It is Indie-Penance Day, and while the origin of this celebration 250,000 years ago remains a bit of a mystery, it is the perfect excuse to highlight some of the most interesting independent projects currently heading to your Steam wishlist. If you want to help developers out, wishlisting is the single most effective way to trigger algorithms and get these titles in front of more eyes.

Magical Dice and Slumlord Witches

Mass Transfer Interactive is behind Spellsided, a title that combines classic cube-rolling mechanics with a unique twist: the die you use to play the game is also your character. Players can customize each face of the die to cast different spells, all rendered in a distinct voxel art style. A release date is currently TBA.

If you prefer something more eccentric, Janet DeMornay Is A Slumlord (and a witch) from developer Fuzzy Ghost is one to watch. The game features a former television celebrity who has fallen from grace and is now conducting a surprise inspection of your apartment. It is set in a "maze of debauched appliances," though a release date for this mystery remains TBA.

Chilled Vibes and TTRPGs

For those looking to relax, Ourlands is available now. Developed by GrahamOfLegend, it is a cozy city builder that ditches management mechanics and goals in favor of "just vibes," allowing players to decorate islands with stickerbook-like additions.

If you are looking for something tactile, Defy the Gods by Hectic Electron Games is a queer sword-n-sorcery romantic adventure. Rather than being a screen-based game, it is presented as a 312-page hardback TTRPG book. It is available for purchase now.

Vacuum Battles and Experimental Puzzles

Roombattle from Dust Games is exactly what it sounds like: a frantic battle between robotic vacuum cleaners. You can play solo or with up to six players, and the game even supports using smartphones as controllers. It is currently available on Steam.

Looking ahead, there are several other projects worth tracking:

  • Dance of Theseus (Citreat Studio): A high-quality dress-up sim set in the world of monster ballrooms where you craft your own limbs.
  • He Who Watches (Danga Games): A gravity-manipulating puzzle game where you walk on walls to solve chambers.
  • Folk Emerging (Curious Dynamics): A 4X stone-age civilization builder featuring cave-painting-inspired art, launching July 2026.
  • Blocks For Babies (BunkSoft Interactive): A bizarre hybrid that shifts between 2D block-stacking and 3D first-person shooting.
  • Imprinted (Cobalt Lane): A haunting audio restoration game about a musician who went missing in the late 1970s. A demo is expected later this month.