Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThe Merlies is a single-player 2D exploration adventure about a flock of tiny birds separated by a storm. You explore a recovering natural world to find them, use their different abilities to reach hidden places, and turn discarded human objects into a home for the growing community. Its official story descriptions focus on the flock as a group; they do not name individual bird characters.
What is The Merlies?
The Merlies is an adventure game developed by Darjeeling, Blue Ramen, and ARTE France, and published by ARTE France and GCORES PUBLISHING. The Steam listing gives September 29, 2026 as its release date. Its official description calls the game a “wholesomevania”: a 2D world to explore at your own pace, with a flock whose varied abilities help uncover hidden routes. The Merlies on Steam
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
The game also has a separate Steam demo listing, dated April 16, 2026. The Merlies Demo on Steam
What is the story of The Merlies?
A storm scatters the flock
The story begins when a huge storm scatters the Merlies, a community of tiny birds, across the land. The player sets out to find them and gradually explores with a larger flock. The premise is about bringing a community back together rather than following a named human protagonist or a conventional enemy-driven conflict.
#1 Best Overall
Exploration and rebuilding go together
Finding birds expands the flock and brings new abilities into play. Those abilities help reveal passages and secrets in the 2D landscape, making the birds you gather part of how you progress. The Merlies are vulnerable in their surroundings: the official description highlights hazards such as thorns, rocks, and trees, not combat with enemies.
Exploration also feeds the community’s recovery. You gather scraps from the vanished human world, then use them to build and decorate a village, make room for the birds, and train them for further exploration. The official Steam description gives a sense of scale with examples such as a lamp repurposed as a house and an ice cube tray as a storeroom. Official game description
Rank #2
- 🟣ONLY ONE CAN BE CROWNED – In Selfish: Disney Villains Edition from Ridley’s Games, you are a Villain on a mission to seize the throne and the title of Evilest of Them All. But you must first overcome your own unique quest and face many obstacles to prove you are worthy.
- 🟣CHOOSE YOUR VILLAIN – Whether you play as Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty, Ursula from The Little Mermaid, Hades from Hercules, Jafar from Aladdin, or Scar from The Lion King, your quest will not be simple. Do you have what it takes to do Evil Deeds and claim the throne? Only the most selfish Villain will win.
- 🟣DON’T LOSE CONTROL – Use the cards in your hand to meddle, stop, and sabotage the other Villains and move towards the throne. You also have a Special Ability that you can use to your advantage at the most critical point of your game. But remember: if you run out of Control cards at any point, you become powerless, and your game is over.
- 🟣WHAT’S INSIDE? – 70 Quest cards, 48 Control cards, 30 Evil Deed cards, 5 Player cards, 1 Throne card, 5 Player mats, 2 Game cards, 1 game strip, and English instructions. Designed for friends and families who are fans of Disney and its most iconic Villains.
- 🟣RIDLEY’S – Awesome games and gifts packed with personality—that’s our passion! From hilarious party games, light strategy games, and fast-paced card games to intricately illustrated jigsaw puzzles, challenging trivia sets, and more. We’re a crew of curious creatives who care deeply about making products that bring people together with fun and laughter to create memories that last a lifetime.
Who are the characters?
The central characters are the Merlies themselves: tiny, expressive birds with different abilities. The official descriptions consulted present them collectively as a flock and do not provide individual names, biographies, species, or personal histories. It is therefore more accurate to describe the game as a community story than to assign specific identities or backstories to individual birds.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Where and when is The Merlies set?
Nature is reclaiming a human-made world
The setting is a colorful landscape where human civilization has disappeared and nature is healing. Human traces remain as oversized debris and infrastructure from the birds’ perspective: the Merlies climb electrical cables and fallen billboards, explore empty pipes, and make use of objects left behind.
Rank #3
- Challenge your friends to see who knows more about Twilight….the more you know, the greater you chance of winning
- Based on the popular novels and TV movie
- Includes board, Scene cards, playing pieces, and dice
- Answer questions about Twilight and your friends to move forward around the board
- Scene cards and board include images from the movie
Discarded objects become a home
Scale gives familiar rubbish a new purpose. Rather than treating the remains of civilization only as ruins, the flock adapts them for everyday life: objects become shelter, storage, and materials for a village. This reuse connects the setting directly to the rebuilding loop.
The developers describe The Merlies as solarpunk and as a hopeful take on a post-apocalypse. Cooperation, solidarity, recycling, and upcycling are part of that stated creative framing. The game’s visual inspirations include graphic novels and children’s picture books, supporting its colorful, storybook-like presentation. Official Steam listing
Rank #4
- Players can create a 3-D battle arena
- Includes dual-sided gameboards with multiple gameplay scenarios
- Choose from 4 Planeswalkers, each with unique powers and squads
- Summon unstoppable creatures of the night
- Compatible with Magic: the Gathering AOP Board Game System.Includes 5 Planeswalker figures, 4 hero figures, 15 squad figures, 4 dual-sided cardboard terrain boards, 2 glyphs, 20 damage markers, 20-sided die, 8 combat dice, 13 army cards, 48 spell cards, turn marker, 8 counters, 6 1-hex sand tiles, 3 cryptoliths, 3 cryptolith 2-hex sand tiles, and game guide.
What makes the premise distinctive?
- A flock is both cast and progression system: gathering birds grows the community and adds abilities for reaching more of the map.
- The main obstacles are environmental: the official description emphasizes navigating natural hazards and discovering routes, rather than fighting enemies.
- Exploration has a communal payoff: finds from the old world help build a village, while a stronger flock can venture farther.
- The apocalypse is framed hopefully: the developers’ stated solarpunk approach puts cooperation and reuse at the center instead of treating collapse as unrelieved bleakness.
These are the game’s described design and creative aims, not a claim that it is the first game to combine exploration, ability-based routes, village-building, or a post-apocalyptic setting.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
