2025 PAX Indie Wrap With Jenn Christodoulou
There are few things I love more than chatting to the indie game devs at PAX (except maybe sitting down. After three days at PAX, I do love to sit down). Their bright-eyed enthusiasm, unwavering creativity and delightful optimism always seem to reignite my spark, and this year’s offerings were some of the best I’ve seen at a PAX in a while.
2025 saw a great selection of indie studios from Australia and New Zealand. I’ve added so many new games to my wishlist on Steam that I am going to be booked and busy when these titles all start to roll out. The indie content this year was pretty top-notch, but here are a few of the games I’m particularly excited about.
Loftia
I’ve been following the journey of this cosy MMO Life-Sim since seeing the trailer a few years back. Created by Aussie games studio Qloud Games, the game promises a cosy simulation experience where self-expression, human connection and sustainability are at the forefront of development.
I’m always wary of ‘cosy games’ because, though I love them, it’s a genre that often gets saturated with a lot of half-baked garbage titles. Though still in alpha build, I can already tell Loftia isn’t going to be one of these. The way the team at PAX spoke about their development process, their priorities for updates, and the commitment they have to incorporating player feedback makes their love for the game obvious.
I always get so excited to dive into a new MMO, and I can’t wait to bring my own brand of chaos to this idyllic new world.
Bits & Bops
Bits & Bops is an upcoming rhythm game by Tempo Lab, a Sydney-based game studio. I’ve been a fan of rhythm games since the Rhythm Heaven and Final Fantasy Theatre Rhythm on Nintendo DS, but since that magical era of gaming, I’ve yet to find another rhythm title that fits my groove until now.
Due for release later this year, Bits & Bops will feature over 20 rhythm-based mini games, all complete with gorgeous hand-drawn art. I was able to play a bit at PAX, and though the rhythm aspect was hard to get the hang of in an auditorium packed with thousands of people, two things became clear to me early on:
- The art style and animations throughout each mini game are cute as heck, and
- This is going to be one of those games I am going to keep replaying until I perfect it. I’m going to hear these little ditties in my sleep until the end of my days. It will torment me until I can conquer it. I shall know no sleep until it is done!
In case you can’t tell, I’m excited.
Apothecurse
Apothecurse is a 2D, narrative-driven adventure that follows the tale of fledgling alchemist, Leon. I already love this game based on the fact that the main character looks perpetually shell-shocked at all times, but after checking out the game at PAX, there are some other really cool things in here to get excited about.
Building upon inspiration from their favourite potion crafting titles, the team at NZ-based Lesser Key Studios is determined to do something bigger with Apothecurse than “just” a potion crafting puzzle game. After chatting with the team, it’s clear the studio has some grand ideas, and I can’t wait to see them in practice.
Playing as Leon (my shell-shocked bestie), you’ll not only craft potions to get through puzzles and boss battles, but also utilise them to interact with the world. One level may have a range of different solutions, and players are encouraged to experiment and be creative with how they get through the different puzzles. With boss battles and eldritch horrors yet to come, I am excited (and slightly creeped out) over what will come next for this game.
Apothecurse has a demo due out in March 2026 and a release date slated for 2027. The art style is gorgeous, their development plan is solid, and the premise sounds like a lot of fun.
How Was Your Day?
If you took Groundhog Day, smashed it together with Stranger Things, added iconic ’80s paraphernalia and set the whole thing in New Zealand, you’d scratch the surface of the upcoming game from NZ-based Mad Carnival Games; How Was Your Day?
I won’t lie, this game suckered me in from the second I saw their press materials were done up like missing dog posters, but everything I’ve seen since has been awesome. How Was Your Day is a supernatural, point-and-click thriller that follows the story of 13-year-old Diya, who gets stuck in a timeloop when her dog, Beans (my beloved), goes missing. Each day, you uncover new things about the town of Lakeview, and each discovery helps you peel back layers of the sinister mystery the town is hiding.
Just from playing the demo, it’s clear how much care has been put into this game. Sprinkled in amongst the point and click narrative is a range of mini-games to keep the gameplay varied and exciting. There are also collectibles in the form of ‘Dumpster Darling’ cards (a delightful play on the Garbage Pail Kids) and cassette tapes you can find throughout the town that you can actually play in a tape player.
On top of this, the game is already primed for replayability. With a range of different dialogue choices and actions to get Diya through the story, the player is encouraged to try different things to see different outcomes.
The studio has a release date slated for late next year, with many new things to be added to the game, like more mini-games, a town map and voice acting- just to name a few!
