12 2016 Video Game Gems You Totally Missed

3. Stardew Valley

Assembled by one-man coding powerhouse Eric Barone - who was sick of waiting for Nintendo to release another truly great Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons game, so elected to do it himself - Stardew Valley is a gorgeous mashup of various gameplay styles, all backed up with more charm than a Pixar marathon.

Yes, the base game is farming - and there's a ton of indescribably joy at just tending to your various fields, amassing crops and animals, and treating yourself to the occasional house upgrade along the way - but Stardew also has a separate 50-level dungeon to explore. Said mine contains minerals, ores and treasures you can sell or craft into better facilities for your farm, the denizens of the town will put out quests that result in more cash to buy better weapons and armour.

There are fishing minigames, festivals packed with unique challenges and rewards, changing seasons to keep you on your toes - even an overarching goal system you can tackle at your leisure, meaning that by the end of a good few hours, everything from your character to your farm and surrounding world has all progressed considerably.

The sheer amount of spinning - yet perfectly balanced - plates Stardew manages to uphold are staggering, resulting in one of the most addictive and enjoyable gameplay loops you'll ever play.