You know that thing where a game burrows deep into your skull, makes you feel way too many things, and then just… lives there rent-free? Yeah, 1000xRESIST did that to us, and apparently, we’re not alone.
The indie brainchild of sunset visitor 斜陽過客 (pronounced: “how dare you hurt me this beautifully”), 1000xRESIST, has just been announced as a finalist for the 2025 Hugo Award for Best Game or Interactive Work. And as if that wasn’t already a massive nerdy flex, it’s also up for Best Games Writing at the 2024 Nebula Awards.
So yes, it’s now officially both a Hugo nominee and a Nebula nominee, meaning it has more sci-fi street cred than that one friend who still argues about which Doctor was the most “emotionally complex.”
For the unfamiliar (hello, welcome, grab a blanket), 1000xRESIST is a narratively rich sci-fi adventure that kind of feels like someone cracked open your diary, added time travel, and gave it an anxiety-inducing soundtrack. It exploded onto the scene in 2023 like a queer, dystopian fever dream and hasn’t stopped making us Feel™ since.
Backed by the narrative-loving weirdos over at Fellow Traveller (bless them), the game has hoarded awards like a neurodivergent magpie:
Best Narrative at the Indie Game Awards
Best International Game at SXSW Sydney 2024
Finalist at the 28th Annual DICE Awards
Three nominations across the IGF and GDC Awards
And it popped up on basically every 2024 Game of the Year list worth paying attention to.
Look, the fact that a scrappy, artful, emotionally raw game like 1000xRESIST is going toe-to-toe with big studio heavyweights at international awards is huge. Not just for the devs but for anyone who’s ever made something weird, queer, and unapologetically different.
We’re absolutely chuffed for the team at sunset visitor. In a world that’s constantly screaming for “content,” they gave us a story and a really bloody good one at that.
So, let’s raise our anxiety meds and toast to the power of storytelling, sci-fi, and the relentless resilience of indie devs who make weird games that ruin us emotionally.
Now go replay it. Or cry about it. Or both. Stay unruly.
