Free-to-play on Steam: New adventure game features emotion-driven worlds and landscapes
Steam’s vast library is packed with great games, but it’s not every day a game confronts the player with the raw, shifting terrain of a human mind like Curyeux - a new free-to-play adventure from indie developer Campus ADN. The game, which launched on 18th July, doesn’t just hand you puzzles, it takes the player into the intimate, fractured world of Lucienne Grégoire, a painter haunted by memories and emotions that morph into the game's very landscapes - something similar to the concept explored in Split Fiction.
Instead of introductory cutscenes or lengthy exposition, Curyeux begins with Lucienne navigating a landscape shaped by her memories and feelings. The game uses environmental design and puzzles to represent psychological states: hope, grief, and anxiety directly affect the platforms, shapes, and passageways players traverse. The art direction is influenced by painting - scenes are atmospheric and intentionally ambiguous.
Progress in Curyeux requires more than platforming skill. Players must pay attention to visual cues in the environment, adapting to landscapes that shift in response to Lucienne’s internal state. Dialogue is pretty minimal. The story is revealed through visual storytelling, which lets the player interpret events and emotional subtext on their own. There are no intