2026 Young Game Designers: the winners

A quirky 2D comedy adventure game that is full of surprises. Nobody knows you in your village, so you set out on a daring quest to acquire pieces of a broken 'broken nose' statue that's pieces have been scattered across Noseland. You play as Nosey - a nose without a body but with two eyes and a mouth. You do not have any legs or arms but are able to move (by breathing out and hovering above the ground) and pick up objects. In your journeys, you might come across a giant head named Barbara and her nose, Sir Nosington, who can upgrade your senses. Nose-nothing and Nose-it-all can give you advice and directions to secrets you have missed in a level, but only if you give them Noins (Nose Coins). Each level and area has a nose-based pun and will have a nose-based feature unique to that level.

TailBreak is a co-operative party game for up to five players where you play as a group of urban animals normally classified as 'vermin' teaming up to commit a 'TailBreak.' The game is set in Tale City and the aim is to work together to solve puzzles to break your friends out of West Tail Pest Control. Each one of five characters has their own unique mechanics. For example, the cockroach, Maximillian Scumbucket, can carry more items than other characters in his coat, working as the group's inventory, but he can't go through coffee grounds because of his distaste for strong smells. John Stilton, the rat, is very social and can ask other rodents for hints and tips, but is colourblind and needs help solving colour-based puzzles. Build up a unique team with your fellow players to perform the perfect TailBreak.

Yggdrasil is a 2D platformer metroidvania in which you play a Valkyrie tasked with ferrying the souls of fallen warriors to Valhalla. After delivering a champion the gods deem unworthy, you are banished and he is given a trial to prove his worth. He secretly confesses to you that he was only displaying extraordinary fighting abilities using a magical amulet, now stolen by the beast Ratatoskr. To save yourself, you must fight Ratatoskr to retrieve the amulet and smuggle it back before the trial.

Kompis seems like a happy little green guy, a bit mixed up with his upside-down smile, but it's not until he's bored one day and jumps down a well near his house that he meets Evil Thought. This red demon is a dark inner voice that stays with Kompis and tries to influence his journey through the well. Luckily, these wells are also home to the ancient Fontis, calm water spirits who impart wisdom to keep them going through the well. There are five areas for Kompis to navigate, each providing him with lessons that will aid his journey. Throughout, Evil Thought makes Kompis doubt his decisions and whether he can trust the increasingly flaky Neighbour Friend, but Kompis battles on to beat the escalating threats and make it through the final Caves level. Will Kompis learn to make the right choices and get home?