PAX Rising - The Indie Games of PAX AUS 2022
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PAX RISING: THE INDIE GAMES OF PAX AUS 2022
Aahhh, it is good to be back to physical gaming events. With PAX AUS 2020 and 2021 cancelled due to the plague, it was a welcome sight to see the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre abuzz with gamers looking to test out some new games, try their hand at older games, sit at tables to learn various board and card games, or even watch some of the amazing panels. And although we at Hooked Gamers give each of these tasks their due during PAX AUS, it is the opportunity to chat with the developers in the PAX Rising section about their Indie creations that we enjoy most.
It's Only Money – Usual Suspects Studio
A new Mayor has been elected in Rockhaven and has decided that you and many other citizens are beneath him. As such, you have been sent into the Undercity with all those that have a low net worth. Luckily you can fix this…by somewhat unscrupulous means. Well, at least to start with.
This third-person open world game for up to four players in online co-op has players roaming around Rockhaven stealing and fighting to gain enough funds to eventually bring down the mayor. An entire city can be explored, with areas opening up as you complete quests. All those not-so-hard earned funds can be used to buy housing for fellow Undercity residents, buy and upgrade businesses to increase you funds and eventually win back the city. Players must keep themselves well fed and rested and away from the police whenever possible. But the more crime you commit, the bigger the bounty on your head.
With visuals comparable to Totally Reliable Delivery Service and some humorous gameplay, It’s only Money is sure to please.
Wishlist It's Only Money on Steam to keep up to date with the game’s progress.
Spies and Soldiers – Ghostbat Games
Not all wars are won with the strength of your armies. At least not in Spies and Soldiers, a two-player simultaneous turn-based strategy game. Each player controls both spies and soldiers, with Spies being able to capture cities and the resources (action points) within, whilst the Soldiers capture the Castles – with the end goal of capturing the castles on a map. Players must balance both if they are to win.
Combat is simple, with the largest army being determined as the winner of any battle, whilst the highest rank spy will always win out against lower ranked spies. Indeed, the spies have several uses including assassinating enemy spies and sabotaging castles.
With each map played being procedurally generated strategies will vary. Certain terrains will also require the use of more action points to traverse requiring players to decide the best route from one land to the next.
Games can be played within 20 minutes, but being turn-based, players can take their turns on a leisurely basis and don’t need to be completed in one sitting. Although once the game is released, there will no doubt be plenty of strategy game fans queueing up to play the medieval themed title, which will also have a campaign mode available.
Wishlist Spies and Soldiers on Steam. A demo is currently available to download, so check it out.
The Godfeather – Hojo Studio
The pigeon mafia wants to take back the neighbourhood. Will you step up and do your duty?
This simple to play game has players taking on the role of a pigeon whose goal is to cover a neighbourhood in pigeon poop as they try and work their way up the mafia rankings. With a top-down view, players fly over an area hitting targets from above. These targets can include laundry sitting on clotheslines, animals, people and a pigeon’s favourite target – statues. And at the end of each world, players will take on a boss character.
But beware, there are dangers situated throughout the locations. People with hoses will squirt you, birdwatchers in trees, and alarms that send out a pigeon-catching drone. And if you take too long and night-time dawns, an owl will track you down and end your game.
The procedurally generated levels have a cute cartoon style that will suit gamers of all ages. The simple control scheme and the humorous narrative also lend this game to being accessible to everyone. But with collectibles and upgrades to be had, there are certainly challenges for all levels of players.
Wishlist The Godfeather on Steam. A demo is currently available to download, so check it out.
A Halloween Valentine – Things for Humans
Love is scary, and what better way to depict that than celebrate the two contrasting holidays that celebrate them both – Halloween and Valentine’s Day. In this puzzle adventure, players take the role of one of two lovers separated by Cupid and must solve a series of puzzles to find the way back to the love of your life. With puns galore and some comedic dialogue and characters, the game tries to keep the player in a jovial state of mind.
Set in a haunted amusement park with nine levels of various settings, A Halloween Valentine looks gorgeous with a mixture of colour. Although the puzzles start off relatively easy, they ramp up in difficulty as players progress through garden hedge labyrinths, mini-golf courses and a museum within the amusement park, with a range of puzzle elements to overcome. And all this is set to a pop soundtrack by creative Director Jacob Leaney.
Wishlist A Halloween Valentine on Steam to keep up to date with the game’s progress.