Once Upon a Swagman

A relaxing and immersive experience where you will camp, fish, and forage to survive as you make your way along a pixel art coastline, following in the footsteps of the traditional Australian swagman.

A "swagman" is a term for a nomadic person who would typically travel with minimal gear consisting mostly of their swag (a bedroll) and a few other items.

You will face a realistic simulated coastal bush environment, be immersed among sounds captured authentically in the Australian bush, and discover what lies at the end of your journey.

The environments in this game have all been hand pixeled and all of the sounds you will hear in this game - from the weather, to footsteps, to the laugh of a kookaburra, to the gentle trickle of a stream or the lapping of waves - were captured live in the Australian bush by the developer in an attempt to provide an experience that feels authentically Australian and connected to nature.

Fishing and Foraging

There are many ways to go about surviving in Once Upon a Swagman, but at the heart of it all are the foraging and fishing systems.

Some swaggies may find they prefer sticking to the bush and living off of what bush tucker they can forage there. Others may prefer to take to the ocean to catch fish and explore reefs.

But perhaps the most successful swaggies will find a harmonious balance between both of these aspects. Instead of eating your small foraged items, use them as bait to catch bigger fish, and then use those fish to catch even bigger fish!

Or... use your fish as bait on land to lure out a meal of crabs... just make sure the seagulls don't fly off with your fish!

Fire making

A camp does not feel like home until the camp fire is lit... but you're going to have to work for it. If you want to cook your fish you're going to have to build up your fire first. You'll have to find suitable dry tinder to start a fire, and supply it with enough smaller and larger fuel to really get it going.

But... be careful. On hot and dry days you might find your fire spreads a little further than you intended.

They call Australia the land of droughts and flooding rains. If it's not one extreme it's the other. Just as you might find yourself amidst a catastrophic bushfire, on a wet and rainy day you might find yourself unable to find material dry enough to get a fire started at all as you shiver cold and alone with no fish to eat.

A little preparation goes a long way: keep a few bits of dry tinder handy, set up a tarp shelter to keep the rain off your fire wood, and you'll have a cozy camp where you can listen to the pitter patter of the rain on the tarp as you eat your hard earned fish.

Unlock New Skills

The seasoned swaggie has a larger toolkit. As you complete survival tasks you will unlock new tools to help you survive as the terrain becomes harsher and resources more scarce. Once you are fully kitted out you will be able to use all of these tools:

• Knife

• Fishing Rod

• Shovel

• Spear

• Axe

• Raft

• Sling

You will also gain skill points as you level up which you can invest into attributes in a skill tree that best suit the way you want to survive in the bush.

Lucky Finds!

It's the lucky country, or so they say, and there are various ways you can snag your own lucky finds. You can fish for, dig for, or simply stumble upon various treasures that will aid you in your journey.