Canadian-made 'Cuphead' game stands out in 2017 Steam Awards

Five references to classic video games in Cuphead Cuphead is a difficult, hand-drawn video game made in Canada. And it's full of references to classic video games like Street Fighter.

"Cuphead" emerged a double winner after 13 days of voting from Steam's PC gaming community.

Awards across 13 atypical categories, from Choices Matter to Even Better Than I Expected, have been announced by PC gaming platform Steam.

Users were invited to place their votes from category pools of five, a different award up for contention of each of the first 13 days during a two-week sale.

Vintage-style cartoon action game "Cuphead" took both Best Soundtrack and the Even Better Than I Expected awards.

Similarly, the Witcher franchise of action adventures took both Choices Matter for the depth of player agency in 2015's "The Witcher 3") and the No Apologies award -- "the game that you love unconditionally" despite its faults -- for 2007's "The Witcher."

Unlike the majority of year-end awards, and no doubt as a result of the catalog-wide Steam Sale that took place alongside it, the accolades were not limited to games released in 2017.

In fact, only four awards went to calendar year launches: survival horror "The Evil Within 2" (Whoooaaaaaaa, Dude! 2.0 - the 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' of video games) "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" (Mom's Spaghetti - games so intense that they elicit a physical reaction), and the two "Cuphead" trophies.

Free-to-play sci-fi action proposition "Warframe," which released its genre-switching open-world expansion Plains of Eidolon in November having debuted in 2013, won the Labor of Love award, while 2015's RC car and soccer hybrid "Rocket League" won Suspension of Disbelief for games whose key component "seems to be insane [but] in the moment makes total sense."

The gentle game of farming, fishing, and friendship, "Stardew Valley" won The World Is Grim Enough Let's All Just Get Along, DIY game-making sandbox "Garry's Mod" won Defies Description, "Rise of the Tomb Raider" was elected to the Soul Of Vitruvius award for the most lovingly rendered character, explosive action game "Just Cause 3" took Cry Havoc And Let Slip The Dogs Of War, while first-person multiplayer shooter "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive" represented a home turf win for Steam operator Valve, clinching the Haunts My Dreams category.