iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

I made and posted this 7 years ago back on Twitter. I don't go to as many parties these days so not quite as true for me as it was back then... but still, I remember.

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

If you are a student attending a GDC roundtable, please keep in mind there are seniors, leads, directors in the room with you. If you want to hear what these folks have to say... don't dominate the conversation yourself. You are allowed to sit and listen, you are not obligated to monologue.

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

Eldest Child: "Here's a thread where people are explaining the plot of a videogame poorly, but I'm not sure what game to pick for my post." Me: "You should do Promise Mascot Agency, even if you explain that plot well it'll sound like you're explaining it poorly."

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

While I didn't see anyone using LLMs as a mechanic this year, I did see more disclosures of using them during development, mostly during early-stage concepting/prototyping to try out high-risk designs, art direction, etc. at much higher speed and lower cost than the traditional methods.

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

Just to give folks a sense of the competitiveness of IGF, I personally rated 108 games (about 3/day over the one-month judging period!) and nominated 48 for at least one category, out of about 700 total submissions. This all gets boiled down to about 6 finalists + some Honorable Mentions per cat.

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

Every time, I see a few games saying why I should vote for them. While I personally chalk this up to people just misunderstanding the instructions, it does come across as pretentious (the dev telling the judge how to do their job). This is the judge's determination to make, let them make it. (2/2)

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

Here's a tip for what NOT to do when submitting your game to festivals. When writing up your game's description, don't try to make the case for why the game deserves an award nomination in each of several categories. Think like writing a cover letter: state your strengths as a candidate. (1/2)

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

IGF judges and juries will absolutely roast your $250M 400-person-dev-team AAA game, it will probably not get recognized even if production values are great because too many ppl will say it violates the spirit of IGF and should be in GDCA or TGA instead. Not naming names, you know who you are. (2/2)

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

The way IGF works, in particular, is they'll be happy to take your game's $75 entry fee without checking to see if you fit the eligibility criteria for entering in the first place (especially, making a judgment on "but are you actually Indie"). Anyone can enter. However... (1/2)

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

As a whole, IGF entrants seem to have figured out that LLMs tend to be terrible as a game mechanic. "RPG where all the NPCs are chatbots" or "adventure game where an LLM is building the map in real time" or whatever just don't work well. I saw a few of these in 2023-24, virtually none in 2025.

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

Judges also need to have enough faith that you'll be able to actually pull it off based on the demo. Otherwise the reaction will be "enjoyed this, looking forward to seeing the full game, hope they resubmit next year with something more complete so I can actually nominate it." (2/2)

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

IGF always gets a lot of pre-release "demo" submissions each year, but know that in IGF, it's VERY hard to get recognition at the demo level since you're going up against MANY quality full releases. If your game isn't complete, you MUST bring enough that judges instantly see where you're going.(1/2)

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

Example: If you're making Roguelite Pinball, your pinball table should be well designed, the physics snappy; if your pinball doesn't have top-tier game feel, the Roguelite elements will not be enough to save it. Ditto for Roguelite Mario Kart, Roguelite FPS, Roguelite Beat-em-up, you name it. (2/2)

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

Also regarding Roguelite / Vampire Survivor-likes: when combining with another genre, you have to really NAIL that other genre perfectly, to the point of being a stand-out game in that genre even without the other stuff, if you want to be recognized for it. (1/2)

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

Another thing: There's starting to be some fatigue with Roguelite / Vampire Survivor-like mechanics and progression. It feels kind of like the contemporary version of what "indie platformer" felt like ten years ago - everyone is doing it and people are starting to roll their eyes a bit.

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

First: The Roguelite / Vampire Survivor-like space is VERY crowded now. Just saying "let's add run-based progression to Genre" doesn't count as innovative anymore, five other indie teams are doing that same exact thing, so you really have to be outstanding to, well, stand out. (2/2)

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

Okay, so I've kinda run out of IGF games from this year to post daily (what, did you think there were 365 of them that were that great?). But I will drop a few comments on trends and lessons learned. (1/2)

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

Today's indie game: War of the Western Deep (sunsgrove.games). Currently just a demo on Steam, but a competent old-school LucasArts style graphic adventure, with gorgeous art. For people nostalgic for those days, this is one to keep an eye on (among many other graphic adventures in IGF this year).

sunsgrove.games

Sunsgrove Studios

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

Today's indie game: Titanium Court (store.steampowered.com/app/2364580/...). Classic Match-3, but made by the Fae, so everything is a bit off. As you dive deeper things get weirder. If you like other "systems suspense" games (Frog Fractions, Candy Box, A Dark Room) you'll like this. "Coming Soon"

store.steampowered.com

Titanium Court on Steam

A surreal strategy game for clowns and criminals.

