APPLICATION RECORD

Mancalero is on the showcase circuit.

Confirmed submissions and registrations, kept current for press and creator reference.

Confirmed: BGM Game Expo Winter 2026 — applied. IndieX 2026 — applied. Steam Next Fest October 2026 — registered. Best Indie Games — applied. INDIE Live Expo 2026.12.1 — applied. Support the Indies by Helix and DFF — applied. Game*Spark — applied through the official IID release-submission form. Games Without AI promotional sharing was confirmed through DevLand Marketing, but Mancalero is not part of the official Steam event with Valve because of the AI-use detection caveat. Indie Hunt and other opportunities are being prepared but are not yet submitted.

ARCHIUSDEV / PUBLIC MEDIA HUB

Build a pouch.
Break the rules.

Mancalero is a roguelike deckbuilder inspired by Mancala, where special marbles, evolving boards, and rule-changing bosses turn a timeless strategy game into a tactile combo chase.

Playtest: completed Aug 7–16, 2026  ·  Free demo: live now  ·  Steam Next Fest: registered Oct 19–26, 2026  ·  Release: November 4, 2026

Mancalero capsule artwork with colourful marbles swirling around the title
OFFICIAL KEY ART / 1920 × 1080
DeveloperArchiusDev
FormatSolo indie game
PlatformWindows · macOS · Linux
GenreRoguelike deckbuilder

01 / PLAY THE DEMO

Play the current Mancalero demo.

The public demo is now available on Itch. Launch the playable build below to try Mancalero’s full three-table demo loop, including special marbles, blessings, bosses, and Endless Mode.

PUBLIC ITCH DEMO · Opens the current playable build and download options.

01 / COPY

Universal pitches

Ready-to-use copy for forms, press pages, creator outreach, and showcase submissions.

10 words

A Mancala roguelike deckbuilder about marbles, combos, and broken rules.

25 words

Build a pouch of special marbles, sow explosive combos, and face bosses that rewrite Mancala in this tactile roguelike deckbuilder.

50 words

Mancalero reimagines Mancala as a roguelike deckbuilder. Collect rule-breaking marbles, discover powerful synergies, master changing boards, and survive bosses that twist the rules of play. Every run asks you to read the board, shape your pouch, and turn one clever move into a ridiculous score.

100 words

Mancalero is a roguelike deckbuilder inspired by Mancala. Build a pouch filled with special marbles, then sow them through colourful boards to trigger extra turns, damage chains, score multipliers, and unexpected synergies. Between encounters, choose new marbles, blessings, pouches, and upgrades that shape the next run. The journey moves through evolving tables and bosses that change how Mancala works, asking you to adapt instead of repeating one solved strategy. With a tactile paper-pixel presentation and an original soundtrack, Mancalero is designed for players who enjoy readable strategy, satisfying combo escalation, and the surprise of a familiar game becoming something new.

250 words

Mancalero takes one of the world's oldest strategy games and turns it into a modern roguelike deckbuilder. Each run begins with a pouch of marbles and a board full of possibilities. Sow them through Mancala pits, read the resulting board state, and build toward chain reactions that can create extra turns, damage, score multipliers, and entirely new lines of play.

Special marbles give every run a different shape. Blessings and upgrades let you push a strategy further, while changing boards and rule-bending bosses force you to rethink the habits that carried you through the last table. The goal is not simply to play Mancala well. It is to understand how the rules, the pouch, and the opponent can be made to work together.

Mancalero combines tabletop tactility, paper-pixel presentation, strategic decision-making, and the escalating satisfaction of a build that starts sensible and ends gloriously unreasonable. It is being developed by ArchiusDev, a solo Ghanaian-Canadian indie developer.

02 / FACT SHEET

At a glance

Use this block as the source of truth for submissions and media coverage.

Title
Mancalero
Developer
ArchiusDev
Developer type
Solo indie developer
Identity
Ghanaian-Canadian developer
Genre
Roguelike deckbuilder / strategy / board game
Platform
Windows · macOS · Linux via Steam
Playtest
Completed Aug 7–16, 2026 · no key required
Public demo
September 15, 2026
Full release
November 4, 2026 · tentative
Price
$12.99 USD · 10% launch sale planned
Soundtrack
Standalone OST + Marbles and Music bundle
Store page
Steam wishlist ↗

03 / THE GAME

What makes it Mancalero

The three promises to keep consistent across every channel.

01

Rule-breaking marbles

Build a pouch of special marbles and find the synergies that turn ordinary sowing into a combo engine.

