PAX Aus, the biggest gaming event in Australia, is back for another year. Part of the festivities include celebrating independent developers, with the PAX Aus 2023 Indie Showcase being one of the main highlights of the event. This is where a panel of judges select the most creative and innovative games from independent developers across the country. For 2023, the showcase features four tabletop and six digital games, each with their own unique style, story and characters.

The tabletop games range from a card game about making bubble tea to an RPG about a merchant company’s journey. The digital games include a mud-crab Dungeon Master, an anthropomorphic wombat, a lonely stray cat and an alien species leading a world invasion. These games showcase the innovation, diversity and talent of the Australian indie game scene, and offer a glimpse into the future of gaming.

The winners of the PAX Aus 2023 Indie Showcase will have their games featured at the event, where visitors will be able to play them and interact with the developers. The showcase is a great opportunity for indie developers to get exposure, feedback and support from the gaming community. It is also a chance for gamers to discover new and exciting games they might not find elsewhere.

The winners of the PAX Aus 2023 Indie Showcase, along with a brief description of their games, features below:

PAX Aus 2023 Indie Showcase Tabletop Games Winners

  • Boba Master by Quokka Games: A card game about making bubble tea. It’s full of action, easy to pick up and gets rowdy very quickly. Steal from your opponents and force them to make mistakes. Stir up the game by swapping hands or even swapping bubble teas. Be the first to complete your bubble teas and become the Boba Master!
  • Alien Frenzy by Comet Squid: A card game about an alien invasion. Players are in charge of recruiting a team of crazy characters to help them fend off various aliens as they wander the Earth creating havoc.
  • Kingless: Festival of Explosions by Two19: A card game where players compete to gain the most influence and become King. The player with the lowest influence will be labelled ‘the fool.’ Players need to recruit 38 unique dwarf characters to help them take the crown.
  • Saltfish & Almanacs by Storybrewers Roleplaying: An RPG where a merchant company goes on their yearly journey through familiar and new places, meeting fellow adventurers and merchants.
The PAX Aus 2023 Indie Showcase winners have been announced, featuring four tabletop and six digital games.
The PAX Aus 2023 Indie Showcase winners have been announced, featuring four tabletop and six digital games.
The PAX Aus 2023 Indie Showcase winners have been announced, featuring four tabletop and six digital games.

PAX Aus 2023 Indie Showcase Digital Games Winners

  • Copycat by Spoonful of Wonder: A beautiful, narrative game about rejection, belonging and the meaning of home. The game sees a newly-adopted shelter cat become the victim of an elaborate plan when a jealous, stray copycat steals her place in the house. The game follows our heroine cat as she searches for a real family and cherishes the human-pet bond.
  • The Dungeon Experience Game by Bone Assembly: A hilarious (and handsome and symmetrical), mud-crab turned entrepreneur play the role of Dungeon Master in this first person quest. Players are taken on a guided tour by their crabby Dungeon Master, where they get to meet the various dungeon inhabitants. Weird and hilarious, this game will have players gripped by the game and by the giggles.
  • The Drifter by Powerhoof: A pulp adventure thriller that sees protagonist Mick Carter witness a violent murder, pursued by mysterious men and killed. And that is only the beginning of Mick’s problems. Visit the Indie Showcase to play the game and discover the dark twists and turns that follow Mick’s murder.
  • Crash Course Builder by Wombat Brawler: A crazy rhythm racer that sees players able to fast twitch race their way through unique and wonderful different courses as well as being able to build their own courses and share their courses with other players on the platform.
  • Primordials Legends: Hollow Hero by Toybox Game Studios: A short series game featuring fantastical creatures living in the fantasy world of Eridol. Hollow Hero tells the tale of Brunt, Oak-Hide, an anthropomorphic wombat, who journeys into unknown lands to save her people. This legend is narrated by “Eldar”, Leader of the Dreg and Brunt’s adoptive father. Eldar is an ancient lore keeper who holds a wealth of knowledge in Eridalian history. This epic, Lord of the Rings-esque storytelling game features exceptional graphics that transport the player into another world.
  • darkwebSTREAMER by We Have Always Lived in a Forest: A game that captures the stress of live-streaming only made more stressful with ominous occult distractions.
The PAX Aus 2023 Indie Showcase winners have been announced, featuring four tabletop and six digital games.
The PAX Aus 2023 Indie Showcase winners have been announced, featuring four tabletop and six digital games.

PAX Aus 2023 will take place from 6 – 8 October 2023 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, and all the PAX Aus 2023 Indie Showcase winners will be at the event. Tickets are available online here.

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Owner, founder and editor-in-chief at Vamers, Hans has a vested interest in geek culture and the interactive entertainment industry. With a Masters degree in Communications and Ludology, he is well read and versed in matters relating to video games and communication media, among many other topics of interest.