Once Upon a Swagman

A relaxing, meditative, and casual survival experience where you journey from town to town along a beautiful pixel art coastline, building your skills as a 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.

Fish, cook, and bushcraft to survive, collect additional skills and gear from the locals in the towns you visit, and enjoy the serenity of a simpler life (but not one without its own troubles and dangers). As your skills grow, so does the distance you can travel, and the things you might discover.

All of the ambient sounds you will hear in this game - from the weather, to foot steps, to bird sounds - were captured live in the Australian bush in an attempt to provide an experience that feels authentically Australian. 

The demo will return soon!

Feature Overview

• Procedurally generated terrain and ocean

• Dynamic and realistic ocean tides and fish

• Realistic fire system

• Immersive weather

• Authentic ambient sounds and other audio captured in the Australian bush

• Fishing, cooking, crafting, and other survival mechanics

• Skill levelling, unlocks, buffs, and rewards

• Towns

Lucky Finds!

It's the lucky country, or so they say, and there are various ways you can snag your own lucky finds. Using the foraging or fishing skills you can stumble upon items that might fill your hunger, your water bottle, or if you're particularly lucky you might find one of the rare stat boosting fishing lures.

New Towns, New Skills!

The seasoned swagman has a larger toolkit. Each time you reach a new town you will have the opportunity to choose a new skill to unlock. Pick the skills that suit your own survival style.

Daily Goals

If the general challenges of surviving the harsh Australian coastline isn't motivation enough for you, you can choose the most challenging daily goals for the chance to gain powerful temporary buffs.