Tunic Beat Elden Ring And Ragnarok For BAFTA Game Award For Artistic Achievement

Tunic took home two awards from last night’s BAFTA Game Awards and beat some heavy hitters while doing so. Finji and Isometricorp Games’ adventure title defeated 2022 mega hits God of War Ragnarok and Elden Ring to win the BAFTA for Artistic Achievement. Per the award’s description, the indie game got it “for demonstrating exceptional visual art across all genres.”

First awarded to Half-Life 2 in 2005 under its more popular “Art Direction” title, Tunic has become the 18th game to win this BAFTA. With highly acclaimed titles like Hades, Hellblade, Journey, and God of War III winning it previously, it’s in good company. But, Tunic’s win bears a little more weight as it was nominated alongside some generationally significant games. 

Elden Ring and God of War Ragnarok have obviously been commercially triumphant, breaking records everywhere. However, they have also received universal praise from fans and critics alike alongside that. Many consider both of them as remarkable achievements in their respective genres. Therefore, Tunic winning the BAFTA for Art Direction against such titles goes on to show how good it is.

Other brilliant games like A Plage Tale: Requiem, Immortality, and Pentiment were also among the nominees. Granted, these titles don’t hold the same esteem in the public eye as the other two. But they are still amazing video games that had a viable claim to win the Artistic Achievement BAFTA. Hence, what Tunic has done will cement its status in history as a truly unique indie game.

Besides this award, Tunic also took home another major prize in the form of the best “Debut Game.” To be specific, Tunic shares this award with its publisher Finji as it goes to the studio with the best first game. Even in this category, however, it beat some really popular and acclaimed new games from indie studios. For starters, 2022’s most beloved indie game Stray was also present in the category.

Vampire Survivors, the new culturally significant vampire game without any vampires, was up against Tunic in this category. Since its full release on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S in late 2022, the roguelike has gained a lot of recognition. Xbox boss head Phil Spencer himself spent over 200 hours playing the game. But, his admiration was no match was Tunic’s appeal as the Finji title beat Vampire Survivors to win this award. 

For sure, Tunic winning these awards is an exceptional feat, but it isn’t really a surprise considering the game’s reception. The adventure title received ubiquitous praise for its isometric perspective and aesthetics. Critics commended its art design for bringing back old practices and rewarding exploration. Even though its obscure story and some puzzles received criticism, the masses still consider Tunic a special indie game.

You can try it out for yourself as Tunic is playable everywhere, including PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.