We’re back with another PAX Aus 2026 special, this time showcasing some of the talented indie devs we caught up with on the showroom floor. This year, we spoke to so many great people that we’re dividing it into two pieces: New Zealand and Australian devs.
With that in mind, let’s get to the New Zealand indies making a mark on the development scene. Keep an eye out for these great titles!
The Order of the Damned
The Order of the Damned is an upcoming action-RPG from Little Dragon Interactive. This side scroller is set in a dark, post-apocalyptic world. It features a gritty style that truly stands out.
You take on the role of the last knight from a fallen order. You’re brought back to life by a spectre, granting you supernatural abilities as you take on the undead in battle. It’s also heavily story-driven. A branching narrative awaits you as you make choices along your journey. Will you get the ending you deserve?
One of the most interesting aspects of the Order of the Damned is its striking visuals. The backgrounds are simply lovely, with colorful designs that juxtapose the dark foreground. In fact, the character himself is shrouded in shadows to provide a sense of foreboding and mystery. It works really well.
The Order of the Damned has been in development for about 18 months. This small team of three is launching on Steam in just a few months. They then plan to bring the game to major consoles in the future.
You can wishlist The Order of the Damned on Steam now.
We look forward to hearing more about this interesting title soon. Let’s hope a Switch release isn’t too far off. Thanks to James from Little Dragon Interactive for his time at PAX Aus!
Bashful Adoration
At the New Zealand stand, we spoke to Yolanda from KittyWampus. She’s one of seven team members who have been working on a 3D platformer called Bashful Adoration for the past two years. What we love most about this game is its genre description. It’s reportedly a narrative-driven, romantic comedy, 3D platformer. And it looks like a lot of fun.
Bashful Adoration is set at a wizarding school. Four witches, Celeste, Cherry, Cassandra, and Clover, are friends and students there. There’s just one problem; they all have a crush on the same boy, Merlin.
This is a colorful, fun adventure through a 3D world using a broom and skateboard to soar through magical environments. It also features zany minigames to gain the adoration of your crush, like a rhythm game in which you throw hearts at him. There’s also a cool twist that we won’t spoil, plus collectible bananas to trade in at the store. Because, why not?
It’s cute and humorous. And we’re just as in love with it as Cherry is with Merlin.
Bashful Adoration is aiming for Steam and Switch release in the first quarter of 2027. There’s a demo currently available on Steam. You can also wishlist Bashful Adoration on Steam now.
Dungeon Baller
Dungeon Baller comes from a pair of developers, Jeremy and Rourke, over at Lazy Bones. These two devs are anything but lazy. This title is a mash-up of genres, taking the concept of a rogelite and thrusting it into a pinball machine. And it totally works.
If you’ve been following Pure Nintendo for a while, you know some of us love our mash-ups, like Luck be a Landlord or Ball X Pit. So we were immediately taken by the concept of Dungeon Baller. I mean, even the name is super cool.
You play the role of a hero sucked into a cursed pinball machine. Think of it like Jumanji with pinballs. And skeletons. There are eight hero classes to choose from, such as warrior, ranger, cleric, sage, monk, and something known as an ursa. We’re told an ursa is some kind of bear warrior. Did we mention how cool this game is?
The game sees the player take the form of a pinball. You use the plunger to shoot your character into the central area. Here, they bounce around, attacking enemies with each hit. As with any decent pinball machine, there are flippers at the bottom. These are used to keep the player in the battle, as well as knock bonuses like treasures around to earn more items. It’s a blast.
The game started as a conversation between the pair of devs at a university in Auckland where they lecture. Cut to three years later, and they have a game on the PAX Aus showroom floor, plus a publisher signed on to help them bring the game to the world. They’re aiming to release on Steam in about five months. From there, the plan is to hit mobile devices before making its way to consoles.
No pressure, but please hurry with that Switch port.
In the meantime, you can play the demo on Steam right now.
Shape Sender Deluxe
We don’t play favorites with indie devs of course, but it’s hard not to say that Shape Sender Deluxe was a standout for us this year. Maybe it’s because this one has such a simple puzzle concept that made it easy to jump right in and play. Maybe it’s because it’s a game about creativity and friendship. Or maybe it’s because the devs at Dead Teapot Games, Saf and Tana, made the title screen at the end of our demo say “Hi, Pure Nintendo”. That’s cool.
Whatever the reason, Shape Sender Deluxe is one to watch. It’s a polished title featuring a mascot named Sendy. In the game, Sendy is meant to be the developer. He’s a friendly sort, helping you through each level with tips on your way to becoming best buds. It’s meant to represent the positive relationship between the developer and the player. It’s really sweet.
