A single voice message can upend everyday life. Looking for Fael, a narrative puzzle game developed by Swing Swing Submarine and La Poule Noire, co-produced with ARTE France and published by ARTE France, is now available on PC (Steam), PS5, Xbox Series and Nintendo Switch since July 16, 2026. This French creation plunges players into an apartment that has become a maze of puzzles, where every room seems to hide a new piece of the mystery.
The launch trailer opens with a message from Fael, explaining that he’s somehow gotten lost... in his own apartment. What follows is a series of interconnected rooms, with visuals that gradually evolve as you progress.
The images show several settings that gradually pull away from an ordinary dwelling: a room swallowed by vegetation, a laboratory, a cinema, or spaces bathed in a starry sky. The video also introduces the Game Leaf, a 1990s-inspired handheld console used to crack certain puzzles, along with several devices imagined by Fael, essential for continuing the exploration.
"Hello, this is Fael... Look, this might sound odd, but I think I’ve gotten lost in the apartment. I... I don’t know where I am. Could you come help me?""
It all starts with that strange voicemail. The player then sets out to track down his missing roommate. Armed with the Game Leaf, he must solve the puzzles left by Fael and uncover what happened in an apartment whose rooms seem to multiply as the investigation unfolds.
Looking for Fael is a single-player puzzle game built around exploration and solving challenges. Each apartment has its own mechanisms and logic. To progress, players must observe their surroundings, interact with a variety of devices, gather clues, and link locations across multiple rooms.
One of the game’s core ideas is how the apartments interact with one another. An action in one room can affect another, compelling players to backtrack and test various hypotheses. The post-its, voice messages, and items Fael left behind serve as signposts throughout the adventure.
The Game Leaf also sits at the heart of the progression. Drawing inspiration from 1990s handheld consoles, it unlocks new puzzles and gradually reveals new areas of the building.
The environments imagined by Benoît « Beloup » Leloup, abound with nods to comics, Japanese anime, and science fiction. The developers also weave in several recurring elements from their universe, such as the invasive vegetation or the phasmid, which contribute to the mystery surrounding Fael.
William David, cofounder of Swing Swing Submarine, explains: "We wanted to highlight the French roots of Fael, of the game, and of the development team. This helps explain, among other things, why some windows frame views of Angoulême's rooftops. It's also why Fael's French voice (...) was recorded first (...)".
Looking for Fael is priced at €19.99. A 15% launch discount applies for one week on the Steam and Nintendo Switch versions. The game is fully playable in single-player mode. It is available in French, English, German, Spanish and Portuguese.
The original soundtrack by Yann de Cruyssen is now available on major music streaming platforms. The lead track Comme un souffle was written, composed, and performed by the francophone Swiss artist Billie Bird.
With this release, ARTE France continues its role as an indie game publisher alongside Swing Swing Submarine and La Poule Noire. Looking for Fael is now available on all platforms previously announced, while the studios can now focus on post-launch support.
This page may contain AI-assisted elements, more information here.
