Taking a trip down to University of Wollongong Malaysia (or UOW in this context) is always a pleasure and it’s always an honour to be invited. Watching game development by students thrive here in Malaysia is always a welcoming experience. So when I headed down to UOW to check out some of the new games the students at UOW had developed, I didn’t think I’d come back delightfully entertained by some of these games.

It’s so important for us to help foster the passion and nurture the talents of these students as at the end of the day they will be contributing to the broader gaming system.

Creating games is no easy task and I’m amazed at how most of the games featured was made in 2-3 months. 2-3 MONTHS! I always think that the lecturers at UOW do an amazing job when it comes to hands-on experience in game development. It’s important for the students to solidify their understanding of theoretical concepts through gaming jams like these. Hearing how these students build their games in person is very refreshing. It’s very different when we get to hear from big publishers, or indie companies that have ‘made’ it, but a student just starting out, having all these amazing ideas, it’s a truly a wonder. Let me talk about some of the games that really took a shine to me.

At one of the entrances, stood a demo for a game called Infamy. The basic concept about Infamy is rather simple. You[‘re a streamer up to no good, going around vandalising and stealing to get more views. Honestly, it’s kind of like the Kick streamers you hear about daily. I LOVED the idea! And the colours! It was monochromatic, yet the shades blended well.

It had this kind of GTA vibe, where you couldn’t get caught by the police, and you’d have to hide out while they were after you. The game also had some puzzles you could solve while ‘stealing’ from a store. I thought it was an interesting concept, and for a simple demo, it was very enjoyable. Sadly, there was some sound issues at the PC where the demo was held, so I couldn’t really hear the sounds, but the art style was great! It was different and it stood out. Props to the 8 little developers working on Infamy. I am hoping to see more soon!

Another game I thought was stood out was called The 7th Seal. At first glance, you see Slay the Spire. Cards games is not exactly the kind of games you’d see me play, but this one, I may have gotten a bit hooked on trying to see how far I could get. The concept revolves around a card game in which you slot 4 cards from your hand per enemies for an attack. The order has to be black, red, black red, or red, black, red, black. The way the cards are placed also has to be in an ascending order.

Now the cards at hand, are based off of the 4 suits which is interesting. You fight some enemies, get to a boss, choose to go to a rest stop, and can even stop at a shop to get a few upgrades or buy some potions that can help you on your journey. When asking about the concept art, I was told it was sort of based on creatures that the artists like to draw. In total, there are 5 artists for the game, and 2 techs. I liked how they called the 4 suits, the 4 horseman. There’s so much more to it, and a story behind it, but I’ll leave you to find that out by yourself!

Something that I don’t usually play is mobiles games, other than Honkai: Star Rail, but we don’t really count that. Mobiles games have never really piqued my interest, but Unfolding is a rather cute game that I just had to stop by and take a look at. Featuring an adorable frog, I took a seat and began my frogtastic journey. Lucky for me, I had one of the developers guiding me through it, because holy, your girl is rather dumb at navigating mobile games. Bless the guy who helped me out!!!

So, rather unique, but Unfolding is based on a pop up book. You navigate through the world as a frog, solve puzzles and at the end, you flip over your page to go on to the next area, WHICH IS COOL!!! I was a tad bid mindblown at the concept. The puzzles were really intuitive and made you think. And I mean, really think! It’s not too hard but just enough to keep you on your toes.

Developed by 7 people, I was surprised at how optimized the game was on mobile. When asked what was their hardest challenge when making the game, they mentioned it was optimization, since mobiles were very much different than PCs. Well, you guys did an amazing job!

ALSO, TauFuFah Studios. What a name.

In all honesty, all the games featured were amazing in their own ways, and honestly, what a challenge to create such amazing games in a short time. I’m glad that UOW provides a platform for these students to showcase their talents and capabilities. It only shows you just how much talent we have here at home, and how much more they can be fostered to grow.

Shoutout to the educators down at UOW, you guys are doing God’s work! If you are itching to try out some of the games by the UOW students, please check out the link here! There are many amazing games here and all from different genres.