Something that has already become a common occurrence year after year is the fact that the gala of the Premios PlayStation Talents, as happened again last night. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic we are facing, the ceremony has once again been broadcast in digital format only.
For the eighth consecutive year these awards try to pay tribute to the more than 100 projects that have been presented over the last 365 days, which serves to demonstrate the great talent we have in Europe and how some small studios manage to develop excellent works.
Among all the awards that are given is the one for the best game of the year, which in itself is a very special recognition, but the winners also win another series of prizes that are not bad: 10,000 dollars, PlayStation development kits, a physical space in a Games Gamp to continue working on your project for 10 months, the publication of the game on the PlayStation Store and an extensive promotional campaign by Sony.
The gala has been presented as usual by the illusionist Jorge Luengo, who was accompanied on this occasion by the PlayStation Connection reporter and content creator Alba Horcajuelo. All of them have been accompanied, in person or by video, by Shuhei Yoshida himself and other very familiar faces, including those of Jordi Wild or Elesky, among others.
The nominated games have been a total of 13 who have aspired to win one of the eight awards that have been distributed throughout the night. Specifically, we are talking about Azra, Dark Life Excalibur, Dead Bird, Hyperstacks, Little Greatness, Melodia, Neon Blood, Shadow of Babel, Spatium Inter Nos, SteelBound, The Occultist, The Silent Swan and Warrior Spirit, so let’s review which ones they have been the winners.
Award for the video game with the best narrative
- Azra (Team Panda)
- Neon Blood (ChaoticBrain Studios) – WINNER
- The Occultist (Pentakill Studios)
- The Silent Swan (Studio Circenses)
The creator and director of the Tadeo Jones saga, Enrique Gato, was chosen to deliver the first prize of all, that of the video game with the best narrative. He himself has commented that he started professionally in this industry with Pyro Studios and since then he has always considered that the plot is a fundamental part in any title.
In the case of Neon Blood, the project of the Madrid team ChaoticBrain Studios, leaves us with a 2.5D JRPG with a cyberpunk style in which the protagonist is Axel McCoin, a detective about whom we will learn his story on his way to the revolution of the society that governs his world.
Best Art Video Game Award
- Dark Life Excalibur (Zero Studios)
- Dead Bird (Baker Pix)
- Little Greatness (Moon Cheese Studio)
- Shadow of Babel (Pemperor Games) – WINNER
Borja Viedma, co-founder of Aeternum Games Studios, the makers of the fantastic Aeterna Noctis that went on sale last week, was called for the second prize. Precisely in his work the artistic section is one of his strongest points and that is why the studio has been commissioned to deliver this award that has gone to the hands of Shadow of Babel.
Is about a roguelite with a futuristic post-apocalyptic aesthetic. Everything takes place in the Tower of Babel, with mysterious rooms full of enemies of all kinds. Based on advancing and the actions carried out, players will obtain powers based on the deadly sins that will deliver bonuses and punishments.
Best Virtual Reality Video Game Award
Throughout these years we have seen that there have been several PlayStation Talents projects that have opted for a gameplay that makes use of virtual reality. Without going any further, Hide and Seek was chosen the best in 2016 and it was precisely its creators, the guys from Tessera Studios, who have distributed the award for the best virtual reality video game.
In this case, the nominees have not been indicated and it has directly gone to Hyperstacks, un frenético shoot’em up with elements of parkour, puzzles and in which its complete level editor stands out in which the objective is to solve puzzles and annihilate all the enemies that appear.
Best Innovation Video Game Award
- Dead Bird (Baker Pix)
- Spatium Inter Nos (Space Onion Games) – WINNER
- SteelBound (Ishtar Studios)
- Warrior Spirit (Maykeys)
When developing a video game it is important that they stand out for something that makes them unique and different, which is precisely what the award tries to honor. the best innovation awarded to Space Onion Games by content creator and podcaster Jordi Wild for Distance Between Us.
The proposal of this game is to a cooperative puzzle platformer adventure that takes place in a space prison. A human and an alien must collaborate to escape from this place while they are connected by a strap that cannot be released, although they will have no choice but to deal with deadly traps and numerous dangers to regain their freedom.
Award for the video game with the best soundtrack
- Melodia (The Warehouse Games)
- Shadow of Babel (Pemperor Games)
- SteelBound (Ishtar Studios) – WINNER
- The Silent Swan (Studio Circenses)
There are games that with their melodies instantly transport us to all kinds of worlds or they make us remember experiences that they have made us live. That is what the pianist and streamer Elesky has expressed, who has given the award for the best soundtrack to SteelBound, de Ishtar Studios.
Beyond having some excellent musical themes, this adventure requires the cooperation of two characters who come from different worlds, one from royalty and one who grew up on the streets. Both will have to do everything possible to avoid a war using a sword that they will pass from hand to hand or else they will begin to lose health points.
Award for the best video game for the press
- Dark Life Excalibur (Zero Studios) – WINNER
- Hyperstacks (Squirrel Bytes)
- The Occultist (Pentakill Studios)
- The Silent Swan (Studio Circenses)
Once again the press has the privilege of distributing one of the prizes and those in charge of it have been Sara Borondo and Fran García, igamesnews’s colleagues, who have considered that Dark Life Excalibur was the one that most deserved to take it.
You just have to look at his cover letter to realize that one of his greatest inspirations has been Dark Souls, hence it is an action RPG in which we will control a knight who is equipped with the Excalibur sword that will be essential to face imposing enemies and final bosses.
Award for the video game with the best use of DualSense
- Dark Life Excalibur (Zero Studios)
- Neon Blood (ChaoticBrain Studios)
- Spatium Inter Nos (Space Onion Games)
- The Occultist (Pentakill Studios) – WINNER
One of the biggest novelties of this edition has been this award, that of the video game that makes better use of DualSense. You can see that PS5 has been on sale for more than a year in the market and that is why some of the projects have taken advantage of its capabilities, especially the winner The Occultist.
Rubén Martín, caster of eLaLiga, gave this award to the boys of Pentakill Studios for this video game of first person narrative psychological horror. It is certainly not suitable for the faint of heart because the occasional scare will bring you while you solve puzzles and mysteries.
Award for the best video game of 2021
- Dark Life Excalibur (Zero Studios) – WINNER
- Neon Blood (ChaoticBrain Studios)
- Shadow of Babel (Pemperor Games)
- Spatium Inter Nos (Space Onion Games)
How could it be otherwise, the night ended with the award ceremony best video game of 2021. For this Jorge Huguet and Roberto Yeste, from Sony in Europe, came on stage to name Dark Life Excalibur as the great winner of the gala and the only one who can boast of having done a double.
The Zero Studios team will now have greater facilities to carry out their great work that we hope to see sooner or later on PlayStation Store exclusively for PS5. A story in which we will play Aron, a human linked to Excalibur and who will do everything possible to discover why York, the lord of the giants, destroyed everything he fought for.
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