Perspective-shifting Fez wins big at the 2012 Independent Games Festival

If artist MC Escher had ever made a game, it might look something like FEZ, the charming game that won the Seamus McNally Grand Prize and a $30,000 cash award at last night's 2012 Independent Games Festival award ceremony.

This game's hook is that you have to shift between 3D and 2D views to traverse a colorful, blocky landscape as an ethereal soundtrack lulls in the background. "FEZ aims to create a non-threatening world rich with ambiance, a pleasant place to spend time in," the creator says on the game's official site. That means there is no fighting and no enemies -- this game is all about exploring and discovering treasures.

I've never had the chance to play Fez, but I'll be sure to check it out when it launches on Xbox Live Arcade in the first part of 2012. (Another fun fact: Fez is one of three games featured in the Sundance Nominated Indie Game: The Movie.)

Below is the complete list of the 2012 IGF Winners:

Best Student Game:
Way
The Way Team

Technical Excellence
Antichamber
Demruth Games

Excellence in Audio
Botanicula
Amanita Design

Excellence in Design
Spelunky
Mossmouth

Excellence in Visual Arts
Dear Esther
thechineseroom

Best Mobile Game
Beat Sneak Bandit
Simogo

Audience Award
Frozen Synapse
Mode 7 Games

XBLA Award
Super Time Force
Capy Games

Nuovo Award
Storyteller
Daniel Benmergui

Seamus McNally Award
FEZ
Polytronic Company

All of these games are playable at the 2012 Game Developer's Conference through Friday, March 9. If you're not at the conference, you can head to the game's official websites where some are available via download, others through the AppStore and some, well, we'll just have to wait and see where they will pop up in the (hopefully) not too distant future.