Aussie game wins App Store award

Apple has held its annual App Store Awards, and an indie Australian game has taken home the prize for the best Apple Arcade game

Wylde Flowers was developed by Melbourne-based developer Studio Drydock. Picture: Studio Drydock

An Australian game has taken home Apple’s prestigious Apple Arcade Game of the Year award, noted by the tech giant as the best game released on its subscription service in 2022.

The award was given to Wylde Flowers, developed by Melbourne-based indie development team Studio Drydock, who collaborated with developers around the world (thanks, Press Start!). The game is available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV via Apple Arcade, as well as PC via Steam and Nintendo Switch.

Apple Arcade is Apple’s gaming subscription service, which allows owners of Apple products access to over 200 games for just $7.99 a month. All Apple Arcade games are free from ads and in-app purchases, meaning that games accessed through the service can’t rack up nasty bills.

Wylde Flowers is described by Studio Drydock as a “cozy life and farming sim with a witchy twist”. It has players taking control of Tara, who’s just moved back from the city to help out on the family farm, as she farms, joins a coven, casts spells, and develops relationships in the small town of Fairhaven.

Wylde Flowers combines farming gameplay with deep storytelling, with just a dash of the supernatural. Picture: Studio Drydock

Studio Drydock says that Wylde Flowers has over 30 diverse characters, each with their own personalities and backstories, and up to 60 hours of varied, immersive gameplay. It’s also fully voiced, with a cast that includes BAFTA-winning voice actors.

Wylde Flowers released earlier this year to glowing reviews from the press. It currently holds a score of 84/100 on score aggregator website Metacritic, with Australian website Checkpoint Gaming saying in its review that it features a “lovingly detailed world and equally lovely examples of diversity”.

Wylde Flowers isn’t the only Australian game winning awards at the moment, though, as an Aussie game was recently announced to have won a coveted Golden Joystick award. Cult of the Lamb, by another Melbourne-based studio Massive Monster, won the Best Indie Game of the year award. The Golden Joysticks are often considered one the most prestigious game awards in the industry.

Cult of the Lamb may very well pick up another big award soon, too. Nominations were revealed for the 2022 Game Awards recently, and the game is nominated for Best Indie game there as well. It’s up against tough competition, such as Neon White and Stray, both of which have been met with glowing reviews.

Written by Oliver Brandt on behalf of GLHF.