{"id":30275,"date":"2026-01-18T09:00:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T09:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.retronews.com\/?p=30275"},"modified":"2026-03-26T09:31:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T09:31:17","slug":"magfest-winners-announced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.retronews.com\/staging\/review\/magfest-winners-announced\/","title":{"rendered":"Retro Gaming Showcase MAGFest Winners Announced"},"content":{"rendered":"

Back in November 2025, we were excited to see the finalists<\/a> for this year’s MAGFest Showcase<\/strong>. In a press statement, the organizers said. “MAGFest<\/a><\/strong> and Indie Retro<\/strong>, in partnership with creative-first indie video game publisher and developer Mega Cat Studios<\/a><\/strong>, are thrilled to announce the winners of the eighth annual MAGFest Indie Retro Homebrew Showcase<\/a><\/strong>, which took place from January 8-11 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.”<\/p>\n

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Among nearly 30 games showcased across a variety of beloved classic consoles, four titles rose above the rest, earning top honors from our judges for gameplay, art direction, sound design, and overall Best in Show. To celebrate the announcement, Mega Cat Studios<\/strong> has released a video congratulating the winners of this year\u2019s MAGFest Indie Retro Homebrew Showcase<\/strong>, which can be found below.<\/p>\n

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MAGFest Indie Retro Homebrew Showcase<\/strong>, now in its eighth year, served as the perfect venue for these passionate developers to showcase their latest projects to throngs of eager gamers and connect with other talented retro homebrew developers to share their vision. Meeting so many other retro devs and seeing new players “get” my mechanics for the first time… it was wildly energizing,\u201d said Zeta \u201cZeta\u201d Flynt<\/strong>, the creator of the rhythm-based NES<\/strong> dungeon-crawler Tactus<\/strong>, which won Best Sound Design at the event.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt was an incredible honor to have Light From Within<\/strong> recognized among such an amazing group of games,\u201d said Dustin<\/strong> Howell<\/strong>, the creator of Best in Show award-winning title Light From Within<\/strong>. \u201cThe MAGFest Indie Retro Showcase<\/strong> was a wonderful and overwhelming experience for me. Getting to see players connect with my game and hear their feedback was a thrill, and their enthusiasm brought me a lot of joy.”<\/p>\n

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“I had a wonderful time meeting all the other devs, playing their games, and discussing their interests and design philosophies,\u201d Howell<\/strong> continued. \u201cThe retro indie space is such a supportive and welcoming community. My sincere thanks to Mega Cat Studios<\/strong> for all the hard work that went into organizing the showcase, and for the opportunity to be a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Best in Show – Light From Within (Atarath Games, NES)<\/a><\/p>\n

Best Gameplay – The Adventures of Panzer: Frontiers (Pixel Craft Games, NES)<\/a><\/p>\n

Best Art Direction – Wicked Plague (LocusMotion, GBC)<\/a><\/p>\n

Best Sound Design – Tactus (Phonorail LLC, NES)<\/a><\/p>\n

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