Change is inevitable in this chaotic world we live in, especially if you’re unlucky enough to live in my apocalypse-prone SimCity save files. Thankfully, not all change comes with a spoon full of dread, and Playup’s new venue was a vibrant place to bring the freshest games into the fray. The thing that got me was just how cool the Nostalgia Box was. I expected something rad, but I wasn’t expecting to get swept up in waves of (funnily enough) nostalgia! Anyway, we’re here to talk about games being made right now, and there were plenty on show.

Screen Fighters

Right in the centre of the room was Screen Fighters, a game all about pushing your opponent off the edge of the screen with gold and dynamite. Both players control a pirate ship in gold-infested waters, and the more gold you get, the more your screen takes over theirs. The trick is that you can shoot along the screen to push it over, or you can just aim to get a heap of gold and win through being the richest pirate of them all. There’s a new indicator to show where you shoot, which is a welcome alternative to not having a clue. It’s one of the niftiest ideas I’ve seen in a while, and I’m very excited to see how it evolves in the future.

Samurai Showdown

Samurais aren’t too well known for their rhythmic skills (unless we’re talking about their music), but Samurai Showdown is all about hitting the right buttons at the right time. At this point, the game involves pressing the right buttons faster than your adversary to dominate them in a duel. It sounds simple, but it’s ever so satisfying when you pull it off. If it goes in a direction remotely similar to One Finger Death Punch, colour me keen.

Vectonic

Fuelled by ‘80s fever dreams and memes danker than a low-lit cavern, Vectonic is just as ridiculous as ever. The game has you fly around in strange ‘80s hovercrafts on a strange ‘80s wireframe block of terrain, either to destroy your opponent or play cube-soccer with them. This was the first time I got to play cube-soccer with someone, and as new as it is, there’s something so satisfying about trying to get a cube to roll a certain direction by ramming it. Combine that with some camera fixes since the last Playup and Vectonic’s looking in good shape!

Glitz

Glitz lies in the blurred region between Twister and Jenga, and may be a hidden gem of the Perth scene (Eh? Get it?). The game involves stacking gems atop other gems, with the first player to stack up their gems without messing up the last one taking home the glinting hoard of victory. The tweezers were in full swing this time around, and it made me feel too much like an archaeologist on a dig site to remember I’m not Indiana Jones. Hopefully the feedback Wes was receiving is enough for him to take this out of the prototyping phase, because I’m interested to see what else happens with the game!

Little Bit Lost

Ambition isn’t in short supply here in Perth, so it shouldn’t be surprising that at least one dev is making something bigger than life itself. Well, bigger in a different way, since Little Bit Lost has you play a scientist who’s been shrunk down to the size of a small ant. It’s a survival game with procedurally generated terrain, and while the game is still in it’s early stages, you can punch an ant in the face. If that’s not an appealing concept, you clearly need to reassess your views on ants, because those things are gnarly.

Collateral Damage

Collateral Damage struck a nerve with me. I like mech games as much as the next guy, but you know what this game looked like? Wall-E meets Armoured Core. You control a little robot with attitude, flying around with an intent to destroy the other robots with attitude and reign supreme as the most attitude-ey robot in all the galaxy. There’s not much else to the game as of yet but what is in there so far has plenty of potential to make something great.

As usual, the event was a great time all round for us patrons and developers. The Nostalgia box proved its worth as a wicked venue, not to mention how wicked all those old consoles are. As far as changes go, this is a pretty good one, and I’m sure the future of Playup will be spectacular within these new walls. The next Playup will be happening in conjunction with the Perth Games Festival, so keep your eyes open for dates!

Going into the event, there was a bittersweet feeling in the air. After what seems like an aeon ago, this would be the final Playup Perth to be run at SK Games as they move on to greener pastures. So, what better way to end the legacy of Playups at SK than another one? Filled with great games and keen developers, the night was a great time for everyone involved. If you missed out, don’t fret, I’ve got the run-down on the games just for you (well, the ones I got around to, at least!).

