Looking to champion local indie studios, Penny Arcade Expo's inaugural East Coast event in Boston has selected several up‑and‑coming developers to display their games for free on its exhibition floor during the three-day show (Friday, March 26th to Sunday, March 28th).

After examining a number of submissions, organizers for PAX East have picked out six winning entries for the Showcase, including a couple 2010 IGF Finalists (Miegakure and AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!!):

  • Slam Bolt Scrappers (Fire Hose Games) – A unique combination of engaging in building challenges while fighting off wacky, cartoon baddies in a beat ‘em up brawler
  • AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! (Dejobaan Games) – Jump off buildings floating above Boston performing stunts and making split-second decisions as you weave around buildings to score points
  • Dearth (MIT Gambit Game Lab) – Save the Tribal Lands from monsters and drought playing as a great shaman in this exciting co-operative action-puzzler
  • Waker (MIT Gambit Game Lab) – Players are challenged to use both mind and reflexes to solve puzzles, creating platforms to form a path in this puzzle/platform game set in the world of a child’s broken dream
  • Turba (Keith Morgado, trailer above) – A puzzle game where each song played will generate unique game boards on which players much create combos of 3 or more of the same color
  • Miegakure (Marc ten Bosch) – A platform game where you explore the fourth dimension to solve puzzles.

"Boston welcomed us with open arms and we wanted to give a little of the love back. We knew there are some great companies in Boston that can’t normally take booth space, so the Showcase was born," says Penny Arcade's Robert Khoo. "Our winners have put together a selection of titles that are fun and original; but most importantly they show what gamers with passion and dedication can do."