This year, like most award ceremonies, The Australian Game Developer Awards were held digitally. The event, which is normally part of Melbourne International Games Week and Game Connect: Asia Pacific, was hosted by Jordan Raskopoulos on Twitch. With a wide variety of submission, the judges had a tough time picking the best work from the Australian Gaming industry this year.
Find all the winners below and be sure to check them out if you haven’t already.
Synopsis:
In a back-alley cafe, the dead are granted one last night to mingle with the living. Necrobarista follows a dynamic and diverse cast of characters as they navigate Melbourne’s hipstery coffee culture, the questionable ethics of necromancy, and the process of letting go.
Necrobarista is available on Steam
Other Nominees:
Windbound (5 Lives Studios)
RITE (Pond Games)
Synopsis:
You’re an undercover Agent with a spine-chilling mission. Will you make it out alive? A terrifying mission needs an expert Agent. Have you got what it takes? Mission Control is counting on you to do what’s needed to defend against unidentified alien creatures. Trouble comes in different guises. So be alert, be ready… you’re on your own out there, Agent
Audioplay: Alien Strike is available on Google Play and App Store
Other Nominees:
Roombo: First Blood (Samurai Punk)
Boomerang Fu (Cranky Watermelon)
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Synopsis:
RITE is a high-speed, precision platformer where you must conquer a series of demanding trials, a rite of passage for every Nim. Find the key and reach the exit to move on to the next trial, and maybe collect some gold along the way. Who knows, they could prove valuable to those who like a brutal challenge..
RITE is available on Steam and Itch.io
Other Nominees:
Quantum Suicide (Cotton Candy Cyanide)
Elden: Path of the Forgotten (Onerat)
Synopsis:
Slice and dice your friends with boomerangs in this frantic physics party game. Join a crew of your favorite foods as you grill, chill and spill your enemies. Discover ridiculous power-ups and stack them together in deadly combinations.
Boomerang Fu is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Steam
Other Nominees:
Baron: Fur is Gonna Fly (DM Games)
Moving Out (SMG Studio)
Synopsis:
Kana Quest is a puzzle game that teaches you how to read Japanese Hiragana. Each puzzle is a grid of different Hiragana that can be moved around. Adjacent Hiragana will connect to each other if the pronunciations share a common sound. So a Ka and a Na would connect as they both have an “a” sound. The player will rearrange the Hiragana to make one continuous connection between all the Hiragana in a level. When the player does this the puzzle will be complete. Some puzzles require figuring out the correct order of Hiragana. And others require the player to figure out the pronunciation of a Hiragana by looking at what connects with what.
Kana Quest is available on Steam
Other Nominees:
Under a Star Called Sun (Cécile Richard)
KangaZoo (Chaos Theory Games & Pentaquest)
Synopsis:
Escape the arcade in Shooty Skies Overdrive, an action-packed VR shoot ‘em up. Dodge and weave your way through dynamically generated enemy waves and blast them at point-blank range. An incredible journey through colorful retro worlds and ridiculous alien invaders.
Shooty Skies Overdrive is available on Oculus Store and Steam
Misadventure in Little Lon (True Crime Mysteries)
Espire 1: VR Operative (Digital Lode)
Synopsis:
A sci-fi bitsy game about grieving, holding on to fading memories, and carrying the world on your shoulders
Under A Star Called Sun is available on Itch.io
Other Nominees:
Necrobarista (Route 59)
Quantum Suicide (Cotton Candy Cyanide)
Synopsis:
RITE is a high-speed, precision platformer where you must conquer a series of demanding trials, a rite of passage for every Nim. Find the key and reach the exit to move on to the next trial, and maybe collect some gold along the way. Who knows, they could prove valuable to those who like a brutal challenge..
RITE is available on Steam and Itch.io
Other Nominees:
Baron: Fur is Gonna Fly (DM Games)
Under a Star Called Sun (Cécile Richard)
Synopsis:
Join the Crossy Road crew in this endlessly spinning cooperative tower climb. Bring your friends and see how far you can get. Keep climbing as high as you can! Every run is different!
Crossy Road Castle is available on Apple Arcade
Other Nominees:
Ballistic Baseball (Gameloft Brisbane)
Pico Tanks: Multiplayer Mayhem (Panda Arcade)
Synopsis:
World of Tanks is a cult MMO game dedicated to armored machines that has won the affection of players all over the world. A variety of in-game locations, historical accuracy, realistic gameplay — join the army of tankers already tearing up the battlefield and plunge into legendary combat!
World of Tanks is available on Windows and Mac
Other Nominees:
Piffle (Hipster Whale and Mighty Games Group)
Battlestar Galactica Deadlock (Black Lab Games)
Synopsis:
Moving Out is a ridiculous physics-based moving simulator that brings new meaning to “couch co-op”! Are you ready for an exciting career in furniture? As a newly certified Furniture Arrangement & Relocation Technician, you’ll take on moving jobs all across the busy town of Packmore.
Moving Out is available on Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One and Steam
Other Nominees:
Boomerang Fu (Cranky Watermelon)
Necrobarista (Route 59)
Studio of the Year: League of Geeks
Rising Star Award: Meredith Hall and Jarrod Farquhar-Nicol
The Rising Star Award honours those who have made significant contributions to the Australian Games Industry in the past 1 – 5 years. They have become invaluable members to the community and show great talent in their field, constantly working to facilitate a better game community.
Game Connect Award: Ella Macintyre
Each year the GCAP would like to provide an award that is closely linked to the GCAP theme. This year’s award is for an individual or individuals within the industry who have forged a path not only for themselves, but others within the industry and provided connections to ensure success, both personally and professionally.
The Adam Lancman Award: Jane “Truna” Turner
The Adam Lancman Award (excellence in the industry) honours an individual or individuals who have helped the game industry advance to a better place, either through facilitating a better game community from within, or by reaching outside the industry to advocate for video games.
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