Endless Runner

If there’s one thing I don’t do, it’s play mobile games, but Endless Runner definitely made me smile a bit more than I expected. Sort of like a flipped Temple Runner, Endless Runner involves running through an infinite corridor while jumping up the walls to get through barriers at various heights. It felt like a perfect time-waster for when you’re sitting on a train, and I could feel myself wanting to get further than my last run each time it ended. Hopefully Endless Runner makes a return to Playup in the future so I can see what’s being added… And beat my last run.

Final Days

Zombies may have reached critical cultural mass a few years back, but Final Days is totally cool with a bit more zombie shooting. The game is a twin-stick top-down shooter that has you fight hordes and hordes of zombies, which is a solid formula for any game these days. Funnily enough, I’ve talked to the dev, Michael, since Playup to give him even more feedback, which is kind of what Playup’s all about. He seemed pretty chuffed to be receiving more than the usual, “Oh, it’s pretty good,” and it’ll be interesting to see how it evolves from what he’s receiving.

Vectonic

Bringing the ‘80s back to the future was Vectonic, a simple game about slamming your opponents in hovercrafts. There wasn’t much else to the game than jumping up and slamming down into others, unless you count the ability to spam emojis, but that was enough to sell me. The controls were barebones, only requiring a few buttons to allow the player to move and jump around, but the mechanics were solid as all hell. After having a chat with the dev, I’m sure the game will make a return to Playup later, so I’m excited for that!

Snakez

If you’ve ever played slith.io, you’ll have a good idea of what Wes’ yet unnamed game was all about. The idea was to take Snake and make it into a multiplayer board game, with each player ‘programming’ in their moves well in advance. By doing so, short snakes could still change their trajectory every three turns or so, while huge snakes had to wait 10+ turns to reprogram. It’s an ingenious idea, and I’m very excited to see where Wes takes it.

Starlost

Everyone loves space. It’s a fact. So, when I was offered an iPad with Starlost on it, how could I refuse? The game involves guiding your spaceship around to collect resources and bring them back to the mothership. Of course, there are plenty of enemies trying to stop you, which is where your lasers come into play. For a game so early in development, it looked fantastic, and the combat was faster that a warp drive being engaged for the first time. Not much was shown off on the night, but there’s certainly a lot of potential there for something very cool.

Desert Child

The general reaction to Desert Child was along the lines of, “I have no idea what’s going. This is awesome.” The game has you race against an opponent on a hoverbike, and don’t worry, there’s plenty of lasers and whatnot to destroy anything that gets in your way. It reminded me of Another World, except instead of being focused on a story about prisoners, it was just a crazy race with debris flying everywhere. It was controlled chaos, possibly without the control, and I’m really eager to see what changes this game goes through in the future!

With all the games tried and tested, it was time for everyone to go home and for the devs to mull over all the feedback they’d received. It may not be happening at SK anymore, but Playup Perth will be back very soon. Thankfully, we won’t be running the event in a void; you can catch us down at the delightful Nostalgia Box! Stay tuned for more info!

It’s hard for opposite ends of the country to see each other’s games, especially when the middle of the country is one giant desert. Recently, interstate arcades have started popping up, where developers from across the nation come into one room to show off what they’ve been toiling on. This time at Playup Perth, it wasn’t just about the local games, with offerings from Sydney, Kalgoorlie and even Canada on show! It was an awesome event to see come together, and in Perth no less!

Goatpunks Party

Set up in the main front room was Goatpunks Party from Sydney. The game involves you, a goat, climbing to the top of various kinds of mountains (natural and manmade) and slinging fireballs at everyone else. There are a whole bunch of powerups, from shields to speed buffs, and behind the ridiculous goat-fueled aesthetic is a cunningly nuanced game. It’s a neat little party game, and it has goats, so, it’s the best thing ever.

If you have the burning desire to see more of these goats, check out the website here!

Thwart Geo

Coming all the way from Kalgoorlie was Outback Pixel’s Thwart Geo. It played a bit like asteroids on a touch screen, but there were some important distinctions. You could go for the one-shot by aiming for the middle of the floating baddies, or you could hit them and ram into them. Such strategies, of course, assume you can hit them in the first place, because holy balls, this game was HARD. If you managed to hit things, it felt legendary, and because of that, I liked this game way too much to be healthy.

