Adelaide is so chill. I love everything about it; colourful laneways, rambling parklands, palindromic place names (Glenelg), massive donuts, and an astonishingly affordable public transport system. And now, I can add a new thing to my Adelaide to-do list, alongside ‘cycling everywhere’ and ‘eating one of everything’; the South Australian Game Exhibition (SAGE).
It was a hot weekend, so a cool hall (full of games) was the right place to be. The vibe of SAGE riffed pleasantly somewhere between that of a small Sydney Beer and Pixels (where everyone knows everyone else, and their game) and a large Melbourne PAX (where a cheerful general public filter through the vibrant indie games on show).
All of the exhibitors at SAGE were South Australian, so it was great to see exactly what this specific community are making. I have chosen three cosy-ish games to share with you in this write-up – possibly because I was just so relaxed.
Read: SAGE: South Australian Game Exhibition 2025 was exactly what the community needed
Yakshini Lokam
Yakshini Lokam evoked an immediate, nostalgic yearning within me, but (surprisingly) for a console I never owned. Consider Anthony Stiller’s modern games for Commodore 64. Having owned a C64, these colours, shapes and sounds connect directly to my embedded (if buried) expectations for the platform, even though they are more recognisably ‘mid 2010s indie’ games, conceptually.
Yakshini Lokam makes me wish I’d tried harder to convince my dad to buy a Game Boy (for which this was created). It features a family who are transported to an ancient kingdom during an otherwise perfectly normal game night. They explore aspects of their Indian culture by meeting magical creatures, and playing traditional games.
At SAGE, developer Orlando Mee said, “I am aiming to pay tribute to my Anglo-Indian heritage, and to celebrate India’s monumental contribution to the world of board games, which goes back to ancient times. Examples of games which most people don’t know originated in India include Snakes and Ladders, and the precursor to chess.”
I enjoyed learning to play the first of these, because managing strategic positioning and luck requires careful thought. You roll cowrie shell die, then move several paces in one direction, around objects, in pursuit of more shells.
Mee says, “The 8-bit graphics are an excellent way to embody the wholesome/whimsical aesthetic I am aiming for,” and the scope of the minigames also neatly suits the platform’s limitations. I noticed SAGE attendees sharing fond memories of childhood Game Boy experiences. I might have felt a little jealous.
Candy Crawler
The first thing I noticed about Candy Crawler is that it has serious Homer in the Land of Chocolate energy. Everything is candy; trees, plants, murderous enemies. I equipped myself with baguettes and rolling pins to smash some candy and satisfy my enthusiastic customers.
Unlike The Simpsons, this experience explains why candy might be sold for ‘half price’ (or any price), in a world where everything is candy; harvesting candy is extremely dangerous, so my expert combat skills are obviously in demand.
The gameplay loop loosely channels Cult of the Lamb. Venture into a dungeon, defeat ingredients, craft products, sell products, then upgrade yourself and your store. The SAGE demo is early in development, but I can imagine how moreish this might become.
Playing well in the dungeon generates wealth, which powers up your home base and combat abilities, supporting you to play even better. In future versions, I’d hope to see a detailed combat control scheme that could also capitalise on the player’s growing power.
Did I make the SAGE demo’s target of paying $300 rent after 3 days? No. Why? I got my ass handed to me by a mob of marshmallows. Then, one customer gave me a 3.5 star review, which seems a little harsh, given the terrible day I was having. With a little balancing and polish, this game promises to be sweeeet … (I’m sorry.)
While you wait, try Chef’s Quest (‘it’s time to venture into the restaurant’s dungeon to restock the larder with delicious monsters’) for C64 (or an emulator), by the aforementioned, Anthony Stiller.
Beach Bums
I’m sorry to say, it’s me; I’m the annoying person who can’t find things that are lost. If a family member knocks my toothbrush off the sink, it’s as good as gone forever. Even if it has only moved 10 centimetres, it honestly might as well now be brushing some other creature’s teeth on a different plane of existence. Hence, I don’t play a lot of hidden object games, so bear that in mind as you read on.
Beach Bums has a timer. And it has a naked, old man, saying softly in a bewildered voice, “I don’t know what happened to my underpants.” If there is a more stressful situation in which to cast someone who is hopeless at finding things, I do not know what it is.
A tidal wave has washed away everyone’s gear, and it falls to me to return it? “DON’T WORRY, SIR. I’LL FIND YOUR UNDERPANTS,” I shriek, while trying to scrutinise everything … except his frail, exposed body. (There’s some nudity in this game.)
Don’t worry. I’m only joking around. Beach Bums is wonderful (and actually fairly meditative). The art is cheeky, but cute, and the level music transitions from cheesy elevator jazz to chaotic chromatic harmony, as the timer runs out, so that’s a fun way to aurally acknowledge failure.
After playing the handful of levels presented at SAGE, I also started to get to know the characters, in an Unpacking kind of way. (And, I found a naked muscle-bound guy behind a cactus, so the story can definitely unfold implicitly.) Keep your clothes on, and an eye on this game.
We’re happy to have shared these three games from SAGE 2025, with you. Of course, South Australian games aren’t all ‘cosy-ish’, and there is lots of variety to enjoy. Contrasting examples (this year) included the ultra-gory End of Ember, head-popping platformer, Plumbo, and an ambitious roleplaying game; Scourge of the Reptiles.
So, if you’re in South Australia, or willing to travel, consider attending SAGE in 2026, perhaps before hitting up a rainbow of fresh produce at Central Market. Adelaide was already a great place to be. These close-knit South Australian developers are making it even greater.
