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The Merlies is a 2D exploration adventure about a flock of tiny birds scattered by a storm. You guide the growing community through a landscape reclaimed by nature, reunite its members, and use their different abilities to uncover routes and build a village from objects left behind by humans. Its story centers on cooperation and rebuilding rather than a named cast of heroes.

What is The Merlies?

The Merlies is a single-player adventure developed by Darjeeling, Blue Ramen, and ARTE France, and published by ARTE France and GCORES PUBLISHING. The official Steam listing describes it as a “wholesomevania”: a 2D world to explore at your own pace, where a squad of birds with different abilities can reveal hidden routes.

That label points to the game’s mix of exploration and ability-based access to new areas. The central obstacles described are environmental—thorns, rocks, and trees—not enemies or combat. The focus is on finding the flock, navigating the landscape, and helping the birds establish a home.

What is the story of The Merlies?

A huge storm scatters the Merlies across the land. The player explores the aftermath, finds the dispersed birds, and gradually brings the flock together. As the community grows, its members’ abilities help open paths into places that were previously out of reach.

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The flock’s recovery also drives a rebuilding effort. The birds collect scraps from the vanished human world and turn them into a village where they can live, gather, and prepare for further exploration. The official description gives a sense of scale: an old lamp can become a house, while an ice cube tray can serve as a storeroom.

Who are the characters?

The Merlies are presented as a collective: tiny, expressive birds whose differing abilities matter to exploration. The official store descriptions reviewed do not provide individual names, biographies, species, or personal histories. The flock is therefore the story’s central cast, rather than a set of individually introduced named characters.

Rank #2
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The birds are also portrayed as vulnerable in a world built for much larger creatures. Natural features such as thorns, rocks, and trees shape the challenge; the available official descriptions do not frame the adventure around fighting enemies.

Where does The Merlies take place?

The setting is a colorful natural landscape where human civilization has disappeared and nature is healing. Its remains are still visible as debris and infrastructure: the birds climb electrical cables and fallen billboards, explore empty pipes, and adapt discarded human objects to their own scale.

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Rank #3
Twilight Board Game
  • 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

The official description says the game’s visual inspiration includes graphic novels and children’s picture books. That helps explain the contrast between an expressive, colorful presentation and a world shaped by the aftermath of a storm and the absence of people.

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Why is The Merlies described as solarpunk?

The developers describe The Merlies as a solarpunk game and a hopeful take on a post-apocalypse. Cooperation, solidarity, recycling, and upcycling are central to how the birds live: instead of restoring human society, they make a shared home from what it left behind. This is the game’s stated creative approach, not a definition that applies to every post-apocalyptic story.

Rank #4
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Hasbro Gaming Magic The Gathering: Arena of the Planeswalkers Shadows Over Innistrad Game
  • Players can create a 3-D battle arena
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  • 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.

The official Steam description and demo listing are available on The Merlies’ store page and The Merlies Demo page. The Steam listing gives September 29, 2026 as the game’s release date; the demo listing gives April 16, 2026 as its release date. These are store-listed dates, and availability details can change.

Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 3
Twilight Board Game
Twilight Board Game
Based on the popular novels and TV movie; Includes board, Scene cards, playing pieces, and dice
$50.49
SaleBestseller No. 4
Hasbro Gaming Magic The Gathering: Arena of the Planeswalkers Shadows Over Innistrad Game
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Players can create a 3-D battle arena; Includes dual-sided gameboards with multiple gameplay scenarios
$34.99
SaleBestseller No. 5

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