Being a shorter month did nothing to prevent February from being jam packed with indie games. That won’t stop March from coming out swinging with an even bigger glut of indie titles to warm up this extended winter. A lot of the titles releasing this month encapsulate two primary reasons why we look to indie gaming with reverence. The ability to try new things, subvert expectations, and generally think outside of what’s popular makes indie gaming THE space where design can shine. And also as a way to take genres, methods that have fallen by the wayside, and give them a fresh coat of paint and breathe a little life into them.
This is our second Indie Game Wrap-Up of both the year and in totality. Maybe I’m doing nothing here and this coverage hasn’t made a blip in how these games are perceived. Maybe the little bump in attention has given these developers the ability to stay in business another day. Maybe you read last month’s and found something you connected with. I really hope those last two things are true. I’m going to repeat myself every month though. If you’re on the fence, make sure to wishlist, and I’ll keep bringing you indie coverage to help you decide. As always, numbers mean everything, make sure you’re sharing these games, putting them on your respective wishlists, and keeping an eye on Monstervine.com to learn more about your favorite games.
SIGNAL: Uncharted Lands
Platforms: PC | Release Date: March 4th
SIGNAL: Uncharted Lands is a post-apocalyptic visual novel where you’ll be exploring the ruins of an ancient civilization with four adorable chihuahuas. Help direct Dobby, Stubby, Daisy, and Jason as they explore the remains of an unknown civilization from long ago. Directing these pups in their efforts to solve puzzles, make decisions, and learn more about the mysterious signal discovered that brought them there. Spend March with some cute pups when SIGNAL: Uncharted Lands releases on March 4th. SIGNAL: Uncharted Lands currently has a demo on its Steam page.
Petrified Pawns
Platforms: PC | Release Date: March 4th
You know that feeling you get when you’re playing chess and your pawn gets taken out and you just wish that instead of immediate death the poor guy had a health pool? Well, me either. But Petrified Pawns developer Mikael Borghult bravely asks the question, what if chess was actually a tactical dungeon crawler? Your chess pieces follow the same movement rules from the game of chess but with new abilities and attacks. Including two new pieces, the Warlock and the Crossbow, Petrified Pawns seems like an incredible crossover for the dungeon crawler/chesshead in your life. Find treasures, gold, potions, and powerful weapons on March 4th when Petrified Pawns launches on Steam. Petrified Pawns currently has a demo on its Steam page.
Knights in Tight Spaces
Platforms: PC | Release Date: March 4th
I’ve talked about the follow-up to Fights in Tight Spaces releasing this month and I’m glad it’s happening so soon. Knights in Tight Spaces mixes the strategy of a roguelike deckbuilder with the execution of a turn-based tactics game. However, unlike most turn-based tactics games, Knights in Tight Spaces keeps the focus on the spaces, letting the environment play a role in how exactly you beat the crap out of the enemy. Boasting over 300 cards, different classes, and gear to equip, Knights in Tight Spaces will let you go medieval on some butts when it releases on March 4th. Knights in Tight Spaces has a demo on its Steam page.
Grimoire Groves
Platforms: PC | Release Date: March 4th
I just got back from Grimoire Groves and let me tell you, what used to be a haven for witches looking for a new home is now practically empty! No forest spirits remain and there were only a few plant creatures left! With a little elbow grease, an eye for investigation, and some magic, you might be able to get Grimoire Groves back in order! Unlock and earn new spells, collect fruits and items, befriend mythical creatures, and unravel the mystery of the rainbow socks. Find out all that Grimoire Groves has to offer when this roguelite dungeon crawler releases on March 6th. Grimoire Groves has a demo on its Steam page.
Bao Bao’s Cozy Laundromat
Platforms: PC | Release Date: March 5th
Bao Bao’s Cozy Laundromat is an idle game about a panda running a Laundromat. It’s a cozy game, meant to be played in either a windowed mode, or in docked mode where it sits on the bottom of your screen, running while you do other things. The music is relaxing, and so are the sounds of the washers and dryers running, if you choose to have those noises running too. You get to take the money earned and buy more machines, hire more pandas, or decorate the building how you see fit. It’s got the best aspects of a business simulator, while still being a cozy game you can play without needing to provide your full attention. Bao Bao’s Cozy Laundromat releases March 6 on Steam and has a demo you can check out now.
MainFrames
Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch | Release Date: March 6th
How do you feel about cozy platformers that feature a charming floppy diskette and a cast of colorful characters? MainFrames claims to be a “byte-sized adventure” that sees Floppy try to find out who they are in an increasingly digital world. On a quest to find themselves they’ll encounter cheeky daemons, quirky characters, and some light puzzle-platforming. MainFrames looks to be short and sweet, giving you a fun platforming adventure that will put a smile on your face and not overstay its welcome when it releases on March 6th on both Steam and the Nintendo Switch. MainFrames has a demo on its Steam page.
Do No Harm
Platforms: PC | Release Date: March 6th
That’s it, two years of undergrad, four years of med school, and you find yourself in a shack at a swamp treating conditions you’ve never heard of. Do No Harm puts you in the shoes of a doctor in a Lovecraftian horror, curing all manner of nightmarish illnesses. You have 30 days to build a career as a doctor exploring the unexplored, perceiving the imperceptible. Will you be able to practice as these entities cause hallucinations, deceive you about your treatments, present anomalies in your practice, and impact your sanity? Will you curse them or Do No Harm when it releases on Steam, March 6th. Do No Harm has a demo on its Steam page.
