Over 200 games were submitted to the 2022 GameMaker Awards, and thousands of votes were cast.
After weeks of anticipation, we can now reveal that Revita has been crowned ‘Best Game’, Heartbound ‘Most Anticipated’ game of the year, and Super Raft Boat ‘Best Of GX.games’!
Russell Kay, Head of GameMaker, said: “Each year, I’m completely blown away by the incredible standard of the games which enter the GameMaker Awards, from creators and studios pushing the absolute boundaries of GameMaker’s powerful functionality.
“In judging this year's awards, we’ve once again been lucky to experience a huge range of awesome games which combine enthralling creative ideas, vivid artistic concepts and highly engaging gameplay to create something truly memorable.
“But as with last year’s awards, I’m just glad the final decision was left in the hands of our loyal GameMaker and Opera GX communities.”
GameMaker Awards 2022 ‘Best Game’ Winner: Revita
This year, the coveted gong for ‘Best Game’ goes to Revita, created by German developer BenStar.
Revita is an exciting twin-stick roguelite platformer, where you play an unnamed child ascending an ominous clocktower in pursuit of your lost memories.
The game was up against a tough shortlist, which included:
However, Revita’s fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping gameplay and incredibly satisfying combat mechanics ultimately won the judges over, which included head of GameMaker Russell Kay, and Opera GX Product Director, Maciej Kocemba.
Revita’s Ben Kiefer, Lead Developer at BenStar, said: "GameMaker has always been with me since the very start of my gamedev career. Almost everything I know about gamedev, I have learned during the development of Revita.
“It's immensely humbling that the game that originally made me want to learn gamedev professionally is the one that’s won the ‘Best Game’ category. I would also like to say a big thank you to everyone who gave Revita their vote, when all the shortlisted games would have deserved it just as much! I honestly still can't believe it."
GameMaker Awards 2022 ‘Most Anticipated’ Winner: Heartbound
The ‘Most Anticipated Game’ at this year's awards went to Heartbound, from US developer, Pirate Software.
Heartbound’s unorthodox approach to role-playing games tells the story of a boy, his dog, curious secrets, and sanity - all created in a breathtaking pixel art style.
However, it was Heartbound’s amazing storytelling which really captured the judges' imagination, leaving them hungry for more.
The other finalists of the Most Anticipated Game category were:
Thor, Founder, Pirate Software, commented: “Heartbound is our first major game as an indie studio, so it's awesome to receive this award.
“Working with GameMaker throughout this has been easy and it allowed us to do everything we wanted to. Without royalties to tie us down, it's been a fantastic financial choice for our studio as well.
“If anyone out there has ever considered making a game, don't wait for that perfect moment when the planets align. Get out there and start making stuff or you never will.
“You don't need any special knowledge or skill to start. Just work on your side project every day. Join game jams. Make something small and launch it. Get feedback from EVERYONE. Adapt and level up with your experience. You got this.”
GameMaker Awards 2022 ‘Best Of GX.games’ Winner: Super Raft Boat
For 2022, the GameMaker Awards introduced the new ‘Best of GX.games’ award category, shining a light on some of the awesome games shared from GameMaker to the GX.games platform.
Our inaugural winner is Super Raft Boat, which took the crown over a number of truly outstanding games.
An upbeat roguelike set in the flooded world, Super Raft Boat challenges the players to a mad dash over precarious rafts, constantly besieged by enemies, where only the very best of rafters make it to Final Island.
The other games shortlisted for the title of Best of GX.games included:
Jason Gertner, developer of Super Raft Boat, said: "It's a big honour to receive a GameMaker Award for Super Raft Boat!
“Super Raft Boat actually came from a game I cancelled in 2017. The team for SRB formed around a new jam in 2021, so we took some elements from the original, and reformatted it into a much more understandable and compact experience.
“Most of the team has been using GameMaker for over 10 years, so it means a lot that so many people enjoyed the game."
