List of Upcoming 2023 Malaysian PC Video Games to Play on Steam
Malaysia’s gaming industry has grown over the years, so much so that Startup Genome’s Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2022 (Fintech Edition) listed gaming as one of Kuala Lumpur’s sub-sector strengths.
With that growth comes an influx of new titles from local game studios, so we’ve compiled a list of those that will be released in the coming year.
Explore dangerous dungeons as brave adventurer, Lance, in Cramped Room of Death. To escape each room, players figure out how to solve the puzzles. Basically, it’s like a sliding puzzle with multiple steps and stakes.
According to an update posted by the developer, Hafiz Mohd Rozlan, in August 2022, the game was supposed to be released in Q4 2022.
So the game is either going to be out in the next three weeks, or maybe it will be next year before we get to adventure through the cramped catacombs of this game.
Expected release date: Q4 2022 (or next year)
Demo: NOW
A mobility-based game, Katana Rama players are armed hackers who break out of a digital security fortress while retrieving a stolen program.
As you escape, enemies will unleash barrages of attacks, and staying mobile is the only way to avoid them. You will also be armed with a weapon that allows you to collect energy. Collect enough to break through doors or shields.
The game is developed by Ghost Machine, a local independent developer. According to the website, three out of four of the team members previously worked at Malaysian studio Passion Republic.
Expected release date: February 2023
Demo: Steam
Southeast Asian myths and monsters come to life in Cabaret. You play as Jebat, a former human who has been cursed into a monstrous creature.
To break the curse, you must decipher tea leaves and play traditional games such as guli and congkak – but the stakes are much higher.
Developed by Persona Theory Games, the studio behind Fires at Midnight, Cabaret is a visually and sonically gorgeous narrative-driven game.
In my review of the game’s demo, I even mentioned that if I had to pick just one Malaysian game to add to next year’s wish list, Kabaret is a strong contender.
Expected release date: Q1 2023
Demo: Steam
A top-down shooter and hack-and-slash game by AeonSparx Interactive, the release of Zombie Soup has been teased since 2019, and it looks like it will finally come out next year.
Follow a backpacker named Ricky as he finds himself in an unknown city, shooting and dodging strange creatures to rescue a kidnapped girl.
Players will also face challenging bosses and gain access to a variety of weapons to defeat them.
Expected release date: March 17, 2023
Demo: Steam
Pingo Adventure has an adorable art style and is a 3D platformer. As the round little orange character named Pingo, players will get to explore the world and solve puzzles.
There are also mini-games between the platforming levels that you can revisit.
A key point of this game seems to be its physics-simulated world full of swinging plants, jumping bridges and spring ropes, among other features.
The developer, Orb Game Studio, was just founded this year by a solo indie game developer, Tan Jian Ping.
Expected release date: 2023
Demo: NOW
The next installment in Cellar Vault Games’ Paper Ghost Stories series, Third Eye Open is a third-person narrative adventure set in Malaysia circa 2000s.
Play as 5-year-old Ting as she comes to terms with the supernatural power within her. Described as a “spooky coming of age story”, you’ll get to navigate Ting’s life as she’s guided (or rather, misled) by two spirits, each with their own agenda.
Like the previous Paper Ghost Stories titles, Third Eye Open has a distinctive and charming “paper theater” aesthetic.
Malaysians are likely to find the setting familiar, as Third Eye Open is all about Malaysian tradition, culture and folklore.
In this beautiful hand-drawn world, players will get to solve puzzles and complete mini-games while immersing themselves in the emotional story.
Expected release date: 2023
Demo: NOW
Presented in a charming pixel-art style, Never Ending Beyond is a rouge-lite game where you have to pet animals to survive.
Stranded on a mysterious planet called Beyond, players are androids known as CareTakerUnits who can pet animals in exchange for weapons.
Each animal in the game comes with its own set of unique weapons and passive abilities. Mix and match these abilities to create unique skill builds and conquer the beyond.
The game is developed by One More Dream Studio, the team behind the story-driven puzzle game, Ageless, which was published by Team17 Digital, which published Overcooked.
Expected release date: 7 November 2023
Demo: NOW
Unscheduled titles to keep an eye on
Fantastic stories
Ameowzing Tales was shown at NoizuCon 2022 and was created by Reclaim Studio, a team of six graduates from the University of Wollongong Malaysia’s game development program.
The game follows a cat named Chonky as the protagonist, who must explore the world to reunite with his knight friend.
Demo: N/A
Exist.EXE
Exist.EXE is a top-down puzzle game about a game developer’s journey of self-discovery. Trapped in a warped game world, the game developer, Marcus, must travel the world constructed with various biome data and work with his assistant to solve puzzles.
Created by Skyfeather Games, it explores themes of existentialism.
Demo: Itch.io (Alpha)
Midwest 90: Rapid City
Last but definitely not least on this list is Midwest 90: Rapid City, which we’ve reviewed the early alpha for.
This game is a narrative-focused survival tycoon PC game, set in a dystopian Midwestern America, featuring monster attacks, gorgeous art, and descriptive dialogue.
The developer is Hidden Chest Studio, founded by a trio – Kesh Ganesparan, Alex Tan and Tan Yi Ming.
Demo: Itch.io (Alpha)
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This list is probably not exhaustive because there are a bunch of very talented Malaysian developers out there and we can’t keep track of them all!
Regardless, we’re looking forward to the release of these locally made games, so be sure to stay tuned for our reviews of them.
- Read other articles we have written about games here.
Featured Image Credit: Zombie Soup / Paper Ghost Stories / Cabaret