Songs of Rats
Platforms: PC | Release Date: March 10th
Songs of Rats is a roguelike Choose Your Own Adventure-inspired RPG that pits the player against an ancient labyrinth known as The Wreckage. In this dark and brutal RPG you’ll develop a character, gather a team, discover the dark secrets of fallen civilizations or die trying. Fight for your life and face real nightmares in Songs of Rats, a minimalist RPG experience. With confirmation on the Steam page that yes, you can pet your faithful dog. Songs of Rats releases on Steam March 10th. Songs of Rats has a demo on its Steam page.
Wanderstop
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5 | Release Date: March 11th
Wanderstop is a cozy, tea-shop narrative game from the creator of The Stanley Parable and The Beginner’s Guide. Alta is a warrior, who spent years honing her blade and becoming the best around, that was until she was beaten. Desperate and worn out, she sets out to meet up with a legendary master, but finds herself at a tea shop called Wanderstop after passing out in the forest. A narrative about burnout, Alta will spend her time completing the ritual of tea making, harvesting leaves, drying them out, and serving drinks to customers, while trying to find the best time to leave and return to her training. Wanderstop releases on March 11 for both PC and PS5. Wanderstop has a demo on its Steam page.
Expelled!
Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, iOS | Release Date: March 11th
Inkle has a history of releasing very strong and fun narrative-based visual novels. Expelled! is the next game in that line, looking to be a direct follow-up to Overboard, Inkle’s 2021 critically acclaimed VN. In Expelled! a school prefect has been pushed out of a window and everyone is blaming YOU. Can you follow the path of a good student and solve the mystery fairly or will you walk the wicked path of a bad student and solve a mystery most foul? After all, if the other girls won’t play by the rules, then it’s time to break them. Expelled! is sure to delight and mystify when it releases on March 12th.
Dark Deity 2
Platforms: PC | Release Date: March 24th
Dark Deity 2 is a take on classic Fire Emblem games, offering turn-based tactical combat, a wide variety of units, and choices that will impact your game. The combat features a wide variety of units, along with special bonus objectives to give you more ways to challenge yourself in a given mission. The full game also includes a selection of campaign options, like randomized unit recruitment orders, to make sure that each run through feels unique. If an endlessly changing tactics game sounds appealing, Dark Deity 2 is set for a Q1 2025 release.
JDM: Japanese Drift Master
Platforms: PC | Release Date: March 26th
Japan has a long legacy of drifting. From Tokyo Drift to Initial D, I’m not sure cars can drive without drifting in Japan. JDM: Japanese Drift Master has you take on challenging roads with simcade physics and wraps it all up with a strong narrative focus. Boating realistic, carefully-tuned physics, JDM features licensed cars and a story about a foreigner determined to become the drift king. Over 40 narrative-driven events, not including side quests, makes JDM an appealing game for drift-fans and drift-novices alike. Make your mark on Japanese drift culture when JDM: Japanese Drift Master releases on Steam on March 26th.
AI Limit
Platforms: PC | Release Date: March 26th
AI Limit is an anime, third-person action roguelike, following an amnesiac Blader, a warrior meant to heal branches. While some of the words feel like gibberish, this translates to an action game set in a dystopian world, where you need to take down monsters, haywire robots, and fallen Bladers who need to be put to rest, forcefully. The action feels smooth, with plenty of options, like shields, rolls, and parries.
The main feature here is the Sync Rate, which functions as a mana meter for special abilities. Doing damage with regular attacks boosts your sync rate, while getting hit or using an ability lowers it. Keeping the Sync Rate high increases your overall damage output, encouraging more aggressive play than a game like this usually does. While the opening section of the game featured in its demo is a bit bland, taking place in dilapidated sewers, hopefully the full game has some more exciting environments when it releases on PC and PS5 on March 27. AI Limit has a demo on its Steam page.
Rosewater
Platforms: PC | Release Date: March 27th
There’s nothing quite like the alternate history of the wild west, especially when it comes to Lamplight City. Rosewater puts you in the shoes of Harley Leger and her posse on a thrilling treasure hunt. An iteration on the Point-and-Click adventure genre priding itself on a logical, easy-to-use inventory that doesn’t have the player just smashing things together to see what fits. All animations are rotoscoped with cinematic closeups and over 60 characters voiced by people like Cissy Jones and Dave Fennoy. Rosewater looks gorgeous and I can’t wait to check it out when it releases on Steam on March 27th. Rosewater has a demo available on Steam.
Post Trauma
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S | Release Date: March 31st
Our final title is a modern survival-horror where you’ll be playing as Roman, a tormented train conductor in Post Trauma. Awakening in a surreal dimension following a panic attack, help Roman navigate this horrifying nightmare on his way back home. Post Trauma is fully voiced and is crafted to be an homage to survival-horror classics. What looks to be a truly horrific nightmare, Post Trauma is sure to shock your senses when it releases on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox on March 31st. Post Trauma has a demo available on Steam.
Whew, what a month! Naturally, there’s no way you’d have time to play all of these games. But it’s the thought that counts, right? Make sure you wishlist any game that strikes your fancy and share them with your friends. We can’t rely on the indie devs to save the games industry but we can always make their lives a little easier so they can keep bringing us great games. As always, if there’s a game coming up you want to see covered, feel free to email us at will@monstervine.com or ping our BlueSky account. We’re always scoping out games to cover so we appreciate the help. See you next month!
