Gish

2005 IGF Award Winner
Game Tunnel 2004 Game of the Year

At first glance, Gish might appear to be a classic arcade-style game, something like Sonic or Mario Brothers. First glances can be deceiving: yes, this is a sidescrolling platformer, but the actual gameplay is very different, because it's based on a physics engine. Gish, the tar ball who is the title character, needs to get momentum to get up and over objects, controls how high he jumps by compressing and extending himself, can move objects by gaining momentum and running into them, walks on walls and ceilings by making himself "sticky", and so on.

What Gish demonstrates, in fact, that combining an old-school approach with a newer technology (in this case a physics engine) and exploring the possibilities of that combination can produce highly engaging and wholly creative gameplay. There's life in the platformer yet.