This is CGM’s first edition of Indie Watch, your go-to guide for discovering standout indie games released in recent months, handpicked by the team at CGMagazine. This edition of Indie Watch dives into a mix of creative indies, all featuring unique ideas and gameplay styles. From pixel-art mysteries to fast-paced roguelikes, there’s something here for every kind of player. Whether you’re into spooky detective adventures like Urban Myth Dissolution Center or prefer a cozy twist on roguelike mechanics with Grimoire Groves, this list has plenty of indie games to inspire your next gaming session.
This roundup features indie gems from January to March 2025, including Cuisineer, a heartfelt mix of restaurant management and dungeon crawling which recently landed on Xbox, and Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist, a sombre 2D Metroidvania. If you’re in the mood for something different, the out-there game Secret Agent Wizard Boy and the International Crime Syndicate might just hit the spot. CGMagazine’s Indie Watch celebrates the creativity and innovation of indie developers. Here are our picks!
Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist
Developer: Binary Haze Interactive
Release Date: January 22, 2025
Platforms: Steam, Switch, PS5, Xbox
Played by: Lane Martin
A few years ago, you may have played Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights. I did, and frankly, I felt like it was missing something. Whatever that something was, I think they found it while making its follow-up, Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist. This is a sombre, 2D metroidvania/search action game with lovely music and a lot of very sad robots. Basically, players will collect a number of “Homunculi,” other sad robots that function as the player’s combat abilities. Many of those sad robots have interesting stories behind them that are revealed throughout the course of the game and can be customized and upgraded.
Look, I don’t know if Silksong will ever come out, but you cannot tell me that the creators of Ender Magnolia weren’t fans. The game really captures a similar vibe and feel. Sad robots, sad bugs; they’re really the same thing if you think about it. Story-wise, though, Ender Magnolia has more in common with a Nier game, with its sad reflections on existence and humanity. Either way, it’s got the fun platforming and combat challenges that you crave, and I loved every minute of it.
Cuisineer
Developer: BattleBrew Productions
Release Date: January 28, 2025 (on Xbox)
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PS5, Steam, Xbox Series X|S
Played by: Philip Watson
Have you ever wanted to have your slice of roguelike cake and eat a cozy piece, too? Now fans can, with BattleBrew Productions’ new indie console release, Cuisineer. You are Pom, a young upstart adventurer who returns home to find her parents have gotten out of Dodge, sold all of their family restaurant’s furniture, and taken a trip around the world like they’ve always dreamed.
Biscotti, the resident caretaker who has looked after the place since your parent’s departure, reminds Pom how stellar the restaurant used to be and what a beacon of glory it was for the town. As Pom, you are now tasked with restoring the restaurant to its former glory with the help of the restaurant’s fuzzy version of Alfred Pennyworth.
Cuisineer blends the best of two worlds: a cozy chill title that doubles as a roguelike with stellar graphics and sound quality to Xbox owners everywhere this past January. The flip of a switch between managing a restaurant and questing to accrue items in the name of restoring the family restaurant is seamless, and the overall simplicity of the title can dig its hooks into anyone willing to give it a try.
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
Developer: Jump Over the Age
Release Date: January 31, 2025
Platforms: Steam, Switch, PS5, Xbox
Played by: Lane Martin
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector is, unsurprisingly, the indie sequel to 2022’s sombre rumination on capitalism, community, and cool space stations, Citizen Sleeper, and a great candidate for our Indie Watch list. It expands on the first’s tabletop gaming mechanics and even brings some new mechanics to the party that really help change things up. However, rather than being confined to the districts of one space station, players are thrust into a whole star new sector, filled with mercenary jobs, and given a ship to explore it all.
As with the first, expect a lot of reading in Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector, but I found myself much more engaged this time around. It might be because of how this entry is structured. Building a crew and taking on mercenary work across a swathe of space really brought a sort of Cowboy Bebop feel to the whole thing. Players are once again playing a sleeper, a robot emulating a human mind on the run from a corporate entity, but now your adversary seems even more intimidating. If you enjoyed the first game at all or were ever curious about its intricate story, Starward Vector is worth a look.