You can check out Outback Pixel’s website right here!

Roid Rage

Another game from Outback Pixel, Roid Rage was introduced as UI with screen tapping. Look, if you asked me to explain what exactly this game was about, I couldn’t tell you. It was a hectic ride, and the devs certainly didn’t expect anyone to decipher it, but it acted as their jumping point. To them, this was the prototype for bigger things, so it was cool to see nonetheless. I seriously could not explain what you did, though. You tap the screen and then… Magic?

You can check out Outback Pixel’s website right here!

Projection

Shining on from the back of the room was Projection, originally developed in Sydney. The core mechanic of the game was using a light source to create shadows that acted as platforms. It reminded me a lot of Contrast, but with a tighter focus and more unusual art style. It hooked me in from the get-go, and even though I had a friend hazing me on behind me, this is a seriously cool game. I’m hoping it gets developed more because there is potential for something great here!

You can keep up to date with Projection Studios from their website!

Morro and Jasp

Gracing the Australian shores was the Canadian ‘improv’ game, Morro and Jasp. The idea is that you play as one (or both in single-player) of two sisters at an improv show. It turns out the two of them have some things to work out, but an improv show is rarely a good place to vent out your inner psyche. There’s Hamlet, there’s drinking, and there’s even an angry producer, and while some of the jokes were pretty hit-and-miss, the characters were endearing in their dysfunctional way.

You can try out Morro and Jasp yourself in your browser right here!

Rogue Blitz

Finally, for a local touch, was Rogue Blitz, by Perth’s very own Wesley Lamont. The last time I played Rogue Blitz was a few playups ago, and it’s come a long way since then. Instead of looking like a bullet hell wannabe, it now feels and evolves like a bullet hell game for tabletop. The game revolves around dodging the giant boss’ shots from the other side of the table as you gun him down with your allies. It’s a hell of a lot of fun, and it captures that old school Raiden feel!

Keep in the loop of Rogue Blitz progress from the RAEZ facebook page!

It was awesome to see games from across the country set up alongside our own. The variety of games being made by places you really wouldn’t expect to find them is outstanding, and some of them are right under our noses. I’m always blown away by the quality of games being made, and it looks like it’s not just us Perthians producing high-quality stuff!

As Comic-Con buzzed away on the other side of Perth, another Playup was silently churning away. While not quite on such a scale as the after dark sessions, some of the best Playups I’ve attended have been during the day. This one mainly consisted of returning veterans, but there was still a newcomer that caught my attention. It was a more intimate affair than usual, but the games on show were definitely worth checking out!

Whacky Ball

First up for me was a game that took me back to the days of the Eye-Toy. Whacky Ball is an iOS game where you bounce a variety of different balls using the camera. Each ball type has its own unique mini-game, and depending on the shape of the ball, you need to use your hands differently to move it where you want. It’s a cool concept, and it would be awesome to see projected on a screen at an event. The thing that caught my eye, though, was the variety in the different mini-games for each ball.

There are a number of balls available in the game, ranging from volleyball to TV-ball. Each one has their own mini-game, like playing pinball with your hands or (my personal favourite) a more ball-ey version of Doodlejump. It’d be great to see more of these kinds of games be developed in the game, and some of them really live up to the game’s name! It’s a nifty idea, and I’m looking forward to see what else gets added in!

Blocaganda

The next game I tried out was Blocaganda, a game that’s passed through the Playup doors more times than I can remember! The foundation of the game is to create tetris shapes on a board of squares in order to acquire ‘votes’. Each tile you place also has a symbol on it, and if you can match the symbol to the one on the shape you’re trying to make, you’ll be get more votes. This had already been tested a few times at Playup, but what was new was the power cards.

One of the issues the game was having previously was that it felt a bit monotonous. Agents moved, tiles were placed but something was missing. Enter power cards: active abilities that you acquired after making a shape. These allowed players to immediately influence the game in unique and sometimes hilarious ways. I thought it was a great addition to the game, and it seemed like the next step from the last time I saw Blocaganda.

