The Protagonist

Greetings! I managed to leave Pokémon Pokopia at home long enough to venture to the Game Expo (TGX) that was on the weekend.

I went on the Saturday only, and took all of Sunday to recover. This was not my first convention or expo, with PAX being my usual, but it was my first TGX. This expo hasn’t been around as long, with 2023 being its first year, but I was pleasantly surprised.

What You Can Expect at TGX

If I had to compare it to other ones I’ve been to (namely PAX), I would say that it is a smaller scale event but definitely not without its merits. I like that it’s doable in one day without feeling like you have to sacrifice too much. It was also less crowded, which made it such a good experience!

What are the main differences between TGX and PAX?

Feature	TGX	PAX
Panels/ Talks	Less panels —with one main stage that held the panels back to back throughout the day.	More panels — with several auditoriums that were sometimes at one end of the hall to the other, and clashing schedules, so you have to pick the ones you were most interested in
Indie Games	Big section (growing)	Big section (established)
Cosplay Scene	Not as established — despite heaps of marketing on their website, including a Cosplay Cup competition and special Cosplay guests, TGX has a small but growing cosplay scene. I didn’t cosplay this time around but also didn’t see as many Cosplayers. Definitely an overlap between cosplayers that cosplay at PAX and TGX	Huge — massive cosplay community and presence. I would still continue to prioritise cosplaying here for best chances of meeting up with others
Sponsors & Tournaments	Less— more focus on local community and smaller creators. Tournaments for big games but no big stage or big section for spectators	More— heavier commercial focus with big brands in the industry commonly making an appearance each year
Artist Alley	Yes— big section	No — but had more commercial merch booths
Tabletop Games	No dedicated section— however, Artist Alley had tabletop games and related accessories you could buy	Yes— big dedicated section
PC Freeplay	Yes but small — I’m not sure how this section worked, as it looked like it was mainly for tournament players	Yes— often with a long queue
Prizes and giveaways	Yes — usually through a stamp rally type of interaction from each section or overall expo	Yes — many types of prizes and giveaways, each section usually have their own

The Panels I attended

I went to three panels and I enjoyed every one of them! They were easy to find (same stage) and I left each of them feeling entertained.

Content Creator Trivia

This one was about two teams of content creators competing in three rounds of trivia. It was pure, light-hearted gamer degeneracy at its best. The audience participation made it even more entertaining. I knew one of the creators and was mainly watching to support her, and she did so well.

Plenty of questions about games I was familiar with, such as Overwatch. In fact, too many questions about Overwatch. I had been contemplating returning to the game actually, ever since the news of it being reverted back to Overwatch 1.

TGX’s panel was the last straw. That night, when I got home, I did in fact re-install the game….

More to come on how this experience has been shortly!

Yuzo Koshiro

Legendary composer Yuzo Koshiro (Streets of Rage, Sega Megadrive, Shenmue) came all the way from Japan! Admittedly, I didn’t play many of the games he’s composed except for Sonic The Hedgehog, but you best believe we were blasting Streets of Rage tunes on the drive in.

It was extremely endearing to see the audience star struck when asking questions to Koshiro, a huge compliment to him for sure.

Accompanying him on his trip to Australia and helping to translate the interview was game producer/author Alex Aniel. I had a chance to speak to him at his booth before the panel, where I also purchased a copy of his book Itchy, Tasty, an unofficial book borne out of his love for The Resident Evil series. He also signed my copy of his book, which was the cherry on top!

Alpha Takahashi & Eliah Mountjoy

I should have checked the special guest line up earlier than the day before, because these two are the voiceovers for Psylocke and The Winter Soldier in Marvel Rivals!!!

Hindsight is 20/20, and I truly missed the opportunity to re-cosplay Psylocke for TGX. Not only was the cosplay retired (having worn it twice last year already), but I also changed my hair colour, so that it was no longer the full purple that Psylocke has — I had my real hair for her cosplays last year and no wig. Plus, my partner, Kevin, was also Bucky last year too. It would’ve been perfect if we pulled it off. I am still crying inside about it!

