PAX Australia 2017 is taking place October 27th – 29th at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Not only is the expo a great place to try out amazing upcoming games from some of the biggest publishers around the world, but as it turns out it’s also a fantastic place to see a diverse range of amazing, locally developed, independent games.
PAX Rising and the PAX Indie Showcase are amazing tools that help highlight some of the best games you’ve never heard of, and the winners for PAX’s Australian Indie Showcase have just been selected. Check out the winners, all of which will be playable at the event.
Forts
Developer: EarthWork Games
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Website
Already available for PC, Forts is a physics based RTS game where you construct your Fort, arm it with the weapons of your choice, and blast your opponents into smithereens. We reviewed this game not too long after its April 2017 release where our reviewer Nat said:
“While at times Forts feels like it would be more at home on a mobile platform, it is a solid and impressive PC title that has the potential to burst onto the indie scene as a smash hit. It scratches an itch I didn’t know was there, and successfully blends several different game styles into one cohesive gaming experience. EarthWork Games have created a game with all the polish you would expect out of a big-name developer, and it was made in little old Brisbane… my hometown”
Very happy to see the game get more of the attention it deserves!
Grabity
Developer: Ninja Thumbs
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Website
This Arena Brawler will see 2-4 players square up for some physics-based fun as you turn ordinary objects into lethal projectiles thanks to your trusty Grab Gun (Half-Life Gravity Gun, anyone?). The game will be playable locally where you can test your twin-stick-shooter skills and reflexive evasiveness against your friends. The 2D arena battleground is sure to cause some platforming mayhem which I can’t wait to witness first hand at PAX Australia.
Projection
Developer: Shadowplay Studios
Location: Sydney, Australia
Website
Projection not only uses lighting and shadows to achieve great visual effects and atmosphere, but it also uses them as the most integral part of its mechanical design. Playing as a 2D puzzle platformer, you control both the character and a source of light which is moved around to create different shadows around the world. The importance of this mechanic is that in Projection you can use those shadows to your advantage, leaping from one to another as platforms within the world.
Sky Noon
Developer: Lunar Roster
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Website
Not only does Sky Noon have a fantastic name, but it is also looks like an incredibly fun, first-person, arena shooter. Taking the Wild West theme onto floating island in the sky, the game will have you leap around, flank your opponents, and push them off the edge of the map. Players will be equipped with a Lasso, Grappling Hook, and an arsenal of weapons and abilities that will allow players to battle it out and determine who is the sharpest of shooters.
The game is also set to release soon, so this is definitely one I’m keeping an eye on.
The Gardens Between
Developer: The Voxel Agents
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Website
The Gardens Between has me seriously excited. Not only because it’s made in my hometown of Melbourne, but also because I will just never get sick of gorgeous puzzle adventure games. You play as two best friends who uncover a chain of surreal and mysterious garden islands. Travelling back and forward through time will not only allow you see the beautiful islands from different perspectives but also unveil the secrets that they hold.
The Gardens Between is slated to arrive sometime in 2018, and I’ll be sure to try this one out at PAX Aus at my first opportunity.
Virtually Impossible
Developer: Growl Interactive
Location: Richmond, Australia
Website
Another game made in my hometown of Melbourne. Represent! Virtually Impossible is a VR (Virtual Reality) party game that will have players compete with their friends in a series of ridiculous games in order to win. The main game is a race but you are constantly stopped by ludicrous roadblocks that require you to: catch a fly, chase some chickens, or cheat on your school work… to name a few. The game looks like the kind of stupid fun that works perfectly in a party game setting, now if only I was ever invited to a party with multiple VR headsets.
The local multiplayer game released on to Steam earlier this year for anyone who wants to give it a crack.
Congratulations to 6 amazing indie games from across Australia and New Zealand to be selected as the winners of the Pax Indie Showcase 2017. With these games and more playable at the expo, I find myself getting very excited for the expo’s impending arrival.
About the Author
Elliot Attard
He/Him
Beer aficionado, PC gamer, TV show binge-watcher, music lover, and elite member of high society - Elliot possesses all of the qualities needed to project his word thoughts straight into your eye holes.
