The Game Awards Surprise in 2021
(Image credit: The Game Awards)
The Game Awards ceremony concluded for 2021, and it brought surprises from winners in categories with strong contenders to plenty of new game reveals. Throughout the night, host Geoff Keighley kept the action moving with enough debuts that content creators are scrambling to fill their schedules for next year. The Load Screen briefly covers their surprise winner categories, and favorite reveals throughout the event for 2021.
The weirdest shock of the night was the game giveaways that happened during two advertisement segments. Bethesda began the giving spree during a 70s style outdoor infomercial with hundreds of codes that fans instantly snagged up despite showing nonstop codes for almost a minute. Xbox followed up with a pile of codes in a ridiculous commercial where the company rebranded the PC Game Pass. Gamers also redeemed those codes quickly, but at least no one had the time to program bots to snatch them up first.
(Image credit: Ember Lab)
Even the awards themselves had surprises as well, starting with the first one presented during the live event: Best Indie. Any of the six games could have easily won the award since they each brought unique gameplay or art styles that stood out from the rest. One losing contender was 12 Minutes, even though it had the voice acting of James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley, and Willem Dafoe trapped in a repeating nightmare. While the victor, in the end, was Kena: Bridge of Spirits from Ember Labs with its touching story and photogenic Pixar-style graphics that include the cute and helpful Rot spirits.
The game premiere which stood out the most during the awards that excited us immediately was the Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II gameplay. In that clip, Ninja Theory shows off a giant battle that feels like a mix of the Attack on Titan anime with familiar eerie ambient voices and intense Norse folk music used in the original Hellblade. Also, the modeling for an older Senua is quite impressive with her fuller and more distinguished face. Really, it was the fire effects and cutscene quality gameplay that has us eager for the sequel.
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
The final award was also the biggest shock of the night: Game of the Year. Since Arkane Studio’s Deathloop picked up awards for both the Best Game Direction and Best Art Direction, the title seemed a natural winner for the ultimate category. However, to Hazelight Studio’s delight, It Takes Two gets the honor for Game of the Year. The triumph is surprising despite winning Best Multiplayer and Best Family because it is an indie, a co-op, and broaches a tough subject for some who have personally experienced a divorce. The game itself is filled with a passionate story, a playful kid-friendly art style, and plenty of classic video game references. Add in that each chapter has different gameplay mechanics, including minigames, and Hazelight’s production easily pushes to the top.
Every category had fierce competition, and there were world premiere game trailer reveals throughout the night that others could easily find more shocking. Our biggest standout for next year was the intense gameplay action from Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, which looks to push next-gen consoles since only the PC and Xbox Series X/S are its platforms. While the most surprising wins for The Load Screen team were Kena: Bridge of Spirits taking home Best Indie and It Takes Two, receiving the top award. Even though it had six nominations, Sony’s Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart somehow walked away empty-handed! For anyone that missed the event, check out the full 2021 Game Awards hosted by Geoff Keighley livestream.