Super Salmon Migration

Finally, I indulged in the ever ridiculous Super Salmon Migration, a game so odd that it lets you wear a tutu. as a migrating fish. The aim is swim past obstacles and get as far as you can without slamming into the ground or an orca. The last time I saw the game was a couple Playups ago, and it was still more of a demo than something you’d call a game. After some time, it’s grown into something a more robust and ludicrous.

With such a ridiculous name, you probably won’t be shocked to learn that this game is amazingly nuts. Orcas and logs are commonplace in water, but shields and cyborgs are a bit more fitting of a super salmon’s migration. Bouncing off of the terrain is great fun too, and is, in some cases, required to get past some of the obstacles. It’s progressing nicely, and I hope it just gets getting more bizarre as time goes on!

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to play all the games at a single Playup, but don’t think this made the event bad. I was able to chat with the devs about how they were approaching their games, what was in store for the future and heaps of DnD tales. As usual, the devs appreciated any feedback we could give, and they could go into more depth than usual thanks to the smaller numbers. I’m not expecting the next After Dark session to be small, though, and it should be coming up very soon…

A few weeks ago, this years’ Global Game Jam quietly ran for any Perth dwellers mad enough to try and make a game in 48 hours. I was there, and let me tell you, my game sucked, but there was some damn good stuff being pumped out! This playup was a chance for the participants to show off their efforts and celebrate the fact that they made a game in 48 hours (quite the achievement). After a brief introduction to all the games and a reminder that the Murdoch site made some weird stuff, we got into it!

Of course, I’m just one man, so I got Rohan from Gamecloud to help ensure that all 11 games were given a crack.

Inti’s Trial

Nick: Made by a father and son duo, Inti’s trial is a simple maze game. You, a small ball, start off at the top of a totem and need to navigate through the carvings and reach the fire at the bottom. It’s nothing flashy, but it’s really cool to see something made by family at these sorts of events. It doesn’t seem likely to be worked on again, but it’s a nice example of what can be done with the people around you.

Try it out: http://globalgamejam.org/2016/games/intis-trial

Symphony of the machine

Rohan: Described by team member Lisa Rye as a ‘mechanical rain-dance’, Symphony of the machine was a standout to me, and not solely because it was the only game of the night to utilise a VR kit. Making use of a relatively small active space, the game limits player movement to the interior of a futuristic bio dome with a view of a distant alien landscape. A glowing interface recalls various combinations of arcane symbols as the player attempts to resolve a specific combination, which will result in alien plant growth. With an aesthetic somewhat reminiscent of early 90s VR, its control method was simple enough to grasp in a single sitting. I even managed to avoid the nauseating vertigo of my earlier experiences with stereoscopic headsets, instead feeling calmly immersed and rather oblivious to the view of my bumblings, which were projected on SK’s back wall for all to see.

Try it out: http://globalgamejam.org/2016/games/symphony-machine

Golem’s Wake

Nick: Golem’s Wake looked like an ambitious game that only had 48 hours to come to life. It was a resource collection game, with the end goal of summoning a giant golem from the earth (because why not, right?). You can summon small golems to help speed up the process, and after a while, you’ll heave a heap of mini-golems doing your bidding. It’s quite a simplistic system, but it felt like if the game was worked on some more, it could develop into something quite interesting.

Break Out

Rohan: Another one of the more finished concepts created at Game Jam this year, Break Out is part joke, part puzzle game. It plays on established perceptions of the conventional player/world relationship and tries to break those expectations. Apart from the initial explicit goal of finding your way out of maze in the fastest time possible, the game lends itself to ambient exploration, featuring a retro-esque voxel look which makes thoughtful use of space balanced with selective detail.

Try it out: http://globalgamejam.org/2016/games/break-out

Azimuth

Nick: The first of the tabletop games I tried out, Azimuth, was a novel mix of resource collection, positioning and timing. The main mechanic of the game was positioning your priests to gain resources, but if the sun or moon passed by a priest in your turn, you’d get an extra resource. Unfortunately, I kinda broke the game when I realised that you could gain and sacrifice priests, thus resulting in ALL THE VICTORY POINTS, but it was fun nonetheless. It’s a nifty game, and I’d definitely like to see Wes work on it in the future.

