PAX Rising - The Indie Games of PAX AUS 2018
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Our favourites from PAX AUS Indie section
PAX Rising — The Indie Games of PAX AUS 2018 (cont...)
Infliction — Caustic reality
Inspired by 80’s movies such as Hellraiser, this horror style 3D adventure game has been developed by Clinton McCleary. Set in what was once a happy family home, the protagonist is pursued by a relentless spirit of vengeance, as they piece together the prior events. The dark visuals and haunting music do a wonderful job of setting a suspenseful, foreboding tone to the story. Indeed, even in the well lit and overly loud expo hall at PAX AUS, there were still a couple of players that jumped at certain points of the game.
For more info, visit www.causticreality.com, or pick up the game from the Steam store
Lethal Lawns — Dime Studios
Mowing the lawn for me is generally a relaxing experience as I cruise around the garden. Lethal Lawns is nowhere near as relaxing, as up to 8 players compete over the lawn in an effort to gain funds. But once the lawn has been cut (or indeed, before it has been finished) players take to each other with their motorized death machines and attempt to steal the hard-earned funds by running down their opponents. A range of game modes and maps including maps with environmental dangers such as pools and rooftops make this colourful couch multiplayer game a heap of fun to play with friends.
For more info, visit the Dime Studios website or pick the game up on Steam
Necrobarista — Route 59 Games
The second of the Visual Novel games in this year’s list, Necrobarista revolves around coffee. Melbourne is well-known for its café scene, and Necrobarista runs with this, setting the story in a magical Melbourne café that intersects the worlds of the dead and the living. With stylized visuals that at times are reminiscent of a Gorillaz film clip, and an appealing storyline that has multiple paths, Necrobarista is worth keeping an eye on — especially if you’re looking for something a little more relaxing than a fast-paced online shooter.
Visit the Necrobarista website, or check it out on Steam if you waould like more details
Metal Wolf Chaos XD — Devolver Digital
Originally an exclusive Xbox title that was only released in Japan in the early 21st century, Metal Wolf Chaos became a cult game about the President of the USA fighting for his country in a mech suit. The visuals have almost been rebuilt from the ground up to bring this remake into the current age. The double stick controls have you controlling the mech suit in an action-packed explosion-fest. The absurdity of the US President doing his own dirty work in opposition to his former deputy, as well as the corny dialogue, make this game seem like an 80s action movie — one that lets you pilot a mech.
For more info, check the Steam page or visit the Devolver Digital website where you can check out the other titles they had on show at PAX AUS, including:
Pikuniku — a cute puzzle game with co-op
My Friend Pedro — a side scrolling shooter
Gris — a puzzle platformer with beautiful water-colour visuals
Tinker League — Tinker League
Set in a toy room that looks like it has come straight out of a scene from Toy Story, Tinker League has gamers taking on the role of a mouse in the search of cheese and cake. Tinker League is a single screen multiplayer game that has the four mice collecting their own piece of cheese and attempting to acquire the sole piece of cake before the other mice and deliver it to their goal. With furious gameplay and inspiration from games such as Street Fighter and Super Smash Bros, Tinker League is a fun couch game for 2-4 players.
To keep up to date on the progress of the game, follow @TinkerLeague on Twitter
Aura of Worlds - Cognitive Forge
I previewed an early build of Aura of Worlds a little while ago, and it is clear to see that the team at Cognitive Forge have taken on the community feedback and have made some great improvements to this platforming game. The game retains the cool retro visuals, but an improved AI and control scheme have made the game more fun to play. Aura of Worlds still has a reasonably steep learning curve, but a new progression system and cool upgrades for the protagonist seem to have reduced the frustration caused by permadeath in the procedurally generated levels.
The game is out on Steam Early Access, so check it out for yourself.