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!
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