We’re entering that time of year where publications start giving out their “game of the year" awards to various games. And, well, most of them will totally ignore mobile games. But one of the first GOTY lists has come out and a mobile game is number one, and it’s a bit of an unexpected inclusion: 80 Days ($4.99) by Inkle was named Time’s Game of the Year. It being a bit surprising to be in a mainstream publication – albeit not a gaming-specific one – is not a function of the game’s quality (which is excellent) but that it wasn’t one of those games that hit the mainstream. There is a Monument Valley ($3.99) and Hearthstone (Free) cameo in the list, the latter being cross-platform, of course.

But hey, while I expect this to be a one-off for 80 Days, it really is a great game, and quite a unique one, blending gamebook elements with a narrative focus and the random generation of roguelikes to create a really unique game. And while mobile and cross-platform games have been getting more attention in the past few years, like The Walking Dead Season One (Free) being a popular Game of the Year choice in 2012, and Device 6 ($3.99) getting a lot of love last year, it’s still a nice sign to see mobile gaming getting some mainstream respect. And I wouldn’t be surprised to see accolades for games like Monument Valley and Threes [appprice url="asdf"] popping up in some unexpected places.