Demo programmed for Game Settings on Steam and itch.io

• Announcements by Sam Amiotte-Beaulieu
• Published:

Full version of cryptic game-within-a-game mystery coming soon to Windows, Mac and Linux

Getting a free gaming console in the mail may sound like a win, but when something seems too good to be true, it probably is, like in the upcoming Game Settings by husband-and-wife French developer Lozange Lab.

You play as Alex, an average content writer working for a generic tech website, and you’ve been living life in a tedious loop of monotony. That is, until one day a strange package arrives at your door, within which is a bizarre, custom handheld game console called the “Nexia,” along with an unmarked cartridge. Booting it up, the device crackles to life with a little 2D pixel guy on-screen who can be controlled, the console’s only inputs being a directional pad and a single circular button. 

And… that’s it. There’s no tutorial or instructions, but a button press reveals a short list of settings like “VERTICAL MOVEMENTS” with “YES” and “NO” options besides them. The empty space on that page evokes a feeling that it’s either “unfinished… or deliberately incomplete.” Only by playing the game can you start to fill in the list of missing options by locating new data blocks scattered around the labyrinthine game map. Ominously, however, some effects of the game settings seem to impact your own real-world existence, and with each new day, in between choosing new article assignments at work and text chats on your phone with your friend Mark, it will become clear that Nexia knows a lot about you, and “the more the mystery unfolds, the more you wonder who’s really in control.”

Game Settings is a dual-perspective adventure where the Nexia game-within-a-game slowly reveals its secrets. The real-world sections between play sessions display a 3D environment devoid of life or color, while the 2D game world is bright and filled with bouncy sprite-based characters. Exploring the retro-styled console world unlocks new settings that expand and change the parameters of the game world to solve puzzles and uncover new areas, along with optional features simply to give the game a more customized look and feel.

Most console commands are what you would expect – things like “VOLUME,” “LANGUAGE,” or “SCREEN RATIO.” The deeper you go, though, the more settings are unlocked, and new daily deliveries add additional information to support you in your quest. Even the console itself has surprises in store, with its strange power socket and hidden compartments. But as more settings and details are revealed over a seven-day period, the more questions they raise, such as, “What was this system meant to do… and why was it abandoned?” And why were you the one singled out by Nexia to delve its depths in search of answers?

Curious adventurers can try the demo for Game Settings now on Steam and itch.io for Windows, Mac and Linux, which provides access to the first three days of the complete story. There’s no firm release date as of yet, but the full game is due to arrive sometime later this year. In the meantime, you can follow its progress through the official website.