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The Best Indie Games Coming to PAX Aus 2023

by: 
hello world!
Thomas Richards
| August 17, 2023
hello world!

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.

Primordials Legends: Hollow Hero (Toybox Game Studios)

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.

 The Dungeon Experience (Bone Assembly)

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.

Kingless: Festival of Explosions (Two19)

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.

The Drifter (Powerhoof)

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.

Boba Master (Quokka Games)

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.

Hey fellow nerds! Before you dive back into that gaming session or start your next binge-watch, here’s the deal with Couch Soup: we’re a completely independent pop culture site run by genuine fans who get just as hyped as you do about the latest games, comics, movies, and TV shows. No corporate overlords, no AI-generated content, just real people who know their Metroid from their Mass Effect.

Unlike the big corporate sites, we don’t chase clicks or stir up drama. Sure, we might have some hot takes (looking at you, controversial season finale), but they come from a place of genuine passion and respect for the creators and fandoms we cover.

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Thanks for being part of our quest – now, back to our regularly scheduled geekery!
Drew Lewis,
Editor-in-chief
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About the Author

  • Thomas Richards

    Self-proclaimed anime trash from Melbourne, Australia, Thomas has always been obsessed with everything pop culture. From games such as Pokémon and Jak and Daxter to the MCU and everything in between. When he isn’t hyper-fixated on some new shiny release or feeding his manga buying disease, Tom is always trying to create new things that can bring a smile to anyone's face.

  • Rohan Elliott

    An indie author from Western Australia, Rohan loves writing stories that hook readers from the start and keep them turning right to the very last page. When he’s not writing stories, contributing to Couch Soup or recharging with a good book, you can catch him on his blog chatting about the latest games he’s played, movies he’s watched or weirder topics like which car in movie history has the worst criminal record… yeah, we don’t know what he was thinking with that one either.

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The Bowl

Stephanie Judge
10 hours ago
Okay, while this trailer looks hilarious… This pack doesn’t look worth the purchase. Like, do we really need another adventure camping pack? No. Would I love to play a Survivor/Love Island Sims-spinned back? Yes. Will I download it? Nope…  
Drew Lewis
10 hours ago
I think we are do for a rewatch of this classic show. Breaking out my white blazer.
Stephanie Judge
10 hours ago
The two new songs are “No Place Like Home” and “The Girl in the Bubble.” The soundtrack from the original Broadway track already has a massive hold on me… But this… This is going to have me in a puddle of tears.  Wicked: For Good. In theaters November 21, 2025. 

 

    Drew Lewis
    10 hours ago
    You had me at Jack Black and Paul Rudd bringing back the big snake from the 90s. The trailer dropped, and it’s great. I like big snakes and I cannot lie. Paul Rudd and Jack Black star in #AnacondaMovie – exclusively in theatres Christmas.

      Drew Lewis
      19 hours ago
      One of Redford‘s often over-looked gems has an insanely talented cast, Ben Kingsley, Sidney Poitier, River Phoenix, James Earl Jones, Dan Aykroyd, David Strathairn, Mary McDonnell. It’s a brilliant spy/heist film that’s light and breezy. RIP Robert…you legend.

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