Screenshots
Watch trailer on Steam ↗The Merlies
ARTE France, Darjeeling · Published by ARTE France, GCORES PUBLISHING
Last updated 27 Sept 2026
Meet the Merlies, a tiny birds community trying to find harmony in a cute post-apocalyptic world filled with the remains of a long forgotten civilization. Gather your birdies, explore this wild world with your tiny bird squad and complete your village out of collected scraps!
Adventure, Indie · 2026 · More free games
Explore a charming post-apocalyptic landscape as you guide the Merlies, a community of tiny birds, through their quest for harmony. Gather your bird squad and piece together your village with collected scraps in this unique indie adventure from ARTE France and Darjeeling.
About this game
The Merlies, a community of tiny birds, got scattered across the land by a huge storm! Explore a colorful charming 2D universe and unlock new hidden passages as your Merlies squad grows and learns new skills, in a metroidvania-like gameplay. Use each Merlies’ specific abilities during your exploration in this poetic adventure game.
While being beautiful, the world of The Merlies isn’t the most welcoming one. Your Merlies remain fragile little fellows exposed to the dangers of Nature. No creature or fight will be on your way but every thorn, every rock, every tree becomes an obstacle to overcome. Sometimes, the path will be hard to find, hidden in this wild and bucolic maze. And be careful not to lose one of your Merlies on the way!
Throughout your exploration, you’ll encounter remains of a long gone civilization. Lucky you! For one man’s junk is a Merlies’ treasure! Collect scraps to create and decorate your village, accommodate your Merlies and train them to get ready for exploration!
Visually inspired by graphic novels and children’s image books, The Merlies is a bright and cozy tale. Befriend cute expressive birds and go out with your new friends to discover the many biomes and uncover their passageways and secrets.
Climb electric cables and fallen billboards, send your Merlies up in the sky by jumping on mushrooms or explore empty pipes. For your small Merlies, everyday objects take on gigantic proportions and get a new purpose for your community: make a cozy house out of a lamp, a huge map out of a slate or a store room out of an ice cube tray!
But their little size isn’t going to stop their adventurous and creative minds to create a new and better community for their kind.
Human civilization is gone and Nature is healing. Discover a calm and comforting adventure and help your community grow through recycling and upcycling human junk. Wacky constructions and clever upcycling are the key to bringing comfort and happiness to your tribe. The Merlies’ way of life is to do a lot, with a little.
The Merlies is a Solarpunk game: post-apocalyptic, sure, but not like you would expect. It’s a bright tale promoting a hopeful future, where your Merlies are brought together by cooperation and solidarity. Community spirit and a clever (re)use of scraps are key features that take the game far from dystopic Cyberpunk often associated with post-apocalypse.
An exploration-based poetic adventure
A “wholesomevania” gameplay: explore a 2D map at your own pace
Exploit the many abilities of a squad of Merlies
Stunning and refined visuals with hand-made drawings
A solarpunk optimistic take on post-apocalypse games
Based on an idea by Cosmografik, creator of Type:Rider and Vandals.
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
- OS *: Windows 7
- Processor: Intel i5 Quad-Core
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: Intel HD 4000
- Storage: 500 MB available space
Supported Languages
*languages with full audio support
Latest news
AnnouncementsOfficial
📢 The Merlies is launching on September 29!
Hey everyone, Mark your calendars, our tiny flock is ready for the big day! We are thrilled to announce that The Merlies will officially release on September 29 on PC and Nintendo Switch 🐦What awaits you in The MerliesEnjoy a metroidvania experience where combat is replaced with poetic exploration and clumsy platformingRescue lost Merlies scattered by the storm and combine their unique abilities to unlock new pathsCollect debris from a lost civilization to build, decorate, and expand a cozy village for your flockExperience a heartwarming adventure about nature and community in a beautiful picture-book art style Thank you so much for following our journey, we can't wait to see you help the Merlies rebuild their home! 🍃Read full article on Community Announcements (artefranceweb)AnnouncementsOfficial
Demo is now fully playable on keyboard
Hello everyone ! We have some great news to share! The latest update is now live, and The Merlies demo is fully playable on keyboard. If you haven't tried the demo yet because you were waiting for keyboard support, now is the perfect time to jump in! We have heard your feedback and know that many of you were also waiting for key remapping. While we are still working on the full remapping feature for the release, we have introduced a fixed keyboard layout as an intermediate solution. As always, we'd love to hear your thoughts. Your feedback continues to help us improve The Merlies. Thank you for your support, and we hope you enjoy the update!Read full article on Community Announcements (artefranceweb)Patch NotesOfficial
Demo update: Map & cute cutscenes added
Tweet-tweet everyone!We are happy to let you know that The Merlies Demo has just received a new update for this Steam Next Fest!To improve your experience, we added a couple of features that should make your adventure smoother:An in-game map is now available Exploring the world of The Merlies should now be much easier with a map to help you find your way through the different areas and secrets waiting to be discovered.New upgraded cutscenes have been added We have started bringing more of the story and characters to life through dedicated cutscenes, giving you a better glimpse into the world and lore of The Merlies.We are continuing to polish the demo and gather your feedbacks as we move forward in development.Thank you for playing, supporting the project and the Merlies in their adventure!See you soon!Read full article on Community Announcements (artefranceweb)AnnouncementsOfficial
🛠️ Keyboard & Mouse Support is in the Works!
Hello everyone, Thank you for playing The Merlies! We have been closely following the community discussions lately and gathering your feedback.We are very sorry for the inconvenience caused by the current version only supporting controllers. To ensure you can experience the game in the way you are most comfortable with: full keyboard and mouse support is currently in active development!Adding a completely new control scheme to the game takes some time to polish. We want to ensure that whether you are exploring the world, interacting with the environment, or navigating the UI, using a keyboard and mouse feels just as smooth and natural as using a controller. While we don't have an exact release date for this update just yet, please rest assured that we are actively pushing this forward. Once our internal testing is complete, we will release the update and let you know right away.Thank you for your patience, and for your continued support and love for The Merlies!Read full article on Community Announcements (Yume)AnnouncementsOfficial
The Merlies at Galaxies Showcase!
This week The Merlies is part of Galaxies Showcase! We will participate to the showcase with a new exclusive gameplay videoIf you want to learn more about this adorable bird community, check out tonight’s Live, at 7pm (Paris Time):On Twitch: And Youtube: Want to try the game for yourself?The Merlies demo will be released tomorrow, on April 17th, 2026, so look out for those tiny birds!Read full article on Community Announcements (artefranceweb)
