PAX Aus 2023 is taking place on the 6th-8th of October in Melbourne, Australia. One of the show's highlights each year is the outstanding indie games featured in PAX Rising. This is where you’ll be able to find some unique gems that won’t leave your mind for months after the show ends. Each year, a select few of these incredible games are selected to be part of the Indie Showcase, and this year has some incredible games. Including tabletop games and digital games, this year’s Indie Showcase is shaping up to be one to remember. The contributors of Couch Soup have selected a few of their favourites from this amazing list of games and will let you know why you need to keep an eye on them.
Tom: Developed by Toybox Game Studios in Victoria, Primordial Legends: Hollow Hero is a 3rd person action-adventure game. You play as an anthropomorphic combat wombat (that’s a tongue twister) named Brunt as she sets out on her first adventure. This fantasy adventure is filled with unique characters, a beautiful world, and a freaking combat wombat. I saw this game at last year’s PAX Aus but didn’t get a chance to play it. Regardless, I’m still super hyped to beat up some monsters as a combat wombat.
Rohan: Reading the summary for The Dungeon Experience left me feeling like I had just been cornered by someone at a party who proceeded to breathlessly explain their latest Dungeons & Dragons campaign. A bit confused and unsure of what's going on, but the enthusiasm keeps me from excusing myself to interrogate the snack table.
The self-stated goal of the game is for you to put your real-world responsibilities on hold to achieve financial freedom and uncover the secrets of the mind hole… you had me at mind hole, guys.
Tom: Kingless is a card game developed by Tasmanian studio Two19, and Festival of Explosions is the first expansion. The goal of the base game revolves around gaining enough influence to become King while avoiding becoming the fool. I hadn’t heard of this game before, but after looking at some of the cards and seeing that the expansion is all about explosions (EXPLOSION!) I couldn’t resist wanting to check it out. The expansion is adding 52 more cards to the game, and here’s hoping that most of them cause glorious explosions.
Rohan: Stop me if you've heard this one before, a murder mystery story in which a character is murdered… shocking, I know. This story from developer Powerhoof has a couple more tricks up its sleeve, the main one being that the character murdered was the protagonist, and (double twist) it turns out you're back to life moments before your untimely death. Guess it's up to you and the contents of your pockets to figure out who wants you dead and why… color me intrigued.
Tom: Developed by Quokka Games, Boba Master is a card game all about making bubble tea. The game’s goal is to be the first to complete your bubble tea while ensuring your opponents fail. Now, have I ever had bubble tea in my life? No, but am I interested in trying this game out because of the adorable quokka on the box? You bet your bottom dollar. In all seriousness, Boba Master looks like a fun game to mess about with friends and family. And I’m sure that no fights will be caused when someone loses their hand right at the end. That’ll never happen.
These are just some of the fantastic games from the PAX Aus 2023 Indie Showcase. You can check out the complete list of winners here. There will be even more games and exhibitors announced in the coming weeks. Make sure to keep it locked on Couch Soup to stay up to date on all the PAX Aus 2023 news.
Are you going to check out the Indie Showcase? Do any catch your eye? Combat wombat or boba quokka? Let us know in the comments where we can talk about all these wonderful indie games.
