The biggest winner of the night was Astro Bot with 5 wins including Outstanding Achievement in Animation, Outstanding Technical Achievement, Family Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Game Design, as well as the prestigious Game Of The Year award.

Balatro, developed by single-developer LocalThunk, won for Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game, and Mobile Game of the Year.

MachineGames won three awards for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle including Outstanding Achievement in Character, Outstanding Achievement in Story and Adventure Game of the Year. Indiana Jones voice actor Troy Baker accepted the award for Outstanding Achievement in Character.

GameScience’s Black Myth: Wukong and Studio Zero’s Metaphor: Refantazio won for Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction and Role-Playing Game of the Year, respectively.

The D.I.C.E. Awards celebrates developers and studios with the most groundbreaking games of the year, with the organization’s 30,000 members of industry professionals determining the nominees and finalists.

The night also honored two industry leaders including Insomniac Games Founder and President Ted Price and Don James, Nintendo of America legend.

The event was hosted by Greg Miller of Kinda Finny and Stella Chung, and it can be watched via IGN.

Here’s the full list of winners at the 28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards:

Outstanding Achievement in Animation
Astro Bot

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
Black Myth: Wukong

Outstanding Achievement in Character
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
HELLDIVERS 2

Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design
HELLDIVERS 2

Outstanding Achievement in Story
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Outstanding Technical Achievement
Astro Bot

Action Game of the Year
HELLDIVERS 2

Adventure Game of the Year
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Family Game of the Year
Astro Bot

Fighting Game of the Year
TEKKEN 8

Racing Game of the Year
F1 24

Role-Playing Game of the Year
Metaphor: Refantazio

Sports Game of the Year
MLB The Show 24

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
Balatro

Online Game of the Year
HELLDIVERS 2

Immersive Reality Technical Achievement
Starship Home

Immersive Reality Game of the Year
Batman: Arkham Shadow

Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game
Balatro

Mobile Game of the Year
Balatro

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
Astro Bot

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
Animal Well

Game of the Year
Astro Bot

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The Dolby Theatre is a Hollywood landmark that’s home to the Academy Awards and movie premieres. There are 215 powered speakers inside the theater, which is more than enough to make Dolby Atmos shine, and Dolby Vision helps to enhance the dark and light areas of the screen along with vivid colors. I knew I was in for a treat when watching Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

The film’s prologue mostly takes place at night, which is a good way to show off the dark scenes in Dolby Vision. We see Indy getting chased by Nazis, and the nighttime scenes are dark while maintaining details in lighter areas. The clothing, objects and people look detailed, but sadly, the clarity in the night scenes makes the CGI for young Indy more noticeable. As a result, the de-aging outcome feels off where it’s cutting on the uncanny valley.

One of the vibrant scenes was the protest on the streets that was set during the day. The colors popped as we see a crowd marching along with confetti falling and the United States flag with its red, white, and blue. There are a couple of scenes that transition from night to day quickly, and it was very intense in a good way. One particular transition went from night to day quickly, and it was bright enough that I had to squint for a bit to adjust my eyes.

Dolby Vision looked great, but the real star is the Dolby Atmos presentation, which had me on the edge of my seat. The most important thing for me is clear dialogue, and even with all the explosions, bullets whizzing by, and car chases, it was very audible and easy to understand. The mixing was wonderful while still being able to showcase the heavy-hitting sounds. The explosions are loud and clear, Indy’s whip gives off a sharp crackle, and the car and train engines purred. Sala, Indiana Jones’ longtime friend, punched a person really hard, and it was loud with power behind it.

There’s no denying the greatness of a John Williams score, and the composer is back with the recent iteration. The film boasts an impressive music space, especially the brass instruments making Indy sound triumphant.

Overall, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny boasts an impressive Dolby Cinema presentation with its hard-hitting Dolby Atmos audio and vivid and contrasting levels thanks to Dolby Vision. There are plenty of impressive scenes that truly showcase the premium Dolby format.

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