Sometimes, when you first find out about a PAX AUS Indie Showcase winner and that there’s a demo, or a demo has recently been available, it’s tempting to dive in and play it at home. Often, there’s a better demo on the show floor, or even exclusive content to check out. In the case of checking out Lunars at PAX AUS 2025, it was being able to see the game played in a semi-home environment, with chairs and a bean bag, and enjoying the competitive banter and nonsense that happens when everyone is surrounding the TV at the same time.

Even though you can play Lunars online, and there will even be Twitch interaction for players to enjoy the game with friends while streaming, there’s something to be said about playing a Mario Party-inspired game in a setting where the other players are playing with you, which is precisely what you’ll get when you visit the Lunars game at PAX AUS in the Indie Showcase area. They’ve set up the game across multiple stations, allowing groups of four players to face off against each other in this new twist on the interactive board game. And since this is a lot faster-paced than you’d expect in a board game, or what you may be used to experiencing in other similar games, like the aforementioned Mario Party games, you’ll be surprised at how engaged it can keep all players, even with everything that’s happening around you in a convention setting.

READ: LUNARS INTERVIEW – PAX AUS 2025 INDIE SHOWCASE SPOTLIGHT

This is largely thanks to the decision to keep everyone playing simultaneously. You all roll the die, and move at the same time. You can use items that cause damage and disrupt opponents, or give you buffs, either before or after you roll the die. And it all has to be done quickly, as there’s a time limit for each turn, which feels like about ten seconds or less in total.

Between each move on the board, players will, of course, be playing in an assortment of mini-games, and performing better will earn you coins to help take the top spot in the game. These games varied across the ten I saw in my session, and all used the same focus on simplistic controls to keep them as pick-up-and-play as possible. There was a good mix too, from swinging forward through a course to see who can Spider-Man-like their way to the finish line first, to a game of chicken with a pot of boiling water and even some more basic sort of games like kicking chickens into your goal area, and bombs into your opponents to disrupt them.

Don’t wait to check out Lunars at home; if you can, check it out at PAX AUS 2025 this weekend.

[Explosion Network attended PAX Australia 2025 with a provided Media Pass.]