I play-tested a bunch of Indie Games at AVCon!
These are the ones going straight to my Steam Wishlist.
Dungeons and Dining Tables
Dungeons and Dining Tables by the new South Australian indie studio Catalyst Games is ‘a cosy-ARPG adventure’ where you explore dungeons and fight monsters to collect furniture for your house.
Catalyst Games is a new indie studio created by award-winning graduating students from The Academy of Interactive Entertainment.
I loved this demo from the moment I heard the concept! A game fuses cosy gaming with a classic hack and slash that progresses by how comfy your home is? Sign me up!
The graphics are gorgeous and the character design from the player avatar (who is an axolotl by the way!), to the townsfolk to the monsters out to steal your furniture are simple yet emotive and adorable. The world-building is also strong with players diving into the ‘ruins of the old world’ to loot various furniture pieces and ‘other aesthetically pleasing items’ to decorate their town. By increasing the comfort of the townsfolk players level up and unlock more challenging dungeons.
This is an awesome fusion of a dungeon-based monster fighter and a home decor sim that should make no sense but somehow makes all the sense. The unique way of progressing, intuitive controls on the Xbox controller, variety of monsters, weapons, areas and furnature alongside the amazing, unique concept is an absolute winner for me and all the other Hub interns who played the demo. I will be playing this game as soon as it comes out.
Whilst the release date is unannounced it is currently planned for 2025. Find out more.
Punchimals
Punchimals by South Australian indie developer Two Lives is a ‘2.5D fighting game set in a world where cute chubby animals settle their differences by duking it out in giant mechs’.
This game was an absolute joy to playtest, from the adorable stage and character art to the engaging physics-based controls, I could not recommend this game enough. The developers aimed for Punchimals to be an accessible ‘pick up and play’ fighting game with a high skill ceiling. The combination of simple starting controls utilising the Xbox Controller analogue sticks to control movement and bumpers/triggers to control attacks and complex combo moves, super moves unique to each character and feinting/parry mechanics achieves this aim well. It’s nice to have a fighter where the initial controls are intuitive enough to be competitive from the outset but you are also rewarded for commitment and mastery.
Moreover, as the Mechs are relatively large on the stage, they are easy to keep track of which I appreciate as a visually impaired person who struggles with other fighters because the characters are too small.
Punchimals will support local and online multiplayer and have a single-player campaign. There is a demo available on Steam now with an aimed release date for Xbox and Windows in late 2024. Find out more.
Memories Reach
‘Explore labyrinthian megastructures, solve mind-bending puzzles, and wield fantastic alien technology in a puzzling Metroidvania adventure’.
Memories Reach is a first-person puzzle-adventure game where you explore the remnants of an alien world to uncover the legacy of a doomed civilization. It is the second title from 100 Stones Interactive, an Australian-based solo developer operated by Ben Drost, a veteran in the video games industry working on properties such as Spyro and Starwars.
My experience with this demo is nothing but positive, the alien environments are beautiful and engaging and remind me somewhat of Slime Rancher's cool older sibling. The puzzle progression is challenging but also fun for players as it is intended that one can revisit older areas with new puzzle skills breathing new life into them. The plot and themes in my small demo playtest were also strong both in puzzles and in the open world and pointed towards a well-fleshed-out narrative.
A pre-alpha demo is available on Steam now with a release date that is to be announced. The full game will have Xbox and Playstation controller support. Find out more.
Meowing Point
‘Point and meow. 3D hidden cat game. These creatures have been turned into stone. Find and save them all’.
Meowing Point is the first game by independent South Australian solo developer Yofrancisco. It is a short yet charming point-and-click game where you save cats who have been turned to stone! This game has awesome music, a slightly moody colour scheme, and environments inspired by Adelaide, the developer's home town, extra puzzles, sidequests, riddles and of course cats! My only qualm is that despite having achievements, there is no hint mechanic created yet for the game, however it is not too difficult so this omission is not disastrous. Whilst this game is relatively short for the price it is engaging and a strong first entry into game creation especially if you are a cat person like me.
Meowing point is out now on Steam and available for PC.
Which Way Up
Which Way Up: Galaxy Games by Australian developer Turtle Flip Studios is a family-friendly, space-themed party game that is ‘hours of fun’ for up to four players.
Which Way Up utilises unique gravity-bending, orbit-based physics in 12 different galaxy games to create a fun yet competitive time, suitable for the whole family. The games themselves, whilst short, are addicting, some based on real sports such as golf and soccer and others, such as one where you traverse planets to escape a black hole, utilise unique physics to create a fun gravity-bending time.
The space sprites and background art are extremely well done and give the game an upbeat animated feel suitable for engaging younger and older audiences alike. Whilst I hope that in the main game more modes and variants of the individual games such as single-player campaigns are added, the demo was full of content and replayability.
Which Way Up: Galaxy Games has a demo out now with an aimed release date of Q1 2025. An Xbox or Playstation remote is required to play the demo. Find out more.