The game selection for the PAX Aus 2023 Indie Showcase has been revealed, with a number of Australian-made games hand-picked for the show floor. Every year, PAX Aus hosts a special booth area for winners, with their video game and tabletop projects on prominent display for attendees.
This year, the Indie Showcase will feature a range of experiences, with games charting dungeons, the secret lives of cats, the horrors of streaming on the web, and the cosiness of making bubble tea. Each represents the talent and creativity of Australian game developers, which will be well on show during this year’s PAX Aus.
Cast your vote: Vote for the winners in the People’s Choice Winners here
‘Creativity is bursting out of the screens and across tables with four tabletop and six digital games selected as part of this year’s Indie Showcase, all of which have been created by independent game developers from across Australia,’ the PAX Aus team said of its curation. ‘The pinnacle of indie game development, the Indie Showcase area of PAX Aus is always one of the most popular areas with keen players eager to get their hands on the next big cult game.’
Here’s a rundown of every game selected for the Indie Showcase at PAX Aus 2023.
PAX Aus 2023 Indie Showcase – Winners
VIDEO GAMES
- Copycat (Spoonful of Wonder) – ‘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.’
- Crash Course Builder (Wombat Brawler) – ‘Crash Course Builder is an intense, quick twitch, rhythm racer filled with screen rattling explosions and hilarious rag doll physics. Crash your kart through insane obstacle courses uploaded from around the globe or build your own to challenge your friends!’
- darkwebSTREAMER (We Have Always Lived In The Forest) – ‘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.’
- The Drifter (Powerhoof) – ‘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 (Bone Assembly) – ‘Visit The Dungeon Experience! A thrilling world of high fantasy run by me, 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.’
- Primordial Legends: Hollow Hero (Toybox Games Studios) – ‘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 3rd person action-filled adventure, uncover how this world came to be, and meet new legends that will help shape the future of Eridal!’
TABLETOP GAMES
- Alien Frenzy (Comet Squid) – ‘Alien Frenzy is a wildly chaotic and competitive card game that plunges players head first into an alien invasion. The game unfolds in two thrilling phases with gameplay designed for 2-4 players.’
- Boba Master (Quokka Games) – ‘Boba Master is 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, 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 (Two19) – ‘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.’
- Saltfish & Almanacs (Storybrewers Roleplaying) – ‘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.’
Vote for your favourite in the People’s Choice Awards
GamesHub People’s Choice Award 2023PAX Aus 2023 takes place from 6-8 October 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. The PAX Aus 2023 Indie Showcase winners will be on display throughout the event.
Read: PAX Aus 2022 was a homecoming that felt distinctly different
The PAX Rising Indie Showcase at PAX Aus 2023 is proudly supported by GamesHub.
