Many happy Returnals
BAFTA’s 18th annual game awards show was streamed last night, on April 7th, with Housemarque’s Returnal winning the top spot.
This was along with three other awards for music, audio, and Jane Perry’s performance as main character, Selene. While Returnal has won other game awards in the past year, the BAFTAs are the first to see it win best game and lead in number of awards.
The next highest-winning games were Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Unpacking, and It Takes Two, getting two awards each. No Man’s Sky, Forza Horizon 5, and TOEM are among the other games to get awards.
Returnal to sender
Returnal, releasing in April of 2021, saw critical acclaim on release and for good reason. The core gameplay loop of a roguelike bullet-hell-slash-third-person-shooter is an addictive romp that beats you down but keeps you coming back for more.
Housemarque builds intrigue around the alien planet and game’s setting of Atropos. Notably, the narrative builds through figuring out the timeloop, trying to find the White Shadow, and delving into Selene’s past. These elements are then combined with the gameplay of being stuck in a time loop to bolster the narrative’s psychological horror elements. It all makes for a suitably uncomfortable feel for the planet you find yourself stranded on.
I’d be remiss not to mention the haptic feedback as well. Returnal uses the PS5’s dualsense brilliantly, as you feel every movement and interaction through the controller. This goes a long way in immersing you in the game’s oppressive atmosphere.
If you haven’t tried Returnal yet, I’d thoroughly recommend it. Fortunately, Sony has included the game in their new PlayStation Plus, which launches in June of this year. So, if you haven’t played the game, you can get it with PlayStation Plus Extra, alongside a few hundred more titles.
For a full list of the BAFTA 2022 winners and nominees, check below.
BEST GAME
Deathloop (Arkane Lyon)
Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games)
Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games)
It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios)
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games)
Returnal (Housemarque) – WINNER
ANIMATION
Call of Duty: Vanguard (Sledgehammer Games)
It Takes Two (Hazelight)
Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Hunter Schmidt – Ember Lab)
Life is Strange: True Colors (Deck Nine Games)
Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine)
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games) – WINNER
ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT
The Artful Escape (Beethoven & Dinosaur) – WINNER
It Takes Two (Hazelight)
Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine)
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games)
Resident Evil Village (Capcom)
Returnal (Housemarque)
AUDIO ACHIEVEMENT
The Artful Escape (Beethoven & Dinosaur)
Call of Duty: Vanguard (Sledgehammer Games)
Deathloop (Arkane Lyon)
Halo Infinite (343 Industries)
Marvel’s Guardian’s of the Galaxy (Eidos-Montréal)
Returnal (Housemarque) – WINNER
BRITISH GAME
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure (ustwo games)
Death’s Door (Acid Nerve)
Fights in Tight Spaces (Ground Shatter)
Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games) – WINNER
Overboard! (inkle)
Sable (Shedworks)
DEBUT GAME
The Artful Escape (Beethoven & Dinosaur)
Eastward (Pixpil)
The Forgotten City (Modern Storyteller)
Genesis Noir (Feral Cat Den)
Maquette (Graceful Decay)
TOEM (Something We Made) – WINNER
EVOLVING GAME
Among Us (Innersloth)
Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo)
Apex Legends (Respawn Entertainment)
Disco Elysium – The Final Cut (ZA/UM)
Fortnite (Epic Games)
No Man’s Sky (Hello Games) – WINNER
FAMILY
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure (ustwo)
Chicory: A Colorful Tale (FINJI) – WINNER
Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games)
Mario Party Superstars (Nintendo)
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games)
Unpacking (Witch Beam)
GAME BEYOND ENTERTAINMENT
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure (ustwo)
Before Your Eyes (GoodbyeWorld Games) – WINNER
Chicory: A Colorful Tale (FINJI)
Game Builder Garage (Nintendo)
It Takes Two (Hazelight)
Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine)
GAME DESIGN
Deathloop (Arkane Lyon)
Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games)
Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games) – WINNER
It Takes Two (Hazelight)
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games)
Returnal (Housemarque)
MULTIPLAYER
Back 4 Blood (Turtle Rock Studios)
Call of Duty: Vanguard (Sledgehammer Games)
Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games)
Halo Infinite (343 Industries)
Hell Let Loose (Black Matter)
It Takes Two (Hazelight) – WINNER
MUSIC
Deathloop (Arkane Lyon)
Far Cry 6 (Ubisoft Toronto)
Halo Infinite (343 Industries)
Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine)
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games)
Returnal (Housemarque) – WINNER
NARRATIVE
It Takes Two (Hazelight)
Life is Strange: True Colors (Deck Nine Games)
Marvel’s Guardian’s of the Galaxy (Eidos-Montréal)
Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine)
Returnal (Housemarque)
Unpacking (Witch Beam) – WINNER
ORIGINAL PROPERTY
Deathloop (Arkane Lyon)
Death’s Door (Acid Nerve)
Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games)
It Takes Two (Hazelight) – WINNER
Returnal (Housemarque)
Unpacking (Witch Beam)
PERFORMANCE IN A LEADING ROLE
Ozioma Akagha (Julianna Blake in Deathloop)
Jason E. Kelly (Colt Vahn “the Captain” in Deathloop)
Jennifer Hale (Rivet in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart)
Jon McLaren (Star-Lord/Peter Quill in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy)
Erika Mori (Alex Chen in Life is Strange: True Colors)
Jane Perry (Selene Vassos in Returnal) – WINNER
PERFORMER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Laura Bailey (Polina Petrova in Call of Duty: Vanguard)
Kimberly Brooks (Hollis Forsythe in Psychonauts 2) – WINNER
Jason Cavalier (Drax in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy)
Maggie Robertson (Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village)
Han Soto (Gabe Chen in Life is Strange: True Colors)
Alex Weiner (Rocket in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy)
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games)
Hitman 3 (IO Interactive)
Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine)
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games) – WINNER
Resident Evil Village (Capcom)
Returnal (Housemarque)
EE GAME OF THE YEAR
Chicory: A Colorful Tale (FINJI)
Deathloop (Arkane Lyon)
The Forgotten City (Modern Storyteller)
It Takes Two (Hazelight)
Metroid Dread (Nintendo & MercurySteam)
Unpacking (Witch Beam) – WINNER
And there we have it! Do you agree with the nominees and winners? What would you say was your game of the year? Let us know down in the comments below! Or, if you’re in a game award show mood, why not take a look at our thoughts on The Game Awards 2021?
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