Try it out: http://globalgamejam.org/2016/games/azimuth

Ritual Failure

Rohan: Humbly described as a ‘running simulator’ by developer Grae Saunders, Ritual Failure could easily be pinned as a procedural mushroom dungeon crawler. The game centres on a musical co-op element where bizarre looking guardian creatures are summoned in order to protect the players from hordes of bats, with somewhat unpredictable results. Through the combined effort of a 5 strong team, Grae sought this year’s Game Jam as an opportunity to extend his graphics skills in order to better work with others in his regular role as programmer.

http://globalgamejam.org/2016/games/ritual-failure

Bathtime Exorcist

Nick: We were warned at the beginning of the night that the Murdoch site had made some rather strange games, and let me tell you, Bathtime Exorcist delivered on that promise. Your roommate Jeb gets possessed, and it’s your job to exorcise the demon using household implements and an ancient exorcism guide. It’s probably the product of sleep deprivation and skulling a few too many energy drinks, but this game is just absurdly funny. It’ll probably never get looked at again, but it was definitely one of my favourites of the night. Bloody Jeb.

Mage Masher

Rohan: Secretly known as Nicholas Mage, Mage Masher is an arena style shooter, with noted influences from Unreal and other similar-era twitch shooters. Featuring procedurally generated maps and a straight forward premise, Mages perform summoning rituals in order to gain elemental powers. You are then obligated, as all mages are, to relentlessly throw said powers at your opponents!

Try it out: http://globalgamejam.org/2016/games/mage-masher

Banishment

Nick: The other tabletop game on show, Banishment, put one player in the shoes of a demon and pitted them against everyone else, the exorcists. To banish the demon, the exorcists had to complete a number of rituals, but the demon had powers of his own to keep the game going and eventually win. For a game made in 48 hours, it’s surprisingly fun and well-balanced, and there’s nothing quite as satisfying as ruining your enemies’ plans with a well-placed demon card. It’s a functional, enjoyable game, and for something that came out of a game jam, that’s pretty awesome!

Try it out: http://globalgamejam.org/2016/games/banishment

Mime Madness

Rohan: A novel concept based loosely on charades, Mime madness involves a co-operative element where the player’s goal is to free their counterpart by combining various ingredients in a cauldron in order to enable a spell reversal. The other player performs mime through use of limited character movements in attempts to direct them to the correct ingredients. A maiden Game Jam effort for most of the 4 man team, developer Ben Lemmon cheerily described the experience as having an ‘optimistic start and pessimistic finish’.

Try it out: http://globalgamejam.org/2016/games/mime-madness

Too Many Cats

Nick: Following the trend of weird Murdoch games, Too Many Cats is a game about morning rituals. After you set up your ritual in the morning, going through the motions makes cats appear. And butterflies. And weirder things. It’s not really a game so much as a neat little experience, but it’ll definitely leave you questioning what the hell is going on. Alas, it doesn’t seem likely that anything will come of it, but at least we got cats along the way.

Try it out: http://globalgamejam.org/2016/games/needs-more-cats

Must

Rohan: Created by solo jammer Vivien Lengkeek, Must is an exploration into what she describes as “everyday obsessive activities”. The result approaches a form of touch-based interactive poetry made using the Twine engine. The game takes on an appropriately minimalistic appearance, and mirroring a particularly pervasive form of compulsive behaviour, compels the player to accept one option to the exclusion of all others. Must is an example of a game that attempts to make a personal statement, rather than place emphasis on more common entertainment aspects.

Try it out: http://globalgamejam.org/2016/games/must

Some of these games were insanely impressive, regardless of the fact that they were made in 48 hours. The fact that they were made in 48 hours is just mind-boggling, but not in the Jeb-got-possessed-again kind of way. It was a great playup to see what was possible when you put your mind to something, and I’m hoping that next year’s GGJ playup has even more games on show!