02

Boards that keep moving

Each table brings a new strategic question, with changing layouts and mechanics that reshape how a run unfolds.

03

Bosses with opinions

Survive encounters that rewrite the rules of Mancala instead of simply adding more health to the opponent.

"A tactile storm of colourful, rule-breaking marbles ricocheting through carved Mancala boards as scores and combos erupt."

Visual hook

04 / MEDIA

Media assets

Current Steam screenshots, key art, GIFs, soundtrack resources, and the complete Steam capsule suite for coverage and creator use.

Demo release trailerDownload MP4 ↗
Vertical social cutDownload MP4 ↗
Current Mancalero Steam store screenshot Current Mancalero Steam store screenshot Current Mancalero Steam store screenshot Current Mancalero Steam store screenshot Current Mancalero Steam store screenshot Current Mancalero Steam store screenshot Current Mancalero Steam store screenshot Current Mancalero Steam store screenshot Current Mancalero Steam store screenshot Current Mancalero Steam store screenshot Current Mancalero Steam store screenshot

Scroll horizontally to browse · click any screenshot to open the full-size image ↗

Alternate treatments: both 920 × 430 header versions are included so an editor or curator can choose the standard or Indigo/Cyan-outline presentation.

Mancalero M iconORIGINAL SOUNDTRACKListen on YouTube while you work.
Mancalero OSTListen ↗

05 / SUBMISSION PACKAGE

INDIE Live Expo, ready to download.

A public mirror of the exact media set prepared for INDIE Live Expo 2026.12.1. Use the matching download for each form field without needing Drive access.

INDIE LIVE EXPO 2026.12.1Submitted · awaiting selection

Applied September 3, 2026 · event December 1, 2026 JST · public media mirror supplied.

Open official entry ↗
Square preview artwork for Mancalero
Preview screenshot · 1:1

Square profile image

800 × 800 · JPG · 121 KB · no text/UI/logo overlay

Download ↧
For the form

Use the current store reference above.

The square profile image remains available here for Preview Screenshot. For high-resolution gameplay stills, use the current Steam screenshot gallery in the Media section.

Specs checked
  • The square image is 1:1 and under 250 KB.
  • The Steam gallery uses the live store screenshot set.
  • All visible media here is static for reliable press-kit browsing.

06 / FOR CREATORS

Keys, streams, and coverage

Everything needed to decide whether Mancalero is a fit for your audience.

Preview access

The public Steam Playtest ran August 7–16, 2026 and required no key. Creators and press may request limited private demo access before the public demo on September 15, 2026. Include your channel or outlet, audience, and preferred coverage window. Access is limited and not guaranteed.

Request private access ↗

Streaming policy

Streaming and recording are welcome for the demo. Please credit Mancalero and link the Steam page, Discord, or this media hub. Please do not redistribute private keys or game files.

Steam page ↗

Good audience fit

Strategy, roguelike, deckbuilder, board-game, indie discovery, and creators who enjoy explaining the decisions behind a run.

Download press kit ↗

07 / BRANDING

Words to use

Keep the public description vivid, specific, and easy to repeat.

Preferred description

"A roguelike deckbuilder inspired by Mancala."

"Build a pouch of rule-breaking marbles and sow explosive combos across colourful Mancala battles."

Emphasize
  • Special marbles and synergies
  • Evolving boards
  • Bosses that change the rules
  • Tactile paper-pixel presentation
  • Original soundtrack
Avoid reducing it to
  • "Just a Mancala clone"
  • A generic card game
  • Only a score-attack game
  • A finished product before the announced milestone

08 / DOWNLOADS

Press kit and downloads

Everything is kept at stable relative paths so old press links continue to work as the hub evolves.

09 / CHANGELOG

Project notes

Small, useful updates for people following the project.

Public Playtest complete

The no-key Steam Playtest ran August 7–16, 2026. Feedback is now being carried into the live public demo.

Public demo live

The free demo is live now on Steam and itch.io. Mancalero is registered for October’s Steam Next Fest, and a substantial v1.02 update is in development.

Steam Next Fest

The October event is the next major visibility milestone before the planned full release.

Full release planned

The current tentative full-game target is November 4, 2026.

10 / CONTACT

Follow the next marble

ArchiusDev is building Mancalero in public and welcomes thoughtful coverage, showcase conversations, and creator connections.

Public identityArchiusDevPress contactneedle-blares.0m@icloud.comFor coverage, showcase, creator, and collaboration inquiries.