Anyway, I digress. We were getting pretty tired by the time this panel was on, and almost decided to skip it, but I am so glad we stayed for it. It was extremely enlightening and probably my favourite panel that I’ve had the pleasure to experience in person. Both Alpha and Eliah were delightful, down to earth and just super awesome. Their advice and stories were shared in such a casual but poignant way, and after the panel, I felt extremely emotional. I remember saying to Kevin that I think I just had a life changing experience then and there.

Indie Games

I didn’t go as hardcore with the demos like I did at PAX last year, but I have compiled a similar type of summary of the games that caught my eye at TGX. The focus was on selecting a handful that resonated with me in some way.

Dungeon Pizza

I am always on the hunt for a new cooking game. Dungeon Pizza is a fantasy based cooking game where you’re making pizza for adventurers passing by. The exclusive demo was short and sweet, with the primary goal to make your own pizza.

The developer from Growing Games was extremely passionate, and also quite apologetic about the existing bugs (which weren’t that bad!). Dungeon Pizza is half baked at the moment, but you can wishlist it on Steam to get the latest updates!

One More Trail

This game caught my eye because, well, horse. However, upon playing the demo, it was a different kind of horse game than I thought it would be!

One More Trail is a narrative-driven RPG about an Australian cowboy’s adventure in the American Frontier. Just from the exclusive short demo, there was a strong sense of atmosphere in the thoughtfully crafted world for One More Trail. One of the developers explained how they were initially looking to tell the story in pixel art, but decided to go in a completely different direction, using real world landscapes instead. It left me feeling intrigued because it was quite unique, and actually ended up being my favourite demo of the day.

You can wishlist the game by The Rat Shed on Steam for further announcements.

Lux

Lux immediately drew me in for three reasons: the art style being absolutely gorgeous, it reminded me of the character Lux from League of Legends, and “lux” also being a cool word that means “light” in Latin.

Being a fantasy 2D platformer about a girl named Lou, who discovers a magic lantern in her attic, Lux presents a rich world with an abundance of charming characters. Although it ticked many of my boxes visually and conceptually, I felt that the demo was either a tad too long for the occasion and/or a fair bit of reading than most people were prepared for on the day. Without any guidance from the developers, I enjoyed the gameplay but found it difficult to fully immerse myself into it in that moment. I remember mentally noting to to revisit the game at home sometime where I could give it my full attention. The full game by Emily Prout, Tiffany Bligh, Mathew Moncrieff, Kristie Mott is free and out on Steam.

Cyber Paradise

If you’re a sucker for roguelites, pixel art and cyberpunk games, Cyber Paradise might be the demo for you to check out. Once again, I followed the trail of stunning visuals and paused here to admire the view for a moment. What’s not to love about the neon palette, and the cool heroine and her dog?

According to the developers, there are two extra modes for this game. Apart from Normal Mode, which is how the gameplay is intended, there is Cosy Mode and Crazy Mode. Cosy Mode is more focused on story, with easier combat. Crazy Modes is for those who want that roguelite experience, and enjoy permadeath and endless combat.

I played the Steam Demo and it was really impressed. It was a good feel for the characters, story and combat. Cyber Paradise has some light voiceovers so far, and plenty of tracks which create a melancholy vibe for Mini, the beloved dog of Mini’s cafe. The combat included collecting cards and booster packs to power up your heroine, and I can see this getting addictive as players strive to collect them all.

Note that a controller is recommended for the Steam demo — however, I tried it with keyboard and it didn’t detract from the experience.

Be sure to check it out before it releases sometime this year!

Lunarium

Lunarium is another fantasy RPG on this list, but for good reason— it is beautifully presented in concept, art and gameplay. The soundtrack is another standout too. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to try out the demo as I was rushing off to one of the panels, and the game drew a crowd.

Ave, a light-armored knight, and Lune, a Starfarer are the protagonists in Lunarium on a journey to save their dying world. The game by developer Lunarium is looking fairly polished from the glimpse I got from spectating others. Being an ARPG, I will probably struggle, but I am keen to keep an eye on this one on Steam and add it to my growing backlog.

And that’s it from me. Did anyone else attend TGX this year? I’d love to hear what stood out to you!

Look after yourself,

Elena