Screenshots
Watch trailer on Steam ↗Helpless
Bonne Journée Studio · Published by UQAT - Création et nouveaux médias · Official site ↗
Very Positive — 89% positive (268 reviews) · 26 achievements
Last updated 27 Sept 2026
In the heat of deserted lands, a child and their mother weakened by sickness try to survive a harsh world. Through a kid’s perspective, take action and explore the remains of a lost past. Protect yourself from the sun’s deadly intensity and help your family get back on the road.
Free to PlayDJCTQ lFull Controller Support
Free
Adventure, Free To Play, Casual · 2023 · More free games
Step into Helpless, where you navigate the harsh remnants of a lost world through an innocent child’s eyes. Protect your family from the dangers of deserted lands in this free-to-play adventure from Bonne Journée Studio.
About this game
A mother and her child are trying desperately to find shelter in order to survive harsh conditions. A tragic event makes them come together more than ever. On top of everything, their only way to travel breaks down.
In HELPLESS, take the role of a kid and explore a decaying land where the sun ruined civilization as we know it. Find abandoned places and scavenge them for items in order to make sense of the world you’re in. All the help you need during this perilous trip might come to you in unexpected forms.
UNCOVER A LOST PAST
Find items and different locations to understand your surroundings.
HIDE FROM THE SUN
Cover yourself from the dangers of the sun and carefully manage your moves.
DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS
Share your findings with your mom by interacting with her and get better knowledge about your family with the support of a new friend.
CONTEMPLATE COMPELLING VISUALS
Look at the world around you with dynamic cameras and a semi-realistic art style.
- 26 achievements to unlock
- Original soundtrack
- Multiple collectibles to find
- English and French versions
- Colorblind-friendly
- Survivor or Explorator mode
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
Minimum:
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS *: Windows 7 or higher (64-bit)
- Processor: 2.4 Ghz Dual Core CPU
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: 2 GB Dedicated Memory
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 2 GB available space
Recommended
Recommended:
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
Supported Languages
French, English
Latest news
AnnouncementsOfficial
2 days left until launch, download our press kit!
We can't wait for people to try out Helpless! In the meantime, here's the full press kit : Download here. In this press kit you can find the trailer, gifs, screenshots and the press release. We'd be happy for anyone to give their insight or feedback about our game and use these pieces of information if they'd like to talk about it outside of Steam.Read full article on Community Announcements (mayo)AnnouncementsOfficial
CREATING HELPLESS
{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43626613/0736f44747e883354f992e0f2640a686dc82ed29.jpg Helpless is a team of 22 people; 11 artists, 7 designers, and 4 programmers. We are based in Montreal and on our last stretch to graduate. To end our academic journey, the last year of our bachelor’s degree consisted of making a game from start to finish and publishing it to Steam. So here we are, making this article and sharing everything that we went through to make this project happen. EARLY CONCEPT AND INSPIRATION {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43626613/186a922c344bae8d3fd1f87e3fbb715370597500.png The team started with 4 people; Mathieu, Alex, Alexis, and Pier-Alexandre. They had to think of a game with this premise: it had to address interpersonal relationships and also it had to involve the reparation of a broken vehicle. This premise was brainstormed beforehand and served as a creative constraint. After a bit of back and forth on the idea of repairing a vehicle, they reached a point where they thought the reparation of this vehicle should serve as a metaphor for a broken relationship. When initiating this idea, El Hijo - A Wild West Tale and Death’s Door served as references to make their own game. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43626613/e6cf59f9f8f55268fd55de470b00f16019adbf92.jpg When first pitching their idea, Helpless was an adventure game in which exploration and combat were a must. Yes, combat in Helpless! Sun wasn’t the only enemy at that time of the ideation, there were supposed to be giant insects that could attack our protagonist. As the idea took form, the team received feedback and realized quickly that the potential that Helpless had was in its story, and giant insects that could kill you weren’t a necessary part of that. This was a turning point for them and they had to mourn an idea that was exciting to them; combat, complicated system, and economic design. During the final stages of the concept, the team grew from 4 people to 22! From then on, we worked hard to make the final concept a reality. ...Read full article on Community Announcements (mayo)
