We here at DualShockers have a special place in our hearts and our hard drives for indie games as you might have noticed. Whether you follow every piece of news on independent games or just want to play the “big name” ones that get a lot of buzz, the Independent Games Festival is the place to be for indie gaming greatness, and they’ve announced their 2012 finalists in all  categories.

I see a lot of games I’ve played and loved, some that I’m looking forward to checking out and even more that I’m making a personal note to look into. Check out the full list after the break and start writing down names. 

Seumas McNally Grand Prize:

• Dear Esther
• FEZ
• Frozen Synapse
• Johann Sebastian Joust
• Spelunky

Honorable mentions: Antichamber (Demruth); FTL (Justin Ma & Matthew Davis);Proteus (Ed Key and David Kanaga); SpaceChem (Zachtronics Industries); Where Is My Heart (Die Gute Fabrik)

Excellence In Visual Art

• Botanicula
• Dear Esther
• Lume
• Mirage
• Wonderputt

Honorable mentions: Beat Sneak Bandit (Simogo); Dustforce (Hitbox Team); Fader(Chris Makris); Proun (Joost van Dongen); Toren (Swordtales)

Technical Excellence

• Antichamber
• Fez
• Prom Week
• Realm of the Mad God
• Spelunky

Honorable mentions: Frozen Synapse (Mode 7 Games); Nitronic Rush (DigiPen Institute of Technology); Reflow (Xymatic); Super T.I.M.E Force (Capy); Tiny and Big – Grandpa’s Leftovers (Black Pants)

Excellence In Design:

• Atom Zombie Smasher
• English Country Tune
• Frozen Synapse
• Gunpoint
• Spelunky

Honorable mentions: Faraway (Steph Thirion); FTL (Justin Ma & Matthew Davis);Johann Sebastian Joust (Die Gute Fabrik); SpaceChem (Zachtronics Industries); Where Is My Heart (Die Gute Fabrik)

Excellence in Audio:

• Botanicula
• Dear Esther
• Pugs Luv Beats
• To the Moon
• Waking Mars

Honorable mentions: Beatbuddy (THREAKS); Beat Sneak Bandit (Simogo); Fez(Polytron); Proteus (Ed Key and David Kanaga); Where Is My Heart (Die Gute Fabrik)

Best Mobile Game:

• ASYNC Corp.
• Beat Sneak Bandit
• Faraway
• Ridiculous Fishing
• Waking Mars

Honorable mentions: Fingle (Game Oven Studios); Hundreds (SemiSecret and aeiowu); iBlast Moki 2 (Godzilab); Temple Run (Imangi Studios); Tentacles (Press Play ApS)