Made in Australia
Showcasing the unique and creative contributions of Australian game developers. 'Ava gander at the world of fun and innovation from downunder, mate.
Games
Winnie's Hole
Winnie’s Hole is a grotesque, inventive roguelite where you infect dear old Winnie from the inside out - literally. Part deckbuilder, part tetromino puzzler, it’s mechanically sharp and thematically cursed. It may have been a joke premise, but the systems have real teeth. Fantastic.
The Drifter
Melbourne studio Powerhoof's pulpy point-and-click thriller leverages a time-looping death mechanic to inject real tension into a traditionally slow genre. The distinctly Australian setting and incredibly smooth pixel art anchor a narrative that starts as a gritty murder mystery before stumbling into... something deeper. It wisely ditches illogical puzzle design to keep the pacing tight and the momentum moving forward. The final act gets a little messy, but as an atmospheric ride, it's another compelling entry to emerge from the local scene.
Tingus Goose
Some may ask why the absurd incremental/clicker Tingus Goose exists at all - what is this? Who made this, and why? And yet, in its honking chaos and wilful grotesquery, the answer becomes self-evident. It rejects polish and restraint, favouring curiosity and excess instead. Creation becomes ritual, repetition becomes comfort, and the absurd reveals itself as essential. It's fun. Honk.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
After so long, Silksong somehow feels both inevitable and unbelievable. Hornet moves like a dream, every dash and dive tight, every fight a dance that's punishing but (mostly) fair. The world of Pharloom is staggering in scope: it just keeps expanding, full of new enemies, lavish art, secrets around every corner - all underscored by beautiful music and crisp sound design. Items and builds feel meaningful, not filler, and the variety on offer is impressive even for a game of this scale. It's everything I hoped for: familiar yet transformed, reverent of its predecessor but confidently its own. After all the memes, the silkposts, the endless patience - Silksong was worth it. Anyone grumbling about difficulty, especially if their point of reference is Hunter's March, might want to remember Hornet’s famous line from the first game. Loved it.
Lushfoil Photography Sim
A serene and visually stunning photography sim offering exploration and artistry in equal measure. Photo-realistic worlds, authentic camera controls, and contemplative soundscapes capture the beauty of nature and feel of real photography. Occasional bugs and performance dips, but still a unique, soothing experience worth trying if the premise is at all your thing.
PROXIMATE
PROXIMATE is a brilliant blend of cosmic horror, corporate satire and very clever gamedesign. The navigation mechanic ramps up the tension, complemented by sharp writing and immersive sound design. Short but impactful, it's a funny, haunting experience that lingers.
Arco
Arco blends tactical RPG gameplay with a striking, South American-inspired art style. Its narrative is moody and compelling. Combat is unique, strategic and engaging. Lots of secrets and meaningful choices. Really, really cool game.
The Plucky Squire
The Plucky Squire is wildly a charming adventure that seamlessly transitions between 2D storybook worlds and 3D environments. Its vibrant art style and inventive mechanics make puzzle-solving a joy, carried along by the whimsical and engaging narrative. Can tell lots of heart and soul went into this one, and it makes for a delightful experience which doesn't outstay its welcome.
Mars First Logistics
Very clever engineering puzzler. You'll spend half an hour building a vehicle and its mechanisms trying to pick up a pizza box. Lots of room for creative problem solving and at times very challenging.
Cult of the Lamb
A really fun balance of roguelike dungeon crawling and Animal Crossing colony sim inside a slick package of stunning art and great music. Bit buggy at launch, but still great and ripe for expansion.
Gubbins
Psychedelic and delightfully illustrated, Gubbins is a fresh take on the tile-based word game, straight outta Melbourne. Easy to pick up - thanks to pleasant and intuitive interactions - but hard to master once the Gubbins start coming to ruin everything. Cool game.
Umurangi Generation
Unbelievably cool. Vibrant, evocative and just dripping in style. Seeing the dystopian Māori culture in a game was cool enough, but the exploration of disaffection and other themes is *chef's kiss*.
Frog Detective 1: The Haunted Island
You are a frog detective. You make friends and solve a mystery. It's very cute. (Just wish the transition animations were a bit quicker.)
Florence
Beautiful, short interactive story made in Melbourne. Likely too twee for a lot of people, but I really like it and am glad it came across from mobile.
L.A. Noire
Cool story with enthralling atmosphere, and does a few detective-game things really well. Action sequences can sometimes bae a bit clunky, and sometimes objectives aren't clear. Still, it's a classic.
Hand of Fate 2
Utterly brilliant. Takes everything it learned in its predecessor and does it much better. The concepts driving this game are so ingenious and well executed, I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Untitled Goose Game
You know what it is: the much memed third-person honk-'em-up starring a horrible goose. All the press it got was deserved, it's fun and funny as hell. Also, great to see games from my home town!
Ring of Pain
Fresh & clever, Ring of Pain's simplistic inputs bely its depth and difficulty. Absolutely stunning art, haunting music and great sound are underpinned by a fun and addictive gameplay loop. Love it.
Void Bastards
Pretty innovative FPS roguelite with a cool comicbook artstyle. Not the most difficult or replayable game but interesting.
Dustforce DX
High skill-ceiling platformer that starts out easy and steadily ramps up. Controls are a bit slippery which can take some getting used to, but will be enjoyed by fans of competitive speed platforming.
Hollow Knight
Best in class 2D metroidvania with crisp controls and challenging but fair combat. Unforgettable music, characters and world - Hollow Knight is one of the most well executed games ever made.
Antichamber
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The Gardens Between
A short, clever, beautiful and heartfelt puzzler about friendship and overcoming problems together. Not the most challenging puzzle game, but a wonderful little experience.
BioShock
A fresh and lastingly influential take on the broadly tired shooter genre. Decent gunplay is offset by the audio/visual and narrative masterpiece that surround it.
Death Squared
Cute co-op platform puzzler. Movement is simple making it approachable for people who don't play a lot of games. Lots of levels... and cute hats.