Background information
Animal Crossing and Minecraft have had a baby, and it’s called Pokémon Pokopia
by Domagoj Belancic
"Australia Did It" brings together genres that don't belong together
9.2.2026
Translation: machine translated
Merciless non-stop action and strategy with brains. "Australia Did It" brings together what doesn't really belong together. And with great success.
Indie developer Rami Ismail has invented a new genre with his game «Australia Did It». Yes, you read that right.
His creation combines elements from turn-based strategy games with chaotic shooter mechanics à la «Vampire Survivors». He has christened this fresh genre mishmash with an extremely fitting (and damn epic) name:
«Tactical Reverse Bullet Hell».
I was able to get a first-hand impression of this bizarre combination at a preview event - and ask Rami a few questions about his latest work. This much in advance: «Australia Did It» feels wonderfully fresh and is immediately addictive.
What the hell is a «Tactical Reverse Bullet Hell»?!
In «Australia Did It» I accompany a train through a post-apocalyptic landscape full of bloodthirsty monsters.
The gameplay consists of two parts: In railway stations, I defend the stationary train in turn-based battles. I create armed units and position them in such a way that they fend off the flood of monsters as efficiently as possible.
Source: Mystic Forge
Between the stations, the game switches to a real-time shooter mechanic reminiscent of titles such as «Vampire Survivors». In other words, my units sit in the moving train and automatically shoot at the hordes of monsters. Shots, explosions and particle effects fill the screen and kill dozens of enemies per second - «Reverse Bullet Hell» just like that.
My inputs are kept to a minimum, the train moves automatically. I choose which units travel actively and passively in the individual train compartments. For particularly thick enemy chunks, I aim manually or activate a special attack.
Source: Mystic Forge
The special thing about «Australia Did It» is how the two parts of the gameplay work together. In the turn-based station battles, I already have to think about the upcoming Reverse Bullet Hell section. My manufactured units have to work in both contexts.
In short, the game forces me to think transversally between two genres. As if I were building characters for one game and then importing them into another, where suddenly different rules apply.
A mindfuck. And that's exactly why it's so good.
«Strategy games frustrate me»
Rami is a strategy game fan himself. For «Australia Did It», he deliberately wanted to take a new approach and do everything that frustrates him about the genre differently: «In many strategy games, you lose in the first few minutes of a match. You just don't realise it yet and keep playing even though you don't stand a chance.»
This is due to frustrating systems that only penalise the player after a delay: «For example, basebuilding. If your base is in a slightly worse position than your opponent's, you get fewer resources than they do. After half an hour, he is so far ahead of you in terms of resources that you have no chance of winning. That frustrates me.»
Source: Mystic Forge
Punishment in «Australia Did It» is much more direct, especially in the action-packed reverse bullet hell sections that act as ultra-fast skill checks. «If you don't have the right units equipped or their levels are too low, you'll be penalised immediately, without delay.»
I feel this direct feedback when playing. A mistake often escalates quickly and ends in death. The game is uncompromising and «honest». I don't find this frustrating - trial and error is part of the roguelike principle of the game and makes it addictive («just one more round!»).
Source: Mystic Forge
I want to know what the creative process was behind the creation of this new game concept. Did Rami set out from the start to combine seemingly incompatible gameplay elements into a new genre, or did the whole thing come about organically? «The basic idea - with railway stations as tactical gameplay and the journeys as skill checks in between - was clear very early on», replies Rami.
However, it was not clear for a long time exactly how these skill checks would work: «The train journeys were initially very strategic and challenging. The final version is much more playful. It feels like 'Vampire Survivors' - it's a great feeling when your units destroy everything. Or you get destroyed because your troops are too weak. These playful breathers are more fun. And they are important for the balance, because the turn-based part demands a lot from you.»
«My game is pretty nasty»
As a roguelike, «Australia Did It» is designed to be played over and over again from the beginning. The fact that every run feels significantly different is partly due to the special «merge» mechanic.
