If you have not already listened to the podcast of this category, this is the final results, so this will spoil the course of the discussion on that podcast! Be warned!
All of this began with Young Impa, you know. Once, all we did was fighting games. We talked about the newest Street Fighter DLC, we talked about Tekken newcomers. And then Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, a musou game, gave us a character that felt so good to play that we rethought our whole approach. We’ve added more and more non-fighting game characters over time, and this year, it’s to a point that they need their own category. So here’s a shoutout once again to Young Impa, and to this year’s winners.
The Winner
Peppino (Pizza Tower)
The sad revelation to come out of the Gimmick Awards is, Pizza Tower is not for me. I really wish it was. There’s a lot to love, and a lot to appreciate, but it just makes some big choices that I find very offputting. But almost everything good about the game is represented in main character Peppino, and his toolkit. The dashes, the momentum, the wallclimbs, the jumps. It’s simply sublime 2D platformer design.
Maybe I should try Pizza Tower again. I bounced off, but the way Peppino plays is so cool. And maybe I’ll bounce off again. And maybe in another few months I’ll feel compelled to try again, because the way this character plays is just that special.
The Runners-Up
Alex [CA] (Gundam Battle Operation 2)
What a difference can armor make. The Alex is already one of my favorite Gundams, as a design both in game and outside of it. I have a model of the Alex. Two, actually- the HG and the MG 2.0. And it’s fun to play in GBO2, has been for years. But only in 2023 did they finally give us the iconic armored version of the Alex. After all, “Alex” as a name is actually “ALEx”: Armored Layer Experimental. You GOTTA add the armor at some point!
What an addition it was. What a monster. Is it the best suit at its cost? No, I don’t think it is. It has a serious niche, and leans all the way in on that. But when you shoot it when a shotgun and it doesn’t care, when you shoot it with a rocket launcher and it doesn’t care, suddenly you learn about fear. In a game all about combos and stunlocking, a blatant disregard for hitstun is a shocking and wonderful thing.
Spark (Spark the Electric Jester 3)
Folks could easily get the impression that I hate Sonic. I don’t, actually. But I’m usually displeased with Sonic. I wanted to say “disappointed” but if you put your hand on a burner for the tenth time and it burns you for the tenth time, that’s more on you than it is on the burner. The transition from 2D to 3D was hard on Sonic, and somehow has only gotten harder, as its first few attempts were seemingly its most successful. But there’s clearly gold in them hills.
Spark the Electric Jester is a realization of that gold. The speed, the momentum, the style- it’s everything 3D Sonic has tried to be for ages. If you claim to like 3D Sonic but you haven’t tried Spark, to be honest I question if you like the games, or you’re just here for the characters. That’s allowed! But don’t tell me you like how they play if you’re not here for the game that makes that gameplay work.
That’s it for today’s award! We’ll be back Wednesday with Best New Character! I hope you’ll join us then.
Our art is a commission from @inkopolis on Twitter. 2023 version coming soon!
