The energy in the exhibition hall at Level Up KL was infectious. At the far end, rows of small booths were bustling with activity as indie game studios from Southeast Asia were showcasing their latest titles. From cozy games to thought-provoking social narratives and psychological thrillers, a wide array of games attracted attendees who were eager to experience the diverse offerings.
Held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Level Up KL, is an initiative by the Malaysia Digital Content Festival (MYDCF), under Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), highlighting the country’s growing gaming and immersive content ecosystem. The event serves as a gateway for game developers, both local and international, to tap into the lucrative Southeast Asian market.
For some indie studios, the event was an opportunity to find collaborators and publishers. For others, it was the platform to gauge the reception of their debut titles. AnimationXpress got a chance to visit the booths, interact with passionate game developers—many of whom were new to the business—and try out some of the exciting titles on display.
Below is a list of the titles we thought were most promising:
Psycho Dead from Moon Catalyst (Thailand)
Psycho Dead is a third-person survival horror game centered on Elixia, a mysterious girl with psychic powers, who must escape a secret laboratory infested with grotesque and monstrous creatures. Explore a sci-fi setting filled with mystery and danger, where terror awaits at every corner, and discover the truth behind the horrific incident.
This is the first game developed by Moon Catalyst, a studio based out of Chiang Mai, Thailand. “We’ve drawn inspiration from games like Parasite Eve, Resident Evil, and Bioshock, while anime influences include Deadman Wonderland and Akira,” said the studio’s co-founder and executive producer Panitikorn Chaiwattanapipat.
Reception for the game: “Many players were eager to try the game and were surprised to learn that it’s an indie title from a small studio. The psychic abilities, combined with the survival horror gameplay, made players feel a refreshing yet familiar connection to the survival horror genre. We’ve also received valuable feedback to help improve our game.”
Experience at Level Up KL: “The event was well-organised, and despite the initial nerves, it turned out to be a great experience. The warm and welcoming atmosphere made everything go well.
The studio plans to release the game for PC and PlayStation 5 in late 2025.
Troublemaker 2 Beyond Dream from Gamecom Team (Indonesia)
Troublemaker 2 Beyond Dream is an action beat-em-up game that features Jordan and Budi as the main characters in the game. Both protagonists have the ambition and aspiration to fulfill their dreams. However, they soon find themselves involved in various shady deals and incidents in Jayakarta that make them have to act fast to defend themselves, their loved ones, and dreams.
The game is developed by Gamecom Team, whose members were once high-schoolers with the dream of making an impactful and fun game for everyone. The members officially became a company in 2020. “We mainly work from home,” said the studio’s community manager Josevina Gaby. “This approach not only helps us cut down on transportation and office expenses but also boosts our efficiency. Surprisingly, we’ve found that working remotely has accelerated our progress, thanks to our night owls who tend to be most productive after dark; and turns out, that’s when the magic really happens!”
Reception for the game: “People loved playing Troublemaker 2 Beyond Dream for the funny side quest and minigames. So far, the feedback has been positive, with some minor adjustment regarding bugs and other technical issues.”
Troublemaker 2 follows the studio’s Troublemaker Raise Your Gang, the first in the series. This first game stars Budi as the main protagonist, a vital member of Parakacuk Gang who had to survive in SMK Cipta Wiyata battleground to become the top underdog in SMK Cipta Wiyata tournament. The game has been released on GOG, Steam, Epic Games, and Xbox.
Experience at Level Up KL: “We want to expand our game reach while meeting fellow indie game developers from other countries. Our experience has been great. We managed to find potential partners and new colleagues to mingle with. It’s a fun event for game developers.”
The studio plans to release Troublemaker 2 Beyond Dream on PC next year on Steam. The public demo of the game is already out on Steam for free.
One Perfect Day by Spacepup Entertainment (Malaysia)
One Perfect Day is a heartfelt and immersive narrative-driven PC game that tells the emotional story of Andy, a man trapped in a coma, reliving a single perfect day spent with his best friend, Xiang Yang. As players guide Andy through this dream-like world, they explore themes of guilt, friendship, and the process of self-forgiveness. The game’s experience consists of discovering pockets of stories and solving puzzles with a narrative twist.
The game is developed by Spacepup Entertainment, which has a core team of no more than five people. “We’re a team of artists, designers, programmers, and musicians and we usually enlist the help of freelancers and interns,” shared the studio’s producer Yung Sing. “While the team focuses on the main IPs like One Perfect Day, I usually do fundraising and collaborations with other parties to help keep the lights on. I usually provide mentoring and training to interns with our own special Spacepup style internships when I have the bandwidth.”
Reception for the game: “The feedback was positive. We learned a lot from the players who mostly comprised other developers or students that were interested in the gaming industry.”
Experience at Level Up KL: “Given the intensity of the development, it’s rare that we get to come together and meet our counterparts from all over the creative industries. This [these events] is usually when we get to catch up with one another. A big thanks to MDEC and all parties involved for keeping the spark alive and helping to grow the industry.”
The game can be wishlisted on Steam. Spacepup aims to release it on Steam sometime in 2025, unless the studio meets the right publishing partners.
Kooeh: A Timeless Delight from Twilight Foundry Games (Malaysia)
Kooeh: A Timeless Delight is a cozy, narrative-driven restaurant management game where you cook, serve, and talk to endangered animals found in Southeast Asia in hopes of completing the missing pages of your family’s recipe book.
The game is developed by Twilight Foundry Games, currently a seven-person team working with a couple of freelancers. “The studio was founded in 2022 with a mission to not only bring quality games to consumers but also to contribute to making the games industry a better place,” highlighted the studio director and co-founder William C. “We are an equal-opportunity game studio that also dabbles in outsource work once in a while to stretch our legs and prevent what we call a “developers’ tunnel vision. Kooeh: A Timeless Delight is our first debut game as a studio but we’ve also done some smaller games prior.”
Reception for the game: “The response was better than expected! We’ve even had visits from speakers and guests of the event and it was truly a rare opportunity to be able to hear their first impression of the game (which we think is very important) in person.”
Experience: “We attended the Level Up Play event held two weeks prior to Level Up KL, where we received a lot of feedback and attention from the general public. The Krea8tif!/Level Up KL is more business-oriented where we hoped to get in-depth technical feedback and comments from fellow industry colleagues to catch things that we might have missed and man, the crowd did not disappoint. We’ve managed to collect tons of insightful feedback for sure!”
The studio plans to release the game on PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch sometime in Q3 2025.
Verde and the Echoing Water by Antimeta Studio (Indonesia)
Verde and the Echoing Water is a cozy-casual city builder where you help a little town called Dewdrop Valley solve its clean water crisis. In this environment-centric game, players need to supply water to a drought-ravaged land, build a variety of structures to help the townsfolk, and restore harmony to the town.
Other titles: Antimeta has developed Retro Invasion – a fast-paced roguelike deck builder with a real-time chaotic twist, and Khodampreneur – a comedic tycoon game based on Indonesian mysticism.
Verde and the Echoing Water is a single-player PC game that has no planned release date yet but can be wishlisted on Steam.