Gamers rejoice, Australia’s biggest games convention – PAX Aus – will be held on October 6–9 and is just around the corner. With 72 days until the three-day event, we are finally getting some updates across social media and their website. In particular, there is now a full list of exhibitors from the Aus Indie Showcase on its website – we love to see it. The games listed to be exhibited include:
Copycat
Developed by: Spoonful of Wonder
Genre: Narrative-driven, Heartfelt, Adventure
Platform: PS5/PS4/Xbox Series X|S/Switch/PC/Mac
Copycat is a narrative-driven indie game about rejection, belonging and the meaning of home. This game can be described as Stray meets Life is Strange in The Stanley Parable universe. It follows the story of a newly adopted shelter cat who becomes the victim of an elaborate plan when a jealous, stray copycat steals her place in the household.
Crash Course Builder
Developed by: Wombat Brawler
Genre: Arcade, Rhythm, Racer
Platform: PS5/Xbox Series X|S/Switch/PC/Mac/iOS/Android
Crash Course Builder is an intense, quick twitch, rhythm racer filled with screen-rattling explosions and hilarious ragdoll physics. Crash your kart through insane obstacle courses uploaded from around the globe or build your own to challenge your friends.
darkwebSTREAMER
Developed by: We Have Always Lived In The Forest
Genre: RPG, Simulation, Horror
Platform: PC
darkwebSTREAMER is a psychological horror RPG streaming simulation game. Play as an occult streamer on the dark web, exploring the internet for the weirdest and creepiest things you can find in order to bring them back to your stream and impress your audience enough to gain those sweet, sweet likes and subscribers.
Unfortunately for you, the supernatural is real. The more you engage with the darkness of the web, the more it will engage with you. Survive your increasingly haunted apartment – as well as your deranged fans – on your mission to become the number one ranked streamer…or die trying.
Word on the street suggests this is the most anticipated game of the showcase. The game is completely procedurally generated, meaning every time you play you’ll encounter a different world, different characters, different internet and a different story every time.
The Drifter
Developed by: Powerhoof
Genre: Adventure
Platform: Switch/PC
The Drifter is a fast-paced take on the point-and-click adventure and optimised for gamepad with unique twin-stick controls. A Pulp Adventure Thriller from the makers of Crawl – a drifter, murdered, finds himself alive again seconds before his death. Struggling to maintain his sanity, can he unravel the conspiracy surrounding his condition and those hunting him?
The Dungeon Experience
Developed by: Bone Assembly
Genre: First Person Comedy Narrative
Platform: PC
The Dungeon Experience is a thrilling world of high fantasy run by a level 1 mud-crab turned entrepreneur. Put your real world responsibilities on hold with a first-person guided adventure to achieve financial freedom and uncover the secrets of the mindhole.
Primordials Legends: Hollow Hero
Developed by: Toybox Games Studios
Genre: Action/Adventure
Platform: PC
Primordials Legends: Hollow Hero tells the tale of Brunt, an anthropomorphic combat wombat on her first adventure in the fantasy world, Eridal. Embark on this epic third-person action-filled adventure, uncover how this world came to be, and meet new legends that will help shape the future of Eridal.
Alien Frenzy
Developed by: Comet Squid
Genre: Card Game, Sci-Fi
Platform: Tabletop
Alien Frenzy is a wildly chaotic and competitive card game that plunges players headfirst into an alien invasion. The game unfolds in two thrilling phases with gameplay designed for 2–4 players.
The game begins in the Preparation phase, before the Aliens have invaded. Here, players take turns playing and drawing cards to improve their hand and mess with opponents. However, the tension builds as players desperately try to avoid drawing a dreaded UFO card, as this triggers the invasion, and places that unlucky player at the forefront of the action.
During the Invasion phase, players take turns playing cards and revealing Invasion cards. Here players come face to face with the Aliens and must fend off their attacks with Character cards. Once a player has no Character cards left, they are eliminated from the game. Who will be the last player standing amidst the frenzy of the Alien Invasion? Only the most strategic and resilient will emerge victorious.
Boba Master
Developed by: Quokka Games
Genre: Family, Party, Casual, Memory
Platform: Tabletop
Quokkas and boba? Count me in! Boba Master looks to be a very engaging card game about making bubble tea. It’s full of action, easy to pick up and gets rowdy very quickly. Steal from your opponents and force them to make mistakes. Stir up the game by swapping hands or even swapping bubble teas. Be the first to complete your bubble teas and become the Boba Master.
Kingless: Festival of Explosions
Developed by: Two19
Genre: Take That, Party Game
Platform: Tabletop
Once a year, Surge RumbleBoom’s Festival of Explosions draws the dwarves from the Hammer and Crown, trading indoor quarrels for festive fun. A wild extravaganza, the Festival of Explosions is the perfect cover for plotting in the shadows to win the crown, but even the best laid plans can falter amidst the merry chaos of feasting, fireworks, and games.
The Festival of Explosions marks the first expansion to Kingless. Allowing players to combine tried-and-true schemes with 52 new cards packed with fresh mechanics, characters, items, events, and something truly different to win the crown!
Saltfish & Almanacs
Developed by: Storybrewers Roleplaying
Genre: Indie RPG; Storytelling; Merchants; Slice-of-Life
Platform: Tabletop
Sell your wares on a seasonal journey full of wonder and self-discovery.
Saltfish & Almanacs is a storytelling RPG about a merchant company embarking on their yearly journey through new and familiar places. You and your fellow merchants travel your trade route, experiencing life on the road, before visiting bustling port towns and quaint inland villages.
As you buy and sell goods, you’ll craft your own story of discovery, love, passion, and what it means to be parted. How will your journey change you?
And that’s a wrap on the latest with the Aus Indie Showcase being held at PAX Aus 2023. We are very excited to be attending again this year and can’t wait to get our hands on these amazing Australian titles.
What games are looking forward to seeing? Let us know in the comments or on our social media.
An effervescent gamer who has an affinity for games involving wheels, she thrives in the high-speed excitement of racing experiences or realms where magic is required. Her passion for gaming and advocacy for women in the industry makes her a dynamic force, inspiring others in any realm she may find herself.