Urban Myth Dissolution Center
Developer: Hakababunko Games
Release Date: February 12, 2025
Platforms: Steam, Switch, PS5
Played by: Lane Martin
I know some people like to contain their spooky stories to October, but I’m not one of them. I am always happy to get my spooks on, and Urban Myth Dissolution Center is a great bunch of ghosts, ghouls, and cursed, life-ending chairs to get spooked by. This is a 2D adventure game with gorgeous animated pixel graphics oozing out of every pore. Players will be sent to investigate incidents where people have run into something paranormal-seeming and, over the course of a few days, will investigate the scene, interview victims, and do some light Facebook stalking to figure out exactly what’s going on.
Urban Myth Dissolution Center is a horror-based visual novel that leans heavily on detective gameplay and tropes. I was afraid that these cases would be shallow or cheesy, but these were some deep and twisty tales that always seemed to have another trick up their sleeve. The graphics are somehow grungy and immaculate, with a very cool vintage style throughout. If you’ve been going into spring wanting something a little more creepy in your life, you really should take a look at Urban Myth Dissolution Center.
Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog
Developer: Space Colony Studios
Release Date: February 19, 2025
Platforms: Steam, Switch, PS5
Played by: Lane Martin
There are a few visual novels on this Indie Watch list, but Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog is definitely the most novel-y out of the bunch. Here, humanity finds itself in a moment of peace following an intense war with itself. Players take on the role of the newest security officer onboard a patrol ship (The Gun-Dog), with a whole lot of trauma. It doesn’t take long for the game to shift from playfully exploring the ship with the player’s excitable love interest to an unexpected attack, an intricate mystery, and some giant robots—because, of course, there are giant robots.
Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog is firmly rooted in the traditions of Mecha Anime, especially with its visuals. The game could easily be mistaken for a Gundam, a Patlabor, or even a Macross. On top of that, the characters are quirky and likable, from the serious, buff crew chief to the music-obsessed gunner. Stories from Sol is certainly a lot of reading, and if it catches you checking out, it can lead to some awkward interactions, but it’s interesting through and through and great to look at.
Dominoid
Developer: WanWan Games
Release Date: Spring 2025
Platforms: PC
Played by: Jordan Biordi
What caught my eye about Dominoid was its incredibly interesting gameplay. It evokes the style of gameplay set by classics like Tetris and Puyo Puyo and builds on them in a unique way. Players can link Dominids by lining up their matching numbers, but in order to clear them from the board, they’ll need to form a 2X2 square. Similar to Puyo Puyo, anything above cleared Dominids will fall, allowing players to not only set up long chains but also strategize for multiple combos. But where things get really spicy is how players are able to create giant boxes, where anything inside will get cleared.
Lead (and only) programmer—who goes by DingDongVG—began working on this over the 2024 holidays, primarily as a way to get something fun out while they work on their bigger project, Trigger Treat. What’s present in Dominoid is a clear love for tight, “just one more” gameplay, alongside stylish arcade sensibilities and a plethora of customization options as players can create their own backgrounds, custom pieces and even add their own music and SFX to the game! Dominoid was made available to Patreon backers, and the full version is available on Itch.io.
Grimoire Groves
Developer: Stardust
Release Date: March 4th, 2025
Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch
Played by: Jordan Biordi
Grimoire Groves was likely always going to be something that was up my alley, not simply because of my love for cozy games but its art style that lovingly emulates Adventure Time, which is my favourite TV show of all time. However, once I started playing it, I was genuinely impressed by just how different it is. While it emulates the roguelike twin-stick shooter, it runs so thematically counter to most games in the genre that it can’t help but stand out, landing it on our Indie Watch list.
Grimore Groves has players controlling a fledgling witch named Primrose as she attempts to restore her teacher’s garden to the once thriving, beautiful place it once was. In order to do this, she must venture into the titular Grimoire Groves—a vast forest filled with wonderful creatures. Players utilize twin-stick mechanics to give plants life rather than take it away, and there’s a serious emphasis on the preservation of life that really makes this game something special. If you like the idea of a cozy twin-stick shooter, then this one is definitely worth checking out!
Secret Agent Wizard Boy and the International Crime Syndicate
Developer: John Szymanski, Evan Szymanski
Release Date: March 4, 2025
Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch
Played by: Jordan Biordi
Secret Agent Wizard Boy and the International Crime Syndicate may end up being the most divisive game on this Indie Watch list. When I first saw it, I genuinely couldn’t tell if it was half-baked or just taking the piss. But with the creators of the subversive and bizarre My Friendly Neighborhood behind it, I knew there had to be something to this, and the longer I played, the more it started to click—although I still can’t fully say whether I liked it or not. You play as the titular Wizard Boy—a normal Wizard boy who is about to attend Wizard School before he is contacted by MI6.
