Indie Watch: Must-See Indie Games — March & April, 2026

March and April bring a strong mix of indie releases, and this edition of Indie Watch: Must-See Indie Games highlights some of the standouts hitting PC and Steam. From the stylish action of Homura Hime to the charming puzzle‑platforming of Apopia: Sugar Coated Tale, there’s a wide range of ideas on display this spring.

We also spent time with the Celeste-inspired Sealed Bite: Extended, and retro throwbacks like Haunted Lands, plus plenty more indie games that kept us engaged the last two months! If you’re looking for fresh indie projects worth checking out, these are the ones that rose to the top for our team.

Here is CGM’s Indie Watch: Must-See Indie Games — March & April, 2026:

Apopia: Sugar Coated Tale

Developer: Quillo Entertainment Limited
Release Date: March 3, 2026
Platforms: PC
Played by: Jordan Biordi

Apopia: Sugar Coated Tale is a prime example of how far a game’s aesthetic and storytelling can go. As soon as I saw it, its sense of style immediately captivated me and made me want to play. It’s a great way to get players in the door because the game itself is a wonderful little romp with a lot of variety and charm. While it’s not an overly challenging experience, Apopia: Sugar Coated Tale blends a lot of different gameplay elements to consistently keep the experience engaging.

Its story, while evoking games like Undertale and Alice in Wonderland, has an innocent, Paper Mario-esque sense of humour that makes it a lot of fun to experience. And while the base game is a straightforward point-and-click puzzle solver, it frequently throws in little minigames to maintain a sense of fun. And as I mentioned above, it has a really charming hand-drawn aesthetic that makes it feel really genuine.

Homura Hime

Developer: Crimson Dusk
Release Date: March 4, 2026
Platforms: Steam
Played By: Philip Watson

What happens when you take Devil May Cry or Bayonetta and fuse it with a High Priestess, gorgeous anime visuals, and incredible anime influence? I’m sure there’s a proper answer, but I would be appalled if Homura Hime weren’t included in the conversation. What Crimson Dusk brings to the table with Homura Hime is nothing short of an absolute blast to play. You are Homura Hime (the titular character), and she is tasked with purifying Archdemons who are corrupting the world with their dark influence over the lesser demons.

The twist is, each Archdemon has a huge regret in life, which is what sets them on their murderous path. It’s your job as “the strongest exorcist” to purify these once-troubled humans like the High Priestess version of Bleach’s Ichigo. Without spoilers, the ethical ramifications of doing the right thing and understanding why the human behind the Archdemon becomes what they are are what set Homura Hime apart from all other action games in the genre. These demons have heart, and you genuinely feel for each one of them through their memories.

If you’re in the market for a new hack-and-slash adventure filled with gorgeous anime visuals and on-point action gameplay, Homura Hime is a great option.

Haunted Lands

Developer: alevgor
Release Date: March 10, 2026
Platforms: PC
Played by: Jordan Biordi

I was immediately drawn to Haunted Lands due in large part to its classic MS-DOS aesthetic. I’ve said in the past that so many games try to capture the look and feel of the NES or SNES that a lot of these other pivotal systems get forgotten, and it’s nice to see developers try to recreate them. And while the look hooked me, the gameplay was what kept me on the line.

Haunted Lands may look like a game for MS-DOS, but it certainly doesn’t play like one. It’s a fast-paced, intense action platformer that’s both fun and immensely challenging. Players move through levels with one of three unique characters, blasting any unholy creature that stands in their path. It’s got tight, responsive controls, interesting mechanics, modern game design sensibilities and a pulpy, macabre atmosphere that makes it both spooky and fun!

Sealed Bite: Extended

Developer: Ruben S. Luis
Release Date: March 12, 2026
Platforms: PC
Played by: Jordan Biordi

When I saw the email for Sealed Bite: Extended land in my email, being described as a “Celeste-inspired” Metroid-like, I was genuinely intrigued. I sometimes forget how good Celeste was, and just how much I enjoyed it, but you really don’t see a lot of games like it. It was pretty incredible to see a game that found a way to capture the game’s essence while also expanding on it in an interesting way.

Sealed Bite: Extended is a relatively bite-sized Metroid-like that controls very similarly to Celeste but adds a unique twist to the function of dashing—namely, that players can only dash through enemies. It creates a unique setup to the platforming that creates a lot of scenarios for creative thinking and movement. As players progress, they’ll gain additional movement abilities that further expand how they traverse the vibrant and dangerous world. On top of that, this Extended version offers more areas, bosses and secrets to uncover!

Cinderia

Developer: MyACG Studio
Release Date: March 30, 2026
Platforms: PC
Played by: Jordan Biordi

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t immediately intrigued by Cinderia because it was adorable. CGM’s Dayna Elieen knows my cute trigger and always sends me things with the caption “LOOK HOW CUTE.” But the more I looked into the game, the more I was intrigued. Despite its adorable, chibi aesthetic, it was also a dark-fantasy action roguelite akin to Hades or The Binding of Issac. Sometimes, a game is such a well-oiled, well-assembled experience that there isn’t a lot to say about it.

That’s by no means a dig against Cinderia, because the game is such a perfect representation of the games it’s clearly inspired by. Action is fast-paced and razor-sharp, giving players a ton of variety for movement and attacking. The roguelike elements are so perfectly delivered that players have a ton of customization options with each run, and the story is interesting that you’re compelled to move forward. Like I’ve said before, when a game understands its inspiration and delivers on it, it can make for a REALLY fun experience.

