PAX AUS celebrated its 10th year this weekend at the Melbourne Convention Centre. For ten years, gamers have come from all across the country to celebrate all kinds of video and tabletop gaming. A big highlight of the weekend is PAX Rising, otherwise described as a huge indie area that offers a chance to chat with the people who make these games directly. There is always an extensive range of different games on offer, truly giving that “something for everyone” experience. This year the allocated space for PAX Rising was considerably smaller than last year, but the quality of games certainly did not disappoint; trying to get this list down to five was no easy feat. While this list is in no particular order, join us as we break down five of our favourite indie titles from the weekend.
Go Go Town
Take all the best parts of games like Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley, and take away some of the pain points like energy meters and restrictions on terrain building. What you get is Go Go Town, a gorgeously 3D-rendered town sim that is intuitive and a lot of fun. You know the drill here; you’ll farm, mine, build and re-shape the terrain to make it your own. There are different quests and objectives, and while my hands-on preview was small, it was enough to completely fall in love with this game. You can add this to your Wishlist on Steam.
Copycat
Heralding from NSW devs Spoonful of Wonder, this beautiful narrative-driven adventure story has you controlling a cat recently adopted from a shelter who bonds with her new owner. When the elderly owner gets sick, a new cat attempts to take your place, creating the copycat scenario. The gameplay is smooth, and while there are definite comparisons to last year’s Stray, there is a definite play on light in Copycat that feels unique. The look of the game is jaw-droppingly beautiful, with the gorgeous cat design, while the movement is incredibly life-like. Copycat is currently in development for PC, Mac, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch.
Punchimals
Cute little creatures? Check. Giant mech suits? Check. Put the creatures in the mech suits and have them fight? Check and CHECK!
Punchimals is a brand-new fighting game that, while light on story, seems to be the next big thing in multiplayer. You can play with local couch co-op as well as online. There are many moves and mechanics to learn as you progress through each fight. The gameplay is a lot of fun, and learning how to manoeuvre the chubby little creatures and the mech suit kept me engaged. The animations and colours are also spectacular, and when combined with the catchy anime-style music, is going to be a fun party game when it releases.
Primordials Legends: Hollow Hero
An anthropomorphic wombat who heads out of the hollow for the first time to become a hero is at the very heart of this adventure platformer. You play as Brunt to journey outside of her tribe to the fantastical world of Eridal. It’s a third-person action-filled adventure that looks absolutely beautiful. Thankfully, it’s also a lot of fun to play. The amount of love that has been poured into this game is clear through its presentation and the devs around the booth who were very proud of the game. This game is going to be huge and I can’t wait to get my hands on the full thing.
Bears In Space
Yes, the title is correct and is as ridiculously hilarious as it sounds. It is a fast-paced first-person shooter that is both colourful and crazy, while quickly shooting to the top of my list for must-plays at PAX this year. When your DNA fuses with that of a bear, you must shoot your way through waves and waves of enemies in space. While the demo was short, it was a lot of fun and the crazy marketing behind it will be sure to keep our attention squarely focused on this game as it develops.
And that’s a wrap! We hope you join us out on the floor this past weekend across PAX AUS 2023 and PAX Rising, to share in the joy and potential of these projects and developers.
