakkusMind
MrCaseyJones
Community Star
leadnail
KeldBjones
Phreaky
Bella_Iris
venwave
Creator of the Year
Pixel_Gorilla
RbdJellyfish
Prinz_Laser
HalfUp
Entropy-Tamed
SebastianTeamPD + Team Pig Detective
girlfromcroydon
Creation of the Year
LOCK – Pixel_Gorilla
The Snowgardens – HalfUp
Alpine Dream (Snowboarding) – TheOtterbon
A Little Perspective – RbdJellyfish
INFINITY JUMP – the_burgervan
TEMPORAL FUSE – DancingEmber
Pig Detective 3 – Death on Detox Island – Team Pig Detective
Wow, what a haul! We’re going to have to increase the security ‘round these parts. Quick, somebody make us a vault door. Or a big bear. Whatever’s easiest.
Well done to all the creators, whether you made it to the shortlists or not. And if you’re still reading, we hope to see you at the event on Sunday, February 14 at 16:30 GMT / 8:30am PT on Twitch and YouTube, where we’ll announce all the winners.
Until then, you can catch us on our social channels – use the hashtag #ImpyAwards if you want to tell us how much you’re looking forward to the show. And why not visit our specially-made in-game hub? You can check out last year’s winners in the gallery, relax in the tea room, and get prepared ahead of the big night with our exclusive Impy Awards swag bag.
There are also two new limited-edition Impy Awards imps to collect. Simply complete the scavenger hunt in the Impys hub, and when you leave the level you’ll receive this glamorous pair – meet Fitz and Renée.
Make sure to install update 2.21 (arriving February 10), otherwise your imps won’t unlock. But don’t worry – if you complete the hunt before February 10, you’ll be automatically awarded the imps once you install the update. Easy peasy.