It’s believed that a Professor at Wizard School is the leader of the International Crime Syndicate S.P.I.D.E.R, and it’s up to Wizard Boy to go undercover and put a stop to his nefarious plans. While it plays like a more narratively focused Goat Simulator—where experimentation and physics-based chaos are the main selling features; it has the look and feel of an old 2000s PC game that I can’t help but find extremely charming. While I tend to get bored of these kinds of games relatively quickly, I can’t deny there’s an engaging appeal and slapstick humour that I’m sure a lot of people will really love!
Wanderstop
Developer: Ivy Road
Release Date: March 11, 2025
Platforms: Steam, PS5, Xbox
Played by: Lane Martin
Wanderstop is the latest game from the funny guy behind The Stanley Parable and The Beginner’s Guide, and it’s very different. Players are cast as Alta, a well-renowned fighter who needs some time off. After pushing herself to her physical limits, she finds her way to a hidden little tea shop being run by a very chill, extremely affable, but kind of weird dude and starts working there. Operating the Wonka-esque tea brewing implements is relatively enjoyable, and the clientele is lovable, with pleasant designs and interesting stories that seem to reflect Alta’s (And perhaps the developer’s) relationships around work, perfectionism, and needing to stop and have a cup of tea.
Upon first glance, players probably won’t be immediately aware of Wanderstop’s pedigree, but soon, the game’s comedic writing and sharp wit will call to mind the developer’s previous works. Its cartoony visuals can lull a player into comfort before slipping in some cutting commentary when they least suspect it. I know players will assume that this is yet another cozy farming game, but really, the writing is the star of the show here amid all the calm, meditative gameplay.
Centum
Developer: Hack The Publisher
Release Date: March 11, 2025
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Steam, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Played by: Philip Watson
Serenity Forge is back at it with yet another cryptic atmospheric point-and-click horror title with Centum. The brainiacs at Hack The Publisher bring a tense atmosphere mixed with a slew of point-and-click mechanics to the floor of Centum. Centum creeps into the player’s soul with the feeling that you should abandon hope at the entrance.
Like Serenity Forge’s mega-hit, Doki Doki Literature Club, Centum inserts the player into a point-and-click puzzle title with an atmosphere that can only be described as suffocating. While Centum is surely not for everyone, it doesn’t try to be, and it drags horrific imagery and unsettling level design to the forefront, toting an IV of dread to fasten to the player behind the keyboard.
Centum is built on its own history, and it demands the player to ‘figure it out.’ After many tries, I was able to advance further, and although it is frustrating to master, Centum is best played without a guide, just like the previously Serenity Forge-published DDLC. If Centum isn’t for you, it’s not a big deal; it embraces a very specific type of player. But, if players want a title that will make them lose sleep in horrific wonder, I can’t think of a better small-form title than Centum.
MULLET MADJACK
Developer: Hammer95
Release Date: March 13, 2025
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Played by: Philip Watson
If you’re like me, you love roguelikes, and HAMMER95 has your back with their latest title, MULLET MADJACK. While this title first launched on PC in 2024, this month granted the FPS acid trip a new frontier on the Xbox platform, landing just in time for this month’s Indie Watch list. MADJACK MULLET embraces the old-school action of early FPS titles like DOOM and Duke Nukem but tethers these mechanics to an arcade madhouse that streams chaos across a player’s chosen screen.
MULLET MADJACK puts you behind the capable visor of your 70’s Tom Selleck-styled protagonist, and he’s fully equipped with a business in the front, party in the back mullet that would put Stranger Things’ Billy Hargrove to shame. The objective is simple: blast robot enemies and advance without running out of time to save the princess.
MADJACK MULLET gives bonuses to the player for exterminating enemies in special ways like Epic Games’ Bulletstorm, and maintaining a breakneck pace while slaughtering countless adversaries is the name of the game. Oh, and the protagonist drops an incredible amount of one-liners that can make you chuckle or groan (and anywhere in between). The addictive, simple-to-play, hard-to-master gameplay elements offered by MADJACK MULLET make it a must-try for Xbox Game Pass subscribers
1-bit Dungeon
Developer: Old School Vibes
Release Date: March 20, 2025
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Played by: Philip Watson
Sometimes, the gravitas of an open-world adventure, a 2D side-scrolling Metroidvania, or even a chess match is too much to handle during the hustle and bustle of everyday life. These days, small and insightful titles can do the trick, just like any game with regular graphics can. Sometimes, you need 1-bit and nothing else, and for those days when your mind is polluted with the weight of far too much information, you want to get through obstacles while attacking blobs with your sword.
