PAX Aus today announced the twelve winners of the PAX Aus 2024 Indie Showcase, with each game highlighted in a key position on the event’s show floor. Six video games and six board games were chosen to represent the best of Australian game development, each tackling unique themes.
Max Mustard from Toast Interactive was selected for its colorful VR platform experience. Anti-citizen: Red Queebly Software’s The Game is also set to feature in the PAX Aus 2024 Indie Showcase, with the game having evolved considerably from its roots as a plucky student game. The Rewinder 2 from Misty Mountain Studio is another highlight – this game is a follow-up to the excellent spooky adventure game The rewinderand draws on his explorations of Chinese mythology.
“Game development is a long and difficult journey, and being recognized for it is a huge boost for our small team,” Misty Mountain Studio founder Felix Wei said in a press release. “Being part of the PAX Aus Indie Showcase also gives us a great opportunity to showcase our project to thousands, if not millions, of viewers.”
On the table side, a variety of projects are represented. Fight with the mind by Storybrewers Roleplaying is a light TTRPG that follows a team of athletes (you choose the sport) as they overcome obstacles to win. Oracle is a social deduction game where you must eliminate specific players, based on observation and analysis.
Read: PAX Aus 2024: Cult of the Lamb developer Julian Wilton to open show
Here’s the full list of games that will be featured in the PAX Aus 2024 Indie Showcase:
PAX Aus 2024 Indie Showcase: Video Game Winners
- Max Mustard (Toast Interactive) – “Combining the best of first-person power-ups with the timeless charm of classic third-person platformers, players will venture through immersive landscapes, facing difficult challenges, unexpected twists and moral dilemmas, forcing you to make tough decisions that will shape the course of your journey.”
- Without-there (True Anomaly Entertainment) – “Find players stranded in deep space with a mission to survive against all odds.”
- Anti-citizen: Red (Queebly Software) – “Use bullet time, a variety of movement mechanics, and an improvised arsenal to outwit and outmaneuver biker gangs and corporate police in an American-occupied cyberpunk Australia.”
- Hell Ascending (Oppolyon Studios) – “This game is not for the faint of heart (or the haters), as it will challenge players to master the art of precision platforming as they dribble, head, juggle and kick their way through layers of Inferno to save their recently deceased footballer brother Vincent.”
- Rita (SporkTank) – “A charming word-based puzzle adventure where crosswords and the warm worlds of RPG collide.”
- The Rewinder 2 (Misty Mountain Studio) – “An action-adventure game inspired by Eastern mythology, allowing players to explore cursed villages and dungeons, solve crimes, unlock new skills, and encounter all manner of ghosts and monsters along the way.”
PAX Aus 2024 Indie Showcase: Board Game Winners
- Fight with the mind (Storybrewers Roleplaying) – “A dramatic sports RPG about a team growing together and fighting for their passion.”
- Oracle (Oracle Games) – “A thrilling mix of deduction and betrayal. In this card game, each player is given a secret role card with the goal of eliminating specific players.”
- Clearing (Teafrog Games) – “A casual tabletop game that tasks players with creating a mystical garden around their “property” that outshines their opponents.”
- Frayed Ally (Button Fox) – “Invites players into the wild streets of Sewer City, where the echo of clashing weapons and the stench of burning magic fills the alleyways.”
- Nimbus (Neural Forge) – “An abstract, highly strategic and dynamic board game where the goal is to eliminate your opponent’s Nimbus piece.”
- MEAN! (Mean Games) – “A fast-paced card game filled with fun, strategy, and sabotage.”