2017 gaming awards – App Trigger superlatives edition

‘Darkest Dungeon’ Overlooked Early-Year Game Everyone Forgot For GOTY Discussions – Night in the Woods

It seems every year we’re getting more and more excellent, small titles that launch within the first two months of the year that, when Game of the Year discussions come up, people either forget completely or overlooked in the first place. Night in the Woods was certainly an enjoyable title, but even the few people on our staff brushed past it when submitting their ballots.

In addition to its early-year release date overshadowed by launches of huge games such as Horizon: Zero Dawn and the Nintendo Switch / The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, there have been exquisite adventure games released later this year that may have occupied mental space of outlets around the world.

What Remains of Edith Finch does many things Night in the Woods does from an adventure and emotionally-gripping standpoints, while the latter’s cartoonish art style may have detracted a sizeable audience that got a different impression about the game’s subject matter. Regardless of reason or excuse, many people slept on Night in the Woods, and its release in the first few months of the year did not help matters in the way similar to everyone forgetting about Darkest Dungeon during its launch year.

Runners-up: Yakuza 0, Nioh