The developers at Old School Vibes understood the assignment and released 1-bit Dungeon for audiences that want less information and more gameplay. The premise is simple: get through 20 levels with three controls: a jump, a dodge, and a sword swing. 1-bit blobs will block your path forward, and it’s up to you to strike them down with steel. This simple title gets surprisingly more challenging in the later stages, and for $5, I can think of worse ways to spend 1-2 hours for more.
My brother and I started at the same time to see who could race to the finish first, and 1-bit Dungeon became infinitely more enjoyable when running it ‘race style’ against a worthy opponent.
Dark Deity 2
Developer: Sword & Axe LLC
Release Date: February 24, 2025
Platforms: PC
Played by: Philip Watson
There are few indie games I’ve anticipated more than Dark Deity 2. Channelling stunning pixel artwork and a robust tactical system, Dark Deity embodied the best of Intelligent Systems from Fire Emblem and Advance Wars gameplay but added a new combat tactics system and cast of characters far removed from the Nintendo exclusive. Dark Deity 2 embraces everything that made the original Deity great but takes it a few steps further.
Dark Deity 2 picks up right where the first title left off, and I was put behind the POV of the original protagonist’s daughter, Gwyn. Strange events are occurring on the continent of Verroa, and it’s up to Gwyn and Co. to answer the realm’s call and destroy the evil empire antagonists (denoted by their black outfits). Dark Deity 2 expands on everything that made the original great, replacing some of the existing systems with refined and clearer functionality. Newly introduced active abilities replace the confusing advantage mechanic from the first entry, streamlining strategy for enthusiasts keen to get one over on enemy forces.
Any fan of Fire Emblem, Advance Wars, Final Fantasy Tactics, and, of course, the original Dark Deity will find a must-play title in this sequel, even with its flaws, landing it on our Indie Watch list.
Merchant 64
Developer: suitNtie22
Release Date: March 31st, 2025
Platforms: PC
Played by: Jordan Biordi
Naturally, Merchant 64 was going to catch my eye, what with its incredibly charming Nintendo 64-styled graphics and its cozy Story of Seasons-esque mercantile gameplay. But what really makes this game stand out lies squarely in its simplicity—creating an effective and incredibly engaging gameloop that will keep you hooked for hours. You play as a humble merchant, starting off small selling junk and working your way up to a mogul worthy of Merchant Town. It’s an incredibly effective system of travelling between towns or a single wilderness, gathering items in order to sell them.
However, players can only travel to one place before needing a rest—unless they get a specific item. With every new day, the price of items changes, so players need to plan the best time to travel between towns or stay in the wilderness for a night. Players can rest at Inns while in town, but only with a specific item, or they can rest on the streets but risk being robbed in the night. It starts to become incredibly satisfying when you start to get into a solid groove and soon you’re buying items, staying at Inns worry-free, and selling them at other towns for more than they’re worth. Like I said, it’s simple but incredibly effective. Developer suitntie22 has been a pretty active developer on itch.io creating a few interesting fan games, a bunch of originals, and even sharing his assets with others.
Wildkeepers Rising
Developer: Lioncode Games
Release Date: 4 Mar, 2025
Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch
Played by: Jordan Biordi
Like I’ve said before, there’s nothing wrong with drawing inspiration from another game, but you definitely need to find some way to make it your own. With that in mind, Wildkeepers Rising is effectively Vampire Survivors, but rather than just looking to copy Poncle’s success, Lioncode Games—the largely one-man studio—has taken a solid foundation and built something fun on top of it. Wildkeepers Rising is kind of like Vampire Survivors by way of Pokémon, with a little bit more linear progression placed in for good measure. Telling the story of a world where powerful creatures known as Guardians once fought alongside chosen humans,
But now the Guardians have all but vanished as powerful monsters have begun to overrun the lands. Players move through the world, facing the same escalating hordes in a style similar to Vampire Survivors, but where Wildkeepers Rising differentiates itself is how players are able to find Guardian monsters to battle alongside them. As they level up, they can choose to apply upgrades to themselves or their Guardian monster, adding an interesting layer to the strategy.