Fishbowl

Developer: imissmyfriends.studio
Release Date: Mar 31, 2026
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5
Played by: Lane Martin

Fishbowl is something I suspect we’ll be seeing more and more in the days to come: a Covid game. Players take on the role of Alo, a young woman in a new city trying to navigate grief, loneliness, and an active imagination during a global pandemic. This is mostly done through a series of mini-games and character conversations.

As you might expect, Fishbowl is a story-heavy visual novel with an endearing art style and excellent, though melancholy vibes. Players guide Alo through mundane, daily tasks, remote work, and forced, dutiful attempts to be social. At times, Fishbowl can feel like a virtual pet, just trying to make sure this poor girl remembers to eat, and someone waters the plants. If you’re in the mood for something that runs the gamut between magical and maudlin, and you are ready to revisit an interesting time in recent history, it might be worth a look.

Raccoin

Developer: Doraccoon
Release Date: Mar 31, 2026
Platforms: PC
Played by: Lane Martin

Just the other day, I had to explain to my partner exactly what a roguelike was while still remaining, at least a small bit, cool. I was unsuccessful. However, this process made me stop and reflect on how ubiquitous roguelike mechanics have become. Raccoin seeks to further iterate on those mechanics in a way that I certainly have not seen before.

You may be familiar with those coin-pushing machines that show up in arcades. Players drop a coin onto a pile of coins, and a mechanical shelf pushes all of them around, hopefully over a ledge and into the player’s waiting hands. Raccoin takes this and adds, well, a game to it. Players go through numerous levels, hoping to clear enough points to move on to the next, utilizing randomized powers, inventive coin abilities, and gambling to push all those wonderful little coins around. Coins can stick to other coins, water plants to make new coins, explode in a shower of money and mayhem, and much, much more. If you, too, have been swept up in roguelike fever, then you should really give Raccoin a look and see if it scratches that sweet spot for you.

Fortune Seller

Developer: Kiwick Studios
Release Date: April 6, 2026
Platforms: PC
Played by: Jordan Biordi

Fortune Seller initially caught my eye because it reminded me a bit of Potion Craft—insofar as it was a shop simulator with an interesting twist. When I had read the initial pitch for it, I assumed it would be a mix of using Tarot Cards to persuade unwitting sellers to spend more than they should on mystical goods. What I got was so much more interesting—Fortune Seller feels like what you would get if you combined Vampire Survivors with Resident Evil 4’s inventory management.

Players will need to sell as many goods as they can, by filling slots in a customer’s “shopping bag, ”utilizing unique bonuses and modifiers that come from special slots, tarot cards and magical abilities. Each day, the player’s debt owed to their demonic landlord rises, so players will need to maximize their builds in order to stay ahead of the curve. It’s easy to get into and unbelievably captivating, made more interesting by its dark atmosphere and creepy visuals.

Gunboat God

Developer: Janson RAD
Release Date: April 13, 2026
Platforms: Steam
Played By: Philip Watson

I’ve always been a pretty big fan of arcade shooting, and the developers over at Janson RAD would likely agree. Gunboat God inserts you as an exile from civilization, and you fall what feels like a mile from the Citadel (which serves as the centre of civilization). You crash land on an experimental boat being worked on by a crocodile named Yeti. The boat has guns, and at the outset, Gunboat God admittedly doesn’t make much sense (it corrects this later). But damn, is it fun.

Gunboat God tosses the player in the deep end against a myriad of stages where you must take care of your vessel by dodging swarms of enemies and finish optional tasks with your new crocodile buddy (and get some nifty upgrades for your boat, too!). Gunboat God hits all the right notes of a stage-based arcade shooter, and it looks good the whole way with a unique art style and colour schemes that demand your attention.

Titanium Court

Developer: AP Thompson
Release Date: April 23
Platforms: Steam
Played By: Philip Watson

I’m not quite 100 percent sure on how to describe Titanium Court. But, it’s 100 percent worth your time.

In Titanium Court, you are the queen herself, and it’s up to you to defend your court against…well, basically anything. There are goats demanding tolls, war games that are scored a lot like soccer, and a material system that could be described as Catan on LSD. Titanium Court could also be described as a glorified match-three game (similar to any other title on mobile devices) with humorous writing that leaves you weak from laughter at the monitor. Whatever it is, Titanium Court nails it over and over, and the excellent writing keeps you entertained even though it’s hard to put into words.

If you like roguelikes, Blue Prince, Candy Crush, kingdom-building and consistent knee-slapping humour, AP Thomson has a serious diamond in the rough here, waiting to be unearthed. Play this game, and you will not be disappointed. It’s very unique, and it works.

Monster Crown: Sin Eater

Developer: Studio Aurum
Release Date: April 30, 2026
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC
Played by: Lane Martin

In a world where humans live alongside monsters, some tame them to participate in turn-based RPG-style battles. This may sound a bit familiar to you so far, and rightly so. Monster Crown: Sin Eater wears its Poké-inspirations proudly, but there is more to it than that. The world of Monster Crown is dark, set in a world of political upheaval, and monsters are far from adorable cooperators to humanity. They regularly rampage, destroying human settlements. Hardship is the default, and death is a daily sight.

Luckily, Monster Crown: Sin Eater frees itself from accusations of solely being edgy Pokémon with some impressive design work. The world is rendered in lush pixel art, with some sharp visual effects and lovely music. While the monsters are more monstrous than their poke-cousins, their designs remain inventive and charming. If you grew up with the behemoth in the monster-fighting genre and you are looking for something darker with a more focused story, then Monster Crown: Sin Eaters is certainly worth a look.