“I recognized this game.” A Kazakhstani showed an unusual find from Australia

Tengrinews.kz — Kazakh asyks have made an unexpected appearance thousands of kilometers from home. A Kazakhstani national spotted a children's game featuring the familiar knucklebones in a Sydney bookstore and shared the find online.
How it all began
The user shared photos of the unusual discovery on social media.

"A couple of months ago, while browsing a bookstore in Sydney, I stumbled upon a familiar game—asyks. Come on, confess: which of you started a business here?" reads the caption.

An Australian children's toy resembling asyks. Screenshot: Threads
Commenters noted that similar games are known globally as "knucklebones." Others wondered why more accessible versions of the game, such as plastic ones, are not manufactured in Kazakhstan.

"That’s just knucklebones. It's an international game," "Man, they have it in Australia but we don't. Although what could be easier than molding them from plastic?" and "Funny find, details like this really catch the eye," commenters wrote.

What is the game and how do you play it?
The back of the packaging describes rules that largely mirror the Kazakh national game, Bestas.
The main goal is to be the first to complete seven levels. To start, players toss five knucklebones and catch them with their palm—whoever catches the most goes first. If you make a mistake or drop a bone, the turn immediately passes to the next player.
The initial stages are simple: you toss one bone and try to pick up the others from the ground—one at a time, then in pairs, then three at once, and finally all four together.
The following levels add sound requirements: the bones must either produce a distinct click when caught or, conversely, be caught in absolute silence.
The final stages involve the most difficult tasks: picking up the entire pile at once (Dumps), catching a bone with an overhand grip (Catching Flies), or herding the bones one by one under arched fingers (Horse in the Stable) before gathering them in a single final motion.
The game is labeled for children aged five and up.
In South Korea, the game is known as gongginori. It also uses five small pebbles and features successive rounds that require dexterity and coordination. Despite some differences in the rules, the overall spirit of the game is preserved.