Units that I create during the turn-based part can be combined with other units. I start with three basic units, which I merge into stronger figures. I never know what to expect when I combine them. It gets particularly exciting when I reproduce units with strong special effects «» .
A shotgunner that also electrifies opponents? Hell yeah!
Source: Mystic Forge
Rami says there are so many combinations that he hasn't seen all of them on sale in his test runs. « Over 1000 different variants» are said to be possible. These include completely useless, but equally incredibly powerful creations that almost «break the game».
When I have combined a powerful unit, I feel invincible. However, this feeling can quickly fizzle out. «My game is pretty nasty», says Rami with a smile. «If you lose a unit that you've levelled up and combined a lot, it can have devastating effects.»
I can confirm that. It's particularly annoying when I lose a unit because I don't park it in the train when I leave the station. This happens especially with powerful units that have a tiny movement radius. If they are positioned unfavourably on the board before departure, they can no longer reach the departing train.
I'd like to slap myself in situations like this.
Source: Mystic Forge
«I didn't want to use stereotypes»
The title of the game is at least as interesting as the genre name: «Australia Did It». What's Rami's problem with Australia? «I love Australia, honestly», Rami affirms with a smile.
Although the title might suggest it, the game is not set in Australia, but at the bottom of the sea.
What, please?
Yes, at the bottom of the sea. The Atlantic has vaporised. Disappeared just like that. Transatlantic merchant ships no longer exist. So trains are needed. Once the location had been determined, the team thought about why the Atlantic had vaporised: «I quickly realised that it was an accident. But one that was caused by human greed. Now we still have to define who is responsible for the accident.»
Source: Mystic Forge
Rami wanted a country to be responsible. However, he did not want to cater to boring stereotypes. That means: «No Chinese triads, no South American drug cartels, no Arab terrorists. We've already had all that. The guilty country must also be big and rich enough to cause such an accident. And it must be directly affected by the missing sea. Therefore: Australia.»
The title «Australia Did It» was originally just an internal project name. Because it is so unusual, it caused quite a stir and quickly became the official name.
Rami gets a lot of questions about the title: «It's remarkable how curious people get when a country like Australia could potentially be the cause of something bad. As someone from an Arab background, I'm used to 'us' being the bad guys. In games like 'Call of Duty', Arab countries are regularly bombed away.»
Source: Mystic Forge
«Publishers behave like vultures»
At the end of the preview event, Rami praises the publisher Mystic Forge, which publishes «Australia Did It». Unlike many other publishers, the company dares to take risks - including the financial support for its unusual concept.
In general, a lack of willingness to take risks is a major problem in the current video game landscape, says Rami: «The gaming industry is doing badly because nobody is taking risks. [...] Publishers only want to release games that are already hyped. They only invest money in such titles and act as if they are the saviours. In reality, publishers are behaving like vultures.»
This also has an impact on small indie developers: «Indie studios have to invest a lot of time and money before a publisher even takes notice of a game. This raises the question: are you going to invest a year of your life in a crazy concept or would you rather produce something safe that will convince risk-averse publishers?»
Source: Mystic Forge
«That's very frustrating», summarises Rami. «If you look at which titles win awards and which are remembered, it's never the games that play it safe. They are games that combine roguelike mechanics with poker ('Balatro'). Japanese role-playing games that are extremely French ('Clair Obscure: Expedition 33'). Roguelike puzzle games with building plans in a huge estate ('Blue Prince'). You can't validate such concepts through market research. You have to believe in it and take a risk.»
Only time will tell whether Ramis «Australia Did It» can join the ranks of legendary indie games with unique game concepts. The potential for an addictive hit is definitely there.
«Australia Did It» does not yet have a release date. It will be released on PC. I was invited to a digital preview event and received a preview key for testing purposes.
Domagoj Belancic
Senior Editor
Domagoj.Belancic@digitecgalaxus.chMy love of video games was unleashed at the tender age of five by the original Gameboy. Over the years, it's grown in leaps and bounds.
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