Highlights
- Australia’s indie game scene is booming, creating globally recognized hits like Fruit Ninja and Untitled Goose Game.
- L.A. Noire, developed in Sydney, brings 40s detective movies to life with groundbreaking motion capture technology.
- Wayward Strand explores storytelling and human connection, Golf Story merges golf and RPGs seamlessly.
The Australian game development industry may be small, but that hasn’t stopped talented people from creating some truly special video games. Especially in recent years, the indie scene within Australia has exploded, resulting in globally recognised and cherished smash hits that are finally putting the land down under on the world stage.
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From mobile gaming sensations to quaint indie titles, these games showcase the quality of Australia’s ever-growing development space. Best of all, given Australia’s place on the outskirts of worldwide gaming, so many of the games to have come from this country haven’t been afraid to think outside the box and deliver truly unique experiences.
8 Fruit Ninja
The Best Juice Making Simulator On The Market
Fruit Ninja is as iconic a mobile phone game as Angry Birds or Temple Run. Brisbane-based developer Halfbrick identified a gameplay style for touch screens that was simple yet satisfying, added some bananas and watermelons to the mix, and created one of the earlier smash hits for the platform.
Turning your finger into a katana that swipes and slashes at various fruits is simply a stroke of genius. Often copied but never equalled, Fruit Ninja remains a blast and is likely still installed somewhere on your phone or tablet in case you get the itch to have one more go at beating your high score.
7 L.A. Noire
A Face Tells A Thousand Stories
It may come as a surprise to some that one of the most famous video games to be set in Los Angeles was largely developed by a team in Sydney. And while L.A. Noire’s ambitious technological leaps were likely a major cause of Team Bondi’s unfortunate closure not long after the game’s launch, the final product is at least still worth playing to this day.
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Set in L.A. during the 40s, the game is a fascinating throwback to the detective movies of the era – adapted to fit within the constructs of the action-adventure genre. The motion capture technology adds so much depth and humanity to the interrogation scenes, allowing you to make decisions on who’s telling the truth and who’s lying based on the characters’ facial expressions.
6 Wayward Strand
A Charming Reflection On Time, Age, And Telling Stories
In Wayward Strand, you play as teenager Casey who visits an airship hospital where her mum works in the hope of recording the stories of the patients on board. What follows is a touching narrative-based game about recollecting and recording past lives to ensure they survive beyond the people who are telling them.
As the patients go about their days on the airship, it’s up to you to decide who you want to spend your precious time with. With endlessly endearing characters and a charming art style, Wayward Strand is an excellent debut game from Melbourne studio Ghost Pattern, and it’ll be exciting to see what they do next.
5 Golf Story
A Hole In One
Sometimes, the most innovative video games are the ones that merge two, seemingly unrelated, genres together. Think RPGs and high school simulators for Persona or first-person shooter and deck builder for Neon White; by combining golf and RPGs, Golf Stoy sits proudly in that same list.
With striking pixel art and an endearing story, Golf Story doesn’t try to half-bake any of its many wonderful ideas. The fact that the actual golf gameplay is as fun as it is ensures that this Australian indie title has found an audience willing to accept it with open arms.
4 Untitled Goose Game
This Goose Is On The Loose
Sometimes, all you really need to know about a video game is its title. Untitled Goose Game is on the surface, a purposefully vague title for a game, and yet, it also perfectly encapsulates the silly tone of this goose-led adventure.
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In Untitled Goose Game, you play as the titular goose who causes all sorts of mischief in a quaint English village. Melbourne developers House House immediately endeared themselves to the global gaming community with this quirky little title that ended up winning awards and all of our hearts.
3 The Artful Escape
For Those Who Want To Rock
The Artful Escape is one of the most exciting recent games to come from Australia. An eclectic blend of music, science-fiction, and traditional platforming, The Artful Escape made a splash upon its initial release and has gradually built up a loyal following ever since.
At the heart of this game is the story of a young musician trying to overcome the shadow of his family and carve out his path. With a stellar voice cast and razor-sharp writing, it’s one of the best narratives of any recent video game, regardless of where they were developed.
2 Unpacking
Moving Out
Unpacking is the perfect game to play if you need to unwind and relax after a long day. It is a game all about organisation, self-expression, and finding meaning in what we carry with us throughout our lives and what we choose to leave behind.
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There is something inherently satisfying about unpacking the boxes in each house and sorting out the belongings to match your taste. Unpacking is as restrained and self-contained as video games can be, and it absolutely took the world by storm.
1 Hollow Knight
The New King Of Metroidvanias
Given there has been a fair amount of time since the launch of the original Hollow Knight (something that fans awaiting its sequel know all too well), there is little left to argue about whether it belongs amongst the all-time greats of the metroidvania genre. Because Hollow Knight belongs.
This atmospheric metroidvania title has some of the genre’s richest lore and tightest design and has been loved by millions of gamers all around the world. This modern classic was cooked up in a small indie development studio in Adelaide, and no other game showcases the sheer talent of the Australian game development scene quite like Hollow Knight.
