‘Monstapals’, which was developed by Wagga software company Anomaly and launched on July 24, allows gamers to catch 45 different Monstapals, each with its own look and sound.

Fun facts about each creature, such as their natural habitats, also help users learn more about native animals.

Anomaly CEO Dev Mukherjee said he were unaware of any other local developers to have created an app on a similar scale.

“It’s the first mobile game we’ve developed at this scale – it’s an educational program,” Mr Mukherjee said.

“It’s the large amount of artwork and amount of development – we’re using proper 2D and 3D technologies,” Mr Mukherjee said.

The game, which was in development for 12 months, is child friendly and allows users to customise their Monstapals’ environments.

It also allow users to save their favourite moments with the in-game camera.

“The art is very unique. The concept of it is a fun thing for kids to experience. The big thing is that everyone who’s worked on it is from Wagga,” Mr Mukherjee said.

“The aim is that we enter this market and produce more in the future.”

During development, Wagga Public School students were also involved in testing the game as an after school–hour initiative.

“Some of the kids were surprised that people like us exist in Wagga doing this kind of work,” Mr Mukherjee said.

Game animator and illustrator Alice Peacock said it was an opportunity to establish a games and interactive entertainment sector in Wagga.

“One of the things is being able to do this kind of work in Wagga – it’s usually exclusive to cities,” Ms Peacock said.

The game is available on Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android operating systems.