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One of the most charming games I played in 2012, Botanicula is a joy to play. The game is a point and click adventure game by Amanita Design, of Machinarium fame, who have some excellent credentials when it comes to point and click, and Botanicula is no exception. The game focuses on a small group of critters, and you'll end up using each one to solve different puzzles throughout the game. Like I said, the game has it's charms, such as a part fairly early on in the game where a genie grants all of the bugs a wish which plays out in a sort of mini-level. The sound design in this game is amazing. From the buzzing of bees, and the wizzing of assorted insects, the game really captures the sounds of nature. In a similar fashion, the art is like nothing I've ever seen. Combine all this together and you get a fantastic, unforgettably charming game that is hard to put down.

Some may see the perspective flipping mechanic as a gimmick, I on the other had think it is a very interesting puzzle mechanic and put to good use throughout the game. Pretty much every adventure game penalizes you for dying and has enemies you have to deal with, taking away from the actual adventuring. Fez does a great job with focusing on the adventuring by having no enemies and doesn't penalize the player for dying. Not to mention the music and pixel art are fantastic, however the map system is overly confusing and generally unhelpful. Despite that minor flaw, I would say it was definitely worth the five year wait for this indie adventure/platforming gem.

Lone Survivor is creepy. Sure, it's a 2D side scroller, but it is CREEPY. This side scrolling psychological survival horror game by British game developer Jasper Byrne harks back to the proper survival (and not action) horror games of old such as the original Silent Hill. The game forces you to scavenge for things such as food, ammunition, and batteries for your flashlight. It's nice to see a survival horror game that puts an emphasis on the SURVIVAL aspect as well as the horror, and doesn't just let you run around and shoot everything *cough* resident evil 5 *cough*.

This game oozes cool (and blood). This hyper violent top down action game is set in an alternate universe 1980s Miami, Florida, and the over the top killing is accompanied by a wonderfully bizarre story (you go forth on a murderous rampage at the behest of voices on your answering machine) and a pounding electronic soundtrack that fits perfectly in tune with the fast paced combat to make for an exciting, trippy, and adrenaline-fueled experience.

I've heard many say that Dear Esther isn't "an actual game". Sure, it doesn't have actual gameplay persay, other than walking around, but I think this game represents a new way to see games. Games don't necessarily have to have intricate gameplay to be enjoyable. Where Dear Esther succeeds is in it's ability to tell an interesting story. Not only that, but the island in which the game takes place on looks fantastic. The player has no clue where they are exactly, but there certainly is an ominous feeling about this mysterious island. Also it gets my vote for best socks in a video game. Yep.

Spelunky takes the exploration and excitement in discovery found in Botanicula and Fez and combines it with the extreme difficulty of FTL: Faster than Light and Hotline Miami, making for an enjoyable and challenging experience, as you explore different worlds from the mines to the jungle to even Hell itself, collecting gems and gold, stealing golden idols, and rescuing damsels in distress. It's a quick, fun, tough as nails permadeath adventurer that is a great joy to play.

This rogue like spaceship sim is a kickstarter success story: It garnered a huge following and got a ton of money during its funding time on kickstarter, and the developers delivered on their promise: an extremely difficult but addicting and fun space rpg. The game has you captain a space ship through 8 different sectors with the rebel forces right on your tail, meaning you will have to watch your back and hurry as you explore each sector.

The top two games on this list, Bastion and S:S&S EP are both beautiful, artistic games. Bastion for me was one of my favorite experiences I had this year. Bastion is beautiful. Simple as that. The game's fantastic art style is accompanied by an epic soundtrack and the one and only narrated, who provides commentating on dynamic events, keeping the game fresh and adding a sense of humor at times. The Bastion becomes the hub of the game, as you collect cores you can upgrade the Bastion to have an armory, distillery, etc. allowing you to upgrade the protagonist's gear.

Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP was unlike any game I have played. The game is played in short "sessions", as the narrator puts it, lasting about 15-20 minutes a piece, perfect for the mobile platform which it is on (IOS but it is out on PC as well). The game, as the title may lead you to believe, is about swords and "sworcery", and combat is quick and fun, having you flip your device to enter combat, and granting you the ability later on in the second session to cast spells. The pixel art is utterly incredible, and the soundtrack is one of my favorite game soundtracks of all time. An interesting experience that is not to be missed.

Having played this game for countless hours and mining out the entire world. Yeah this game is fun. You may not think it from just looking at it, even playing it, but this is a student game developed by students at Digipen in Washington, the same college of which the creators of Portal attended. The game has a simple goal: mine your way to the core using different dig tools, rig tools, and gadgets such as mega bombs and your jetpack (which trust me you will need). The game has old school graphics and a great 8-bit soundtrack, and you will become enthralled with trying to mine to the core which houses a secret as well as the end of the game. In addition, you can mine another area that I will not spoil, seeing as when I found it I had already played through the game without noticing it and I just thought it was great. The one complaint I would have with this game is it has limited replay value, because well, after mining out the entire game world you don't really have anywhere to go with it, although I suppose it is a student game so I can't be complaining because for a student game it is very deep, and a very fun, nostalgic experience that I enjoyed immensely.

Another sort of throwback game if you will to the days of 16 bit JRPG's. This is a game in which you play as cthulhu who's powers have been taken from him. In order to get said powers back again he has to become a hero! Cthulhu is not happy about this. At all. The game pokes fun at the standard JRPG tropes while being quick witted and providing some hilarious interactions between Cthulhu and the narrator. A fun little rpg, and extremely cheap too, which you know is always a plus side.

God dammit. I didn't play this game for some time after purchasing it for the sole reason that I knew I was going to get addicted to it, especially from what my friends were telling me about the game and the insane amount of time one friend in particular has logged on it. The game comes the twisted yet disturbingly-funny mind of Edmund McMullen, designer behind indie classic Super Meat Boy. The Binding of Isaac is clearly heavily inspired by the original Legend of Zelda, with players exploring Isaac's basement room by room, fighting enemies and collecting items. There are a ton of hidden secrets in almost every room, so it is worth your while to look around before blasting through the rooms the boss room (there are also item rooms, torture rooms, etc.). Also the game is hard. Really hard. Like perma-death hard. There are different characters to unlock by completing certain objectives, and each character has different stats and health (again reminiscent of Legend of Zelda with health being measured in the row of hearts in the top right corner). Isaac starts off with three hearts, so needless to say you are going to die a lot. It's a weird, twisted game, but with old school sensibilities and the challenge of perma-death dungeon crawlers, this game is a great one to play and you will get hooked immediately.