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

Today's IGF entry: Stretchmancer (stretchmancer.gg). Upcoming 3D puzzle-platformer (think Portal). Manipulate your environment by squashing or stretching things in one direction. Whole thing treated like a Warner Bros cartoon following the Principles of Animation. "Coming soon."

stretchmancer.gg

Stretchmancer on Steam

STRETCH THE WORLD! In this comedic first-person puzzle adventure, you are The Stretchmancer. Squash and stretch everything around you to solve fiendish puzzles, defeat the Claustro Empire, and save th...

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

Today's indie game: Forbidden Solitaire (greyaliengames.com). Grey Alien makes games based on Solitaire but with Extra Video Game Stuff. This is their latest with dungeon-crawl vibes and an Inscryption-style "this isn't actually a game, it's a story ABOUT a fictional game" meta. Coming Q1 2026.

greyaliengames.com

Grey Alien Games - The home of Ancient Enemy, Regency Solitaire, Spooky Bonus, Spring Bonus, and Holiday Bonus. Fun PC games for everyone!

Download free games and demos for PC including Regency Solitaire II, T-Minus 30, Ancient Enemy, Shadowhand, Regency Solitaire, Spooky Bonus, Holiday Bonus GOLD, Spring Bonus, Unwell Mel, Fairway Solit...

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

Today's IGF entry: Dead Horizon (pixelwestern.itch.io/dead-horizon...). Link is to a playable demo to try for yourself. Western-themed graphic adventure but with modernized mechanics that set it apart as an evolution of the genre. Looking forward to full version (listed as "coming soon" on Steam).

pixelwestern.itch.io

Dead Horizon Demo out and playable!

Er... I mean I guess if it's out it better be playable. That title might be reductive. The point is that Dead Horizon's demo is now up. Anyone can play it and make fun of it! (Please don't make fun of...

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

Today's indie game: The Drifter (store.steampowered.com/app/1170570/...). There were quite a few decent LucasArts-style graphic adventures this year and this is one of them. This stayss closer to the genre's roots than most (for better or worse) so much more likely to trigger nostalgia, at least.

store.steampowered.com

Save 15% on The Drifter on Steam

A Pulp Adventure Thriller - A murdered drifter awakens. Alive again, seconds before his death. Hunted and haunted, help him untangle a mad web of conspiracy in this fast-paced point 'n click thrill-ri...

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

Today's IGF entry game: CloverPit (store.steampowered.com/app/3314790/...). One of many Slay-the-Spirelikes based on gambling. This one leans hard into the gritty side (the devs cite Buckshot Roulette as an inspiraation) and while this feels more RNG-focused than most, I have to admire its style.

store.steampowered.com

Save 20% on CloverPit on Steam

A rogue-lite slot machine nightmare. Gamble for your life in a never-ending debt simulator!

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

One IGF 2025 entry per day: Reality Break (elementgamesonline.com). Overhead-view ARPG IN SPAAAAACE. Nifty alternate-universe thing going on where you can modify the timeline (hence the game's name). If you were disappointed with Diablo 4 and miss the old school ARPGs, you'll probably like this.

elementgamesonline.com

Element Games

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

Today's indie game: Wander Stars (papercastlegames.com). Ever watch any kind of martial-arts-themed anime where it seems like everyone has to shout out the name of their next move just before they attack? Here's an entire RPG based around this as the combat system.

papercastlegames.com

Paper Castle Games - Paper Castle

We're Paper Castle! Friends making home-made games. Creators of Underhero & Wander Stars. We make games that tell stories.

