Indie game of the week: Wanderburg

In our weekly indie section, we’re recommending Wanderburg, by Randwerk and Sidekick Publishing.

After the slow-burn mystery of Servant of the Lake, this week is chaos in motion. Wanderburg hit Early Access on September 8, 2026 on PC (Steam), and the pitch lands in ten seconds: you’re not piloting a hero, you’re piloting a castle on wheels that rolls, shoots, and eats the map. If bullet heaven (or survivor-like) sounds fuzzy, think games where you weather enemy waves while your character mostly auto-fires and you focus on movement and upgrades. Here, that “character” is a fortress that grows as you devour villages, flocks, and smaller forts.

Here’s why I’m featuring it (and what to expect if you jump in).

What is Wanderburg?

It’s an action roguelite with a minimalist medieval look. Each run takes you through different biomes with variable difficulty. Your goal isn’t just to survive the horde: you expand the castle by consuming what you find on the road and bolting together a modular arsenal of siege weapons and arcane machinery.

The loop goes like this: roll, shoot, absorb structures, slot modules into your fortress, and feel how the combat profile shifts. It’s not a pure physics toy like Besiege, but the castle’s weight and the terrain matter: sometimes you win on reflexes, sometimes by placing one module right and letting the machine do the dirty work.

Randwerk (the Berlin studio behind the game) and Sidekick Publishing talk about six to twelve months of Early Access, with more biomes, enemies, and polish driven by community feedback. The core is already playable: several difficulties, biomes, and the fantasy of a “rolling fortress that eats the world.”

What draws me to this title?

I like wave games, I like castles, and therefore I like this game. In a genre where a lot of titles feel like the same character in a new skin, a castle that grows by devouring the map is a memorable hook. The project also arrives with a history of massive playtests and a community that pushed development before launch.

The tone is more arcade than narrative: less “story to unravel,” more “one more run to try another module layout.” If you enjoy the pace of Vampire Survivors and friends but want a different wrapper, it fits that mental shelf.

But enough words: here’s what it looks like in motion:

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Why it hooked me

Honestly, because it has castles with wheels, but also because the power fantasy scales visually: you’re not just bumping numbers, you watch your fortress get more ridiculous (in a good way). Runs stay short in the roguelite spirit: you die, learn which modules fit your style, and try again.

On Steam the base price is around $15, with a launch discount for the first weeks (often under $10 on sale). For Early Access with a closed core loop, that feels fair, especially if you already like bullet heaven. Note: the studio warns the price may go up as content grows.

Will you enjoy this game?

• Yes, if… you like survivor-likes / bullet heaven, repeatable runs, modular customization, and indies with a clear visual identity even when the genre is familiar.
• Not so much, if… you want deep story, a slow pace, or a game that’s 100% “finished”: it’s Early Access, and build variety still depends on what ships in updates.

The one caveat

It’s Early Access, and part of the Steam conversation says the same thing: the devour-and-grow hook works, but build depth (how modules combo with each other) can feel thin if you marathon it. I wouldn’t call that a failure, more the usual gap for an EA still tuning balance and synergies. Buy it expecting a loop that’s already fun and should get sharper over time.

Conclusion

Wanderburg is my indie of the week because it brings personality to a crowded genre: castle, wheels, hunger for the map, and modules that turn every run into an experiment.

• Game: Wanderburg (Steam, Early Access)
• Studio: Randwerk · Publisher: Sidekick Publishing

Next week, another pick. If you have an indie you think fits this section, email me at contact@inlobby.gg.