Australia has a fantastic independent gaming community, with a plethora of innovative creators producing quality games.
Whether you enjoy disappearing into a virtual realm in action-adventure games or battling your way through zombie apocalypses in hardcore survival games – the Aus indie industry has something for everyone.
Here are four of our favourite unique, Aussie-developed games:
1. Colossatron: Massive World Threat
Ever dreamt of morphing into a giant robotic snake and waging a mega war on humankind? Well, here’s your chance. Colossatron is one of few games out there that puts you in the hot seat of the bad guy (or snake, in this case) and gives you the reins to build and shape them as you wish. Unlock gadgets and combine weaponry with Power Cores as you smash through the city, defeat the military units, and rise to victory.
Produced by local Brissy-based company Halfbrick Studios*, Colossatron has been dubbed a “real game changer”.
*The dudes at Halfbrick also created the popular mobile app ‘fruit ninja’, so you can be sure they know what they’re doing.
2. Metal Dead: Encore
Blood, guts and a whole lotta hilarity. Metal Dead: Encore is the reinvented sequel of Metal Dead – a point-and-click zombie apocalypse game released in 2011. But we’re not talking just any old zombie apocalypse game. In addition to fighting off a bunch of blood-thirsty spooks, your character (Malcolm) also has to deal with a genetically mutated land shark on a world domination mission. Not weird enough? His best mate Ronnie is a humanlike head that crawls alongside him on eight legs.
The game was created by Walk Thru Walls (another Brissy-based studio) and is commended for its entirely original metal soundtrack and hilariously witty script.
3. Paradigm
Paradigm was one of the indie showcase winners at last year’s PAX Australia event, and for a good reason! Strange yet wildly addictive, this game takes you on a journey through the life of an electronic music artist wannabe who was mutated at birth and dumped in a Neo-Soviet town. Sounds pretty brutal, we know, but the wacky characters, ridiculous minigames and light-hearted puns make up for it.
Paradigm’s creator is a Perth-based game developer, Jacob Janerka.
4. InFlux
If you’re a fan of beautifully designed gaming environments, Influx is the game for you! You play as a mysterious metal sphere that falls from the sky onto a wild deserted island – and your mission is to roll your way out. Travel through mesmerising glasshouses and puzzling test chambers, collecting orbs and completing mazes to unlock each section of the game. The tricky aspect is that the island is continually growing as you progress through.
Impromptu Games are the game developers, and Jonathan Yandel produced the soundtrack, both of which you can purchase on their website.
If you’re looking to discover more new indie games or network with professionals from the Australian Indie Games Industry, head to this year’s PAX Australia event (and stop by our booth while you’re at it). We can guarantee you won’t be disappointed!