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

Today's indie game: Below the Crown (misfitsattic.com/below-the-cr...). Chess-based Roguelite dungeon crawl that does expect you already are comfortable with Chess (and not a purist) but for those in it target audience it's well done. Just a demo when I judged IGF, but saw enough good to recommend.

misfitsattic.com

Below the Crown – Misfits Attic

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 27/12/2025

Today's indie game: OFF - offtherpg.com - if you like weird quirky takes on JRPGs like Sword&Sworcery, Earthbound, and Undertale, this game is very much playing in that same space. It's an older game but recent remake for Steam and Switch. One of the inspirations of Undertale, still holds up today.

offtherpg.com

OFF the Game for Nintendo Switch and PC (Steam)

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

Today's indie game: Type Help (william-rous.itch.io/type-help). 100% free in-browser game told almost entirely through text, with the premise that you're searching through an old PC to find digital clues to solve the mystery of a bunch of mysterious deaths. Keep a notebook handy.

william-rous.itch.io

Type Help by William Rous

The Unsolvable Mystery

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

Today's indie game: The Drifter (store.steampowered.com/app/1170570/...). Old-school LucasArts-style graphic adventure game with quality writing, good production values, but still holding to the genre's roots rather than trying to modernize it. If that sounds more nostalgic than painful, go for it

store.steampowered.com

Save 15% on The Drifter on Steam

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

Today's indie game: The King Is Watching (store.steampowered.com/app/2753900/...). Not for everyone, it's specifically for micromanagers. The kind that don't just want to "play a spreadsheet" but who want to optimize each individual cell in that spreadsheet. It commits fully to the bit.

store.steampowered.com

Save 35% on The King is Watching on Steam

The King is Watching is a roguelite kingdom builder. Rule by the power of your royal gaze! Decide between producing resources, training armies, or balancing both, while adapting to unique events every...

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

Today's indie game: Isopod: A Webbed Spin-off (store.steampowered.com/app/2053910/...). If you've played Webbed, we're done here. If you haven't, this is Ecco the Dolphin except you're an isopod doing isopod things, but with 100% extra corporate sociopathy, workers unions, and environmentalism.

store.steampowered.com

Save 30% on Isopod: A Webbed Spin-off on Steam

You're a tiny pill-bug in a big world! Roll, zip, and slam your way through the gorgeous landscapes of the Australian bush, unite your fellow bugs, and fight back the greedy Fire Ant Conglomerate!

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 21/12/2025

Today's indie game: Astro Prospector (store.steampowered.com/app/3503440/...). Asteroids with auto-aim/fire, very short time limit, massive tech tree. The premise is you're mining coffee in space, so being a big grind is thematic. Short, simple runs nail the "one more try" feel.

store.steampowered.com

Save 20% on Astro Prospector on Steam

Endless Coffee is out! Build your ship, survive 21 Days and break the Universe- Astro Prospector is an incremental bullet hell about mining coffee and fighting SpaceCorp. Collect resources, upgrade yo...

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 20/12/2025

Sa[meow]rai:Sliver Stray (store.steampowered.com/app/3119690/...). You might think from the name that it's a game about cats, maybe in Feudal Japan or something. More like "Hotline Miami But With Anthropomorphic Cats." Each room takes 10 seconds or so, so failure is common but not a big setback.

store.steampowered.com

Sa[meow]rai: Silverwing Stray on Steam

"Sa[meow]rai" is a top down action role-playing game centered around one-hit kills and rich interactivity.You play as a law-enforcer with an implant called "Gyakugawa Emergency Reboot D...

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

Today's indie game: Strange Antiquities (www.badviking.com). Sequel to Strange Horticulture, here you're running a magic shop... except the owner left on urgent business and didn't label anything, so it's up to you to use books, research, etc. to figure out what each customer is asking for.

badviking.com

Home - Bad Viking

Bad Viking is the indie game development studio of UK-based brothers, Rob and John Donkin. We are best known for the occult botanical puzzle game Strange Horticulture.

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

Today's indie game: Dungeon Clawler (dungeonclawler.com). Slay-the-Spire-like, but instead of a hand of cards, you have a claw machine, and whatever it grabs is what you attack/defend with that turn. Your "deck" that you build over time is the things that get dropped into the machine.

dungeonclawler.com

Dungeon Clawler - Dungeon Clawler

Dungeon Clawler is a Roguelike Claw Machine Deckbuilder. Build your unique deck, fight enemies by grabbing weapons and items from a claw machine and find

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

Slime Rancher 2 (www.slimerancher.com). Did you like the first Slime Rancher game? This is pretty much same game, new content, not much more to say about it, other than... wow, I didn't realize they made a sequel until it appeared in the IGF judging queue, but indies as a whole suck at marketing.

slimerancher.com

Slime Rancher 2

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

Today's indie game: Everdeep Aurora (www.everdeepaurora.com). If you liked the SteamWorld Dig or Mr. Driller games but wished the main character was a cat, I have FANTASTIC news for you.

everdeepaurora.com

The main webpage of the videogame Everdeep Aurora

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 13/12/2025

Today's indie game: The Roottrees Are Dead (roottrees.com). In the sleuthing style of Obra Dinn and Golden Idol, but for once your goal isn't to solve a murder but to simply work out an extended family tree, which is way more fun than it sounds if you like thinky games that make you feel clever.

roottrees.com

The Roottrees are Dead | A family tree puzzle game

The Roottrees are dead is a puzzle game where you piece together a mysterious family tree using evidence scoured from the internet circa 1998.

