BEST VISUAL DESIGN

RUNNER-UP THE ARTFUL ESCAPE

Developer Beethoven & Dinosaur Publisher Annapurna

Interactive Format PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series It’s ironic that a game about a musician is more notable for its visuals, but then Francis Vendetti can already play; his voyage of selfdiscovery is about redefining his image and stage persona. Here, it’s less about what you do so much as how good you look while doing it, and The Artful Escape pulls off its colourful interstellar stage show with panache.

RUNNER-UP GENESIS NOIR

Developer Feral Cat Den Publisher Fellow Traveller Format PC, Switch, Xbox One Any other year, this would have won easily. Framing the beginning of the universe as a classic noir, Feral Cat Den’s beautiful debut marries the cosmic with the mundane to startling effect. Looking like no other game, its stylish monochromatic aesthetic carries the game through its occasional lulls, before climaxing in an unforgettable burst of colour.

WINNER PSYCHONAUTS 2

Developer Double Fine Publisher Xbox Game Studios

Format PC, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series For sheer imagination and range, Double Fine’s sequel is impossible to beat. Hats off to art director Lisette Titre-Montgomery and team for a visual tour de force, realising madcap concepts from psychedelic festivals and casino hospitals to worlds themed around hair and teeth. No other game in 2021 offered such rewards for simply looking.