Golden Lance Vocal Performance of the Year Category
Vocal Performance of the Year is one of our favorite categories in our annual awards. It is a category that specifically celebrates the fusion of a single individual with the character they inhabit. A stellar vocal performance elevates a good character to an unforgettable one. It makes lines of dialogue become emotions and thoughts of a breathing person. The actors celebrated in this category went above and beyond to connect us to their characters and the worlds they live in. They made the games we played better by bringing humanity to life within them. With that said, here are the winners of Lords of Gaming’s 2025 Golden Lance Award for Vocal Performance of the Year.
Vocal Performance of the Year Winner – Jenny Kid as Young Pauline (DK Bananza): A Superstar in the Making
In a year with amazing performances, the one from Jenny Kid as Young Pauline touched our hearts the most.
Starting as a shy singer, unsure of herself, Pauline, quite literally, finds her voice across her entire adventure with Donkey Kong. Being the source of Donkey Kong’s Banaza form abilities, her voice powers every facet of the game’s musical presentation. Jenny Kid effortlessly captures the spirit of a young girl finding herself in an unfamiliar world, and hearing the vocal crescendo at the game’s conclusion brings tears to one’s eyes.
She also stands out as the only English-speaking voice actor in a game full of animals, speaking in a Banjo-Kazooie-esque gibberish. Her hideaway conversations with Donkey Kong reveal her charming personality and help further endear you to her character.
While Donkey Kong was the protagonist of Bananza, Pauline’s journey was the golden heart of the game’s adventure. And hearing Jenny Kid sing a portion of ‘Heart of Gold’ live during Bananza’s GOTY melody felt like the celebration of everything her performance as Pauline went through.
Runner Up – Troy Baker – Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
From Anime to video games, people have been hearing Troy Baker’s voice for over 3 decades. Often, unless you look up his credits on IMDB you may not realize that his voice talents have been used in over 420 projects. Troy has the amazing ability to make every character sound unique. This year, he was nominated not for sounding like Troy Baker, but for sounding like Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
There are times within the game that, as you listen to Indiana Jones speak, you are hearing Harrison Ford. Troy nails the cadence and the speech patterns perfectly here. Troy shows no signs of slowing down, with more highly anticipated titles coming soon, including Mouse: PI For Hire and Judas.