The goal is to let objects travel from one side of the screen to the other. These shapes move automatically, so you simply go about placing items on the grid-based level to help influence their direction. For example, a magnet might pull shapes in a certain direction, causing its trajectory to change. Once three shapes successfully land in the goal, the level is clear.
There are various shapes depending on the level, such as squares, triangles, and stars. Each shape has different properties. Levels become more complicated as you progress, for example placing barriers in the way. It’s super fun to solve each one.
The team had a special version of the demo just for the PAX Aus showroom floor. In this version, the final level featured the previous player’s items. The game then blocked out those squares, forcing you to try an alternate solution. It was incredibly clever and really helped get those brain synapses firing!
Shape Sender Deluxe is heading to Steam and Switch in 2027. It’s a perfect fit for Nintendo’s handheld console. We’ll let you know once that happens. In the meantime, you can check out the Shape Sender Deluxe demo on Steam.
Killing Things With Your Friends
If you think the name “Killing Things With Your Friends” sounds kinda dark, you’re right. It’s also kinda silly, very gory, and plenty of fun. We spent some time with it at PAX Aus 2026, chatting to Greg from Flightless .He even jumped in and played with us. Thanks, Greg!
The concept is simple. It’s a first-person shooter with randomized levels. It’s also a co-op game, meant to be played with up to four players. Once joining a session, your goal is to find the exit, killing everything in sight along the way. There are also puzzles to solve. That’s not the best part, though.
What makes Killing Things With Your Friends stand out is the ability to rip body parts off fallen enemies. Arms, legs, torsos, heads – it’s all up for grabs. You can either use these limbs as weapons (taking the action-movie trope of “I’m gonna rip your arm off and beat you to death with it” very seriously) or switch out your own limbs with the newly acquired ones. It’s nuts! But it’s also insanely creative and fun.
The point of swapping out body parts is that each one has its own level. So, you’re essentially leveling up by accumulating various limbs. On top of that, enemies aren’t human; instead, they’re some kind of weird mutant race. This means they sport features like claws and lasers, providing even more power as you progress.
When we spoke to the team, the demo release was imminent. Well, that Killing Things With Your Friends demo is out now on Steam. The team is also aiming for early access in January 2027. We’re not sure if this one will make its way to the Nintendo Switch family, but it’s a fun one to think about.
Burger Bois
Burger Bois is a food-truck simulator inspired by Nickelodeon cartoons. It sports a neat comic-style aesthetic, with a sense of humor that nods to the Simpsons. Hey, this sounds like our kind of game.
Gameplay involves creating burgers based on customer requests. They don’t just ask for a specific burger, though. Oh no, they just tell you they feel like something spicy, or meaty, or healthy. There are over 100 ingredients on offer, and a maximum of 20 toppings per burger, allowing for many possible combinations. It adds a layer of challenge as you decide on the best version of this particular customer’s burger.
In Burger Bois, you play the role of Patty. The game features seven parking spots, basically the in-game name for levels. Two of these levels are featured in the demo. The full game also has a social media component, allowing you to build reputation with your customers.
Thanks to Jess from Mischief Makers Studio for chatting with us. Jess is the programmer and art director. Her team ran a successful Kickstarter for the game back in 2024. They went on to launch the Burger Bois Steam demo in June 2026. Next up is a full Steam release in early 2027, with hopes for a Switch version in the future.
Canvas City
Let’s clear something up. You might be wondering why Black Salt Games, the team behind the successful Dredge, is working on a colorful, turn-based title for their next project. Well, technically they’re not. While Black Salt Games is part of the same overarching Saltworks Entertainment, a new team called Disc 2 Games has been created to work on other content. Enter this new team’s first game, Canvas City.
Canvas City is a colorful, turn-based game on rollerskates. It’s been in development for about two years. The story is set in a futuristic world where art is prohibited. An agency known as the ACU (that’s the Artistic Control Unit) enforces a world without music, dance or art. How bleak!
That’s where you come in. Your goal is to take back the city via turn-based battles à la Fire Emblem. Except that, in Canvas City, you can grind rails, launch off ramps, and use every part of the map to your advantage.
The game’s visual design is inspired by ‘90s outings like Jet Set Radio. The skating motions and graffiti look is also reminiscent of the recent Denshattack. It stands out (in a good way), and we’re excited for the team’s first release to come to light.
Canvas City is coming to Steam and Switch in the near future, though no date has been set just yet. You can play the Canvas City demo on Steam in the meantime, with a demo also said to be coming to Switch as well.
Thanks to Hanna and Ruka for their time to chat about Canvas City!
That’s a wrap for now. Stay tuned for our next piece on Aussie devs. In the meantime, be sure to find out what Nintendo and SEGA were showcasing at PAX Aus 2026.
