What if you were the bullet storm instead of dodging it? That’s the wild premise behind Australia Did It, the latest project from acclaimed indie developer Rami Ismail. The game just dropped a fresh HR Orientation trailer at the OTK Winter Games Expo on November 22, 2025, and it’s turning heads with its unique blend of tactical tower defense and reverse bullet hell mechanics.
Welcome to Your New Job
The HR Orientation trailer opens with a bleak premise. The Atlantic Ocean has mysteriously drained, leaving behind a hostile wasteland filled with giant insects, mutants, and reanimated ancient weapons. Your job? You’re a hired mercenary tasked with defending a cargo train as it navigates through this monster-ridden seabed.
As the trailer’s cynical narrator puts it: “When the wildlife turned hostile, so did the job description.” The orientation is simple – don’t die. If the cargo arrives intact, mission accomplished. Whether you survive? That’s negotiable. It’s cheaper to throw mercenaries at monsters than to armor the train, after all.
Two Games in One
Australia Did It splits gameplay into two distinct phases that feel like completely different genres meshed together. Before the train departs each station, you’re playing a tactical tower defense game. You strategically deploy and position your limited units across a grid to hold off relentless waves of enemies. Think chess, but faster and with potentially explosive consequences.
Then everything changes. Once your train starts moving, the game transforms into what developer Rami Ismail calls a reverse bullet hell. Instead of dodging thousands of projectiles, you become the overwhelming firepower. Your units unleash absolute chaos on the monsters trying to stop your cargo delivery. The enemies are the ones who should be afraid.
Merge Your Way to Victory
What sets Australia Did It apart from standard tower defense games is its unit fusion system. You can merge units on the fly during battles to create more powerful combinations. The game boasts over 1,500 unique unit combinations across 30 plus base unit types.
This means every playthrough can feel dramatically different based on how you choose to evolve your forces. Clearing each station also earns you reward cards that let you customize your strategy further. Mix these perks with your evolving crew, and you’ve got wildly different builds to experiment with.
Who’s Behind This Chaos
Rami Ismail is no stranger to creating unique gaming experiences. He’s the creative mind behind indie hits like Nuclear Throne, Luftrausers, and Ridiculous Fishing. For Australia Did It, he’s teamed up with co-developer Aesthetician Labs, with boutique publisher Mystic Forge handling the release.
In interviews, Ismail explained that the game came from his love of strategy titles combined with frustration over standard genre conventions. He wanted to create something that felt fresh by combining tactical planning with fast-paced action. And yes, his admitted fondness for “big explosions” definitely influenced the reverse bullet hell direction.
When Can You Play
Australia Did It is launching on PC via Steam in 2026. But you won’t have to wait that long to try it. The first public playtest is scheduled for December 2025. You can already wishlist the game on Steam and sign up for the free playtest right now.
The game will support 15 languages at launch, including English, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Spanish, French, German, and more. Full audio and subtitles will be available across all supported languages, making it accessible to a global audience.
The Setting That Makes It Work
The drained Atlantic Ocean setting isn’t just window dressing. It creates a hostile environment that justifies the constant monster attacks and desperate cargo runs. The seabed is littered with bones, rust, and the remnants of what used to be underwater civilization.
This post-apocalyptic backdrop gives the game a distinct visual identity. You’re not defending a generic fortress or medieval castle. You’re protecting a train rolling through what should be ocean floor, fighting creatures that have adapted to this bizarre new reality. The trailer showcases a world that feels both familiar and alien at the same time.
Community Reactions
The HR Orientation trailer reveal at the OTK Winter Games Expo generated immediate buzz on social media and gaming forums. Reddit’s gaming community praised the unique style and concept, though some players expressed curiosity about how the two distinct gameplay modes would flow together.
The tactical planning phase appeals to strategy fans who enjoy careful positioning and resource management. The reverse bullet hell phase satisfies action gamers who want explosive, fast-paced combat. Whether these two audiences will embrace both halves equally remains to be seen, but the ambition is certainly there.
What Makes Reverse Bullet Hell Different
Traditional bullet hell games like Touhou or Ikaruga are about precision dodging. You pilot a small ship through impossible patterns of enemy fire, weaving between projectiles with pixel-perfect accuracy. It’s tense, difficult, and rewards pattern recognition.
Reverse bullet hell flips that formula. You’re the overwhelming force. Your units create the screen-filling chaos that enemies must survive. Instead of feeling vulnerable, you feel powerful. Instead of careful evasion, you unleash tactical destruction. It’s a power fantasy wrapped in strategic decision making.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Australia Did It?
Australia Did It is an upcoming PC game that combines tactical tower defense with reverse bullet hell mechanics. Developed by Rami Ismail and Aesthetician Labs, the game has you defending a cargo train across a drained Atlantic Ocean filled with hostile creatures.
When does Australia Did It release?
The game is scheduled to launch on PC via Steam in 2026. However, a free public playtest will be available in December 2025 for those who sign up on the Steam page.
Who is developing Australia Did It?
The game is created by Rami Ismail, known for indie hits like Nuclear Throne and Luftrausers, in collaboration with co-developer Aesthetician Labs. Publisher Mystic Forge is handling the release.
What is reverse bullet hell gameplay?
Reverse bullet hell flips traditional bullet hell mechanics. Instead of dodging thousands of enemy projectiles, you become the overwhelming firepower. Your units create screen-filling attacks while enemies try to survive your onslaught.
How many unit combinations are in Australia Did It?
The game features over 1,500 unique unit combinations created from 30 plus base unit types. You can merge units during gameplay to create more powerful combinations and adapt your strategy.
What platforms will Australia Did It be available on?
Australia Did It is currently confirmed for PC via Steam. No console versions have been announced yet, but the game is being developed using Unity Engine.
What is the story behind Australia Did It?
The game is set in a world where the Atlantic Ocean has mysteriously drained, leaving behind a hostile wasteland. You play as a hired mercenary defending cargo trains that transport goods across the dangerous seabed filled with mutated creatures and ancient weapons.
Can I try Australia Did It before release?
Yes, you can sign up for the free public playtest scheduled for December 2025 by wishlisting the game on Steam. This will give players an early chance to experience the gameplay before the full 2026 release.
Conclusion
Australia Did It represents the kind of creative risk-taking that keeps indie gaming exciting. By mashing together tactical tower defense and reverse bullet hell, Rami Ismail and his team are creating something that doesn’t fit neatly into existing categories. The HR Orientation trailer showcases a game with personality, dark humor, and gameplay mechanics that genuinely feel fresh.
Whether you’re drawn to the strategic planning phase or the explosive action sequences, there’s clearly ambition here. The drained Atlantic Ocean setting provides a memorable backdrop, and the unit fusion system promises depth for players who want to experiment with different approaches.
With the December 2025 playtest approaching, we’ll soon see if this genre-bending experiment delivers on its promise. If you’re tired of the same old tower defense formulas or looking for a bullet hell that lets you be the storm instead of weathering it, Australia Did It might be your next obsession. Just remember the orientation: don’t die. Everything else is negotiable.