The gaming world is full of unique titles, and the one I came across today while browsing the Steam Debut Festival page stood out to me for its originality.
It’s called Canvas Infernum, a tile-placement strategy game developed by Canvas Ink Games that blends surreal Renaissance art with tile-placement mechanics and roguelite progression in which players build their own surreal vision of Hell using historical art.
Drawing on the works of Hieronymus Bosch and other Renaissance masters, each tile contributes to an evolving infernal landscape shaped by the player’s decisions.
While the concept recalls relaxing builders like Dorfromantik, the mechanics lean toward deeper, roguelite-influenced board game strategy.
At its core, Canvas Infernum challenges players to place matching environmental tiles to score points and unlock new options, but it adds twists rarely seen in the genre.
Pacts with one of the seven deadly sins modify the rules of each run, granting rewards for specific patterns, such as lining up lava tiles or enclosing mountain ranges, and forcing fresh strategies every time.
A joker mechanic, inspired by scoring systems in deck-builders like Balatro, adds another layer of synergy between tile types, encouraging risk-reward decisions.
Demons must be assisted in judging sinners, and those decisions unlock upgrades that carry over to future sessions.
The setting blends historical interpretation with creative reimagining. The game uses over 100 pieces of classical art, animating and integrating them into the tile system, and each interaction with the avatars of the seven deadly sins presents moral choices.
Players can approach these encounters with reflection or retribution, influencing a progression system tied to a skill tree and a morality path. These choices unlock upgrades that persist across playthroughs, giving each run a sense of continuity.
The tone isn’t purely punitive; the developers describe the game as a roguelite board game experience with tighter decision loops to avoid the analysis paralysis common in larger tile-based games.
Creative Mode allows for unrestricted building, while the campaign mode layers narrative, resource management, and pacts into the mix.
A playable demo, released on Steam, gives players a first look at the game’s mechanics and atmosphere. The final release date is yet to be announced, but I think you must give the game a try and wishlist it. Below are more details about the game and trailer.
Welcome painter, to an afterlife not yet defined. An unshaped inferno awaiting your peculiar vision. Your tools are tiles inspired by the greatest masterpieces and surreal works of Renaissance masters. Will your canvas reflect torment, redemption, or something even stranger?
Shape a hell landscape of your own by combining tiles inspired by the works of Hieronymus Bosch and other Renaissance works. Uncover new tiles and express yourself fullest in the ‘Creative Mode’
Would this endless task be your punishment—or your magnum opus? Challenge yourself in this tile placement mechanic inspired by classic board games such as Carcassonne with a unique twist: dark pacts that alter the very fabric of the game, offering unique combinations and challenges with every playthrough.
What shall be the fate of the damned? Is redemption possible, or is sin an eternal burden? Assist demons in their grim duty to judge sinners. Your choices will shape not just the canvas, but the very fate of your journey, unlocking upgrades retained for later sessions.
Watch out for the playable demo we are painting to be released in the 1st Trimester of 2025!
Italian Dad in love with Turn-Based RPGs and Indie Games. In 2018 he started Turn Based Lovers and now he can't live without it. A huge fan of RPGs in general, raised on the glorious video games of the '90s that shaped who he is today. Always hopeful that XCOM 3 will arrive one day.