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

Today's indie game: The Wandering Village (thewanderingvillage.com). I've rec'd this before but it went to full v1.0 release this year. A straight city-builder except the city is built on the back of a giant beast, so you have to find a balance between tending to your village and your Kaiju.

thewanderingvillage.com

The Wandering Village | Build a City on Top of a Giant Creature!

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

Today's indie game: Sorry We're Closed (store.steampowered.com/app/1796580/...). Hard to describe. Part survival-horror, part dating sim, one of the most unashameedly Queer games I've seen this year. Lots going on and the combination won't be for everyone, but if it hits for you it'll hit hard.

store.steampowered.com

Save 25% on Sorry We're Closed on Steam

Sorry We're Closed is an eccentric story-driven survival horror game about demons, angels and what happens when both sides collide. A mix of classic fixed-camera exploration and arcade-style shooting ...

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

Today's indie game: Expelled! An Overboard Game (www.inklestudios.com/expelled). If you've played any of Inkle's games (80 Days, Overboard!) then this is another one, and if you liked the others you'll probably like this one too. Unlike its predecessor, you're not even necessarily a bad person!

inklestudios.com

inkle - Expelled!

Independent developer of narrative games and interactive stories.

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

Today's indie game: Ambrosia Sky (softrains.games). I was never big into FPS games where the main verbs are move-aim-shoot-kill, but I liked Portal where it cut out the kill part, and I'm liking this where I'm spraying chemicals to remove invasive fungal/plant life to collect samples FOR SCIENCE.

softrains.games

Soft Rains | Home

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

Today's indie game: Absolum (www.playabsolum.com). A classic beat-em-up brawler with modern design. If you liked classic Golden Axe, Double Dragon, D&D: Shadows Over Mystera, etc. but want more of a Slay-the-Spire-like run-based progression, this might be your GOTY.

playabsolum.com

Absolum Game

Crafted with passion by the dream team that redefined side-scrolling beat 'em ups, Absolum mixes top-of-the-class combat action with modern roguelite elements

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

Today's indie game: and Roger (creatorslab.kodansha.co.jp/en/products/...). If you liked Florence and are okay with something similar but way darker, with an extremely vague Content Warning up front... grab your tissues. Complete playthrough in about an hour.

creatorslab.kodansha.co.jp

and Roger

NOTES BEFORE PURCHASE This game is a work of fiction. However, it depicts certain uncomfortable aspects of reality.We suggest that you only play this game when you feel confident that doing so woul...

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

Today's indie game: Asbury Pines (store.steampowered.com/app/2212790/...). This is, I kid you not, a narrative-heavy idle clicker. Not for everyone - all of the narrative is in historical records (letters, newspaper clippings, journals, etc.) so a lot of reading. Twin Peaks / Gravity Falls vibes.

store.steampowered.com

Save 25% on Asbury Pines on Steam

A grisly mystery in a small town unfolds across centuries through the stories of its residents. Orchestrate their work, grow resources, upgrade skills, and create automated production loops between pa...

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

One indie game per day (when I don't forget): Old Skies (www.oldskiesgame.com). This deserved recognition in last year's IGF and didn't get it, they resubmitted so I'm gonna plug them again. Probably my favorite from Wadjet Eye, a graphical adventure about time-travel tourism.

oldskiesgame.com

Old Skies - Wadjet Eye Games

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Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

Today's indie game: Promise Mascot Agency (kaizengameworks.com). I don't even know how to describe this. It's weird and quirky but plays it straight. The trailer probably explains it better than I can in 300 characters. It has Yakuza, mascots, magic, business/training sim, driving, idk what else.

kaizengameworks.com

Kaizen Game Works – An Independent Game Studio Born In Paradise

AN INDEPENDENT GAME STUDIO BORN IN PARADISE

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