🎮 The Merlies Game Info - Developer, Platforms & More

The Merlies is a cozy post-apocalyptic adventure game by Darjeeling, Blue Ramimen and ARTE France, releasing September 29 on Steam (Windows) and Nintendo Switch. You lead a squad of tiny birds through a 2D world reclaimed by nature, rescue the flock members scattered by a storm, and upcycle human junk into a village. There is no combat — it is a "wholesomevania", metroidvania exploration at your own pace with the fighting removed.

Explore the wild biomes with your fragile bird squad, careful of thorns and long drops; rescue the lost Merlies you find along the way; haul the scraps of the old human world back home; and build them into a cozier village that houses and trains a bigger, braver flock. More birds unlock more paths, more paths unlock more rescues — a spiral the developers wrap in a solarpunk story about cooperation, recycling and doing "a lot, with a little".

The Merlies takes place after humanity is gone and nature has healed — but it is deliberately bright: visually inspired by graphic novels and children's picture books, with hand-drawn art and a hopeful tone. The official description positions it against cyberpunk-flavored dystopias: a tale "promoting a hopeful future" where community spirit and clever reuse of scraps are the winning ingredients.