Falmouth Game Expo 2026

Falmouth Game Expo is an introduction to games that new and existing developers have made over the year. This expo has allowed the public to meet the people who make brilliant new games and give them a chance to try the games they have created some of which you find on Steam and others that you can find on itch.io. You also get the chance to see the character models and other art for the games they have created in person, these being made in different ways.

Expo game design

At this expo, there are multiple areas in which you see different art styles and creations for the games on display. The first area I went into had character modals in clay this was really cool to see, as it meant you see the 3D aspect the character these developers where making, most where heads and torsos based clay moulds but that didn’t hinder the detail involved with in these modals as you could clearly see each marking in the sculpture which would of be harder to replicate digitally without scanning in the designs. Going into the second area of this expo, you get to experience the digital models that developers had made include assets they made for the game. Through wandering around on a digital sever they had displayed these, which consisted of digital characters and items that you play or where one was a cauldron that sat on the floor, which was really cool to see. Then going onto the main area for the expo game designs, this was in the first building starting the expo, is majority of the game demos were displayed, each displaying their own style and creativity within each game.

Play tests

During the time at the expo, we play tested multiple games each with a different styles. The first game that we play tested was a game called Bugborn. This was a puzzle-solving game in which you play as different bugs in your team, and you aim to help rescue other bugs from a tyrant bug. This game is fun to play, as you don’t have to worry about how long it takes to save the bugs in each area, as there is no timer on saving your buggy friends. Bugborn is well designed so that the graphics, even though cartoony in style, suit the game’s nature well. This can be found on itch.io, but all game links will be at the end.

Moving to the second game that we play, which I would say comes at a high recommendation for at least trying, is Brine, which is a retro FPS that is set in Falmouth, during this game you are a character called Brine Man, and you are on the hunt for fish. In the game, you can come across items such as the Cornish pasty and rattler, which is a cider you find in Cornwall that helps you heal your health. This game has amazing graphics and is extremely realistic to the area it’s designed in, even matching the Google map images you can find for areas of the game. Brine can be found as a demo on Steam currently, with additional levels in the making.

The next game we play tested was called split the bill. This game was one of the few two player game we played, in which you and your playing partner controlled the same body, and you had the responsibility to serve people food at dinner as well as clean up any mess you made along the way. This game can be as difficult a game to play, but personally I think that what makes it so much fun as you have to communicate with your teammate the whole of the game. This game had simple models and design, but it suited the game well. Split the bill can be found on itch.io for you and your friends to play.

Continuing on to the next game, The doppel effect. This game is also a two-player game in which you and a friend wear blue or red coloured glasses so that you can play together. The aim of the game is to find the double ganger on your view of the game between you and your friend, as you both can see different amounts of people on two different carriages with one common person. you do this by discussing this with your friend, the characters you can see and once you think you have the double ganger in the trains, you both click the person from where you will both push that person outside of the train. This will then tell you if you have kicked the double ganger or if they are still bored. With the goal being to kick the double ganger off. The only negative to the game is that you require blue or red glasses, but they can be made out of two pairs of 3D glasses by taking the opposite colour lenses out of one and swapping it with the other. E.G blue out of one and red for the other, placing the same colours together. The dopple effect can be found on itch.io

The final game we played was buck up, bubble. This was the final two-player game we played at expo. In this game, you and your friend play together to keep each other healthy, as you can not tell how much you have yourself but the controller your using will vibrate to tell you your friend’s health is damaged. The lower your friend’s health the more your controller will vibrate. The aim of the game is to keep each other at good health to help you both find your way out of a dangerous place. I personally loved the graphics on this game as it was very simple and detailed at the same time by having a simple character design and having a complex background, the game just popped. I also found this is a great game to build friendship and communication because you have to work together to stay alive.

Overall expo experience

Overall, I would say this expo had an amazing range of activities to do with so many different things to catch your attention. Whether your interest was in the skills used to create amazing art and games or the just the opportunity to experience the games. It was great to be able to see and experience all the really cool demos and playtests that were on display, even if I didn’t get to experience all of the game around. The expo itself had a really inviting feeling to it so that you didn’t feel like an odd one out regardless on the interest for you. A few of the games I personally didn’t have time to experience but wish I could of being, colour blind, Evergrove, poker purgatory, bounce out! and catatomic. But there are so many more, so the remaining will be in a link below. I really enjoyed this experience and would recommend anyone who gets the chance to try out the games that were displayed.

All the games that were in the expo are on the ichi.io for you all to see here: Games Academy Expo 2026