It’s a bit of a running joke in the Canadian gaming industry that we often meet one another at international events, and nowhere did that prove truer for me than at PAX West 2024.
While at the Seattle-based gaming convention for a Nintendo preview event, I made a point of visiting as many Canadian teams as possible who were showcasing their latest games. As always, I came away impressed by the creativity — and, not to mention, sheer variety — of the experiences on display.
Given commitments to Nintendo and other publishers over the two days I was at PAX, I unfortunately didn’t get a chance to check out every Canadian team, but I did make a point of seeing as many as possible. Some I was able to go hands on with, while others I at least popped by to see quickly. (Some were also featured at the “MIX” indie event off-site, but we’re considering it as part of PAX since it was held last weekend to coincide with the expo.) After all, we don’t really have gaming events here, so I wanted to make the most of it.
With that in mind, here are the Canadian games I saw at PAX West that you should absolutely keep on your radar.
All Systems Dance
Image credit: Mighty Yell
Developer/publisher: Mighty Yell (Toronto)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Release date: TBA
From the developer of 2021’s acclaimed The Big Con comes this stylish rhythm adventure game in which you aim to liberate an autocratic society through dance. It’s a clever premise that offers a unique combat-free gameplay experience, solid bite-sized platforming sections and oodles of charm. The revolution will not be choreographed!
Berzerk Studio
Image credit: Berzerk
The Quebec City-based developer didn’t actually have anything new to showcase, instead featuring a demo for its acclaimed Just Shapes & Beats rhythm game as well as some merch. However, the team teased that it’s working on a new project.
In the meantime, you can play Just Shapes & Beats and Berserk’s latest game, Infernax. (For more on Infernax, check out our interview with co-founder Mike Ducarme.)
Croak
Image credit: Woodrunner Games
Developer/publisher: Woodrunner Games (Montreal)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Release date: TBA
I’ll confess that precision platformers are generally not my jam, given their level of challenge. And sure enough, that’s exactly what Croak quickly proved to be. That said, it certainly seems to be a high-quality one, particularly thanks to the involvement of two former Cuphead animators and a unique gimmick centred around the playable frog’s long, extendable tongue. This could be a gem of the genre.
CTRL ALT Deal
Image credit: Only By Midnight
Developer/publisher: Only By Midnight (Edmonton)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Release date: TBA
This inventive take on the cyberpunk genre has you controlling a sentient AI as it tries to escape a heartless megacorp. Through turn-based strategy gameplay, you’ll have to spy on humans to determine how to best negotiate your freedom. Certainly one of the most interesting concepts I saw at PAX!
Echoes of Mystralia
Image credit: Borealys Games
Developer/publisher: Borealys Games (Montreal)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Release date: TBA
While we’ve seen a lot of roguelike games take inspiration from Supergiant’s incredible Hades, Echoes of Mystralia offers a clever twist on that formula through its power customization system. With it, you can create unique spell combinations (like your default lightning shock being tweaked to include a swinging energy sword that shoots fire balls). Hard to say yet how good the story may be, but the gameplay is undoubtedly promising.
Robots at Midnight
Image credit: Finish Line Games
Developer/publisher: Finish Line Games (Toronto)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Release date: TBA
This FromSoftware-inspired action game offers some riffs on that tried-and-true formula through an agile player character, a retro-futuristic world and a titular “midnight” mechanic not unlike Breath of the Wild‘s Blood Moon. I don’t know about you, but with so many Souls-likes featuring variations on the dark fantasy world, it’s refreshing to see this steampunk-esque setting with a greater emphasis on narrative.
Rooster
Image credit: Sticky Brain Studios
Developer/publisher: Sticky Brain (Toronto)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Release date: Early 2025
Sticky Brain‘s point-and-click puzzle adventure game aims to offer an authentic look at Chinese culture. As a naughty rooster sent to ancient China for some life lessons, you’ll get to play various relaxing and approachable minigames centred around cooking, tower defence, garden design and more. Similar to how last year’s seminal Toronto-made Venba represented Tamil culture, Rooster is looking to do the same for Chinese culture.
Snacko
Image credit: Bluecurse Studios
Developer/publisher: Bluecurse Studios (Edmonton)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Release date: Now available (early access)
While this cat-focused life sim originally launched late last year in early access, it’s already garnered quite a positive response for its cozy gameplay loop. But it’s not just an Animal Crossing-like sim, as there’s also an intriguing mix of traversal (you drive around in a car) and exploration (dungeons featuring treasure).
Spiral
Image credit: Folklore Games
Developer/publisher: Folklore Games (Montreal)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Release date: September 20th, 2024
This narrative adventure game puts you in the shoes of Bernard, an old man living with cognitive degeneration. It looks to be a poignant yet ultimately uplifting tale in which the senior attempts to celebrate his long life despite his disease. Games are an often under-utilized tool for empathy, so it’s great to see Folklore take this approach, especially with respect to the mental health of the elderly.
Which of these games are you excited for? Let us know in the comments!
GIF credit: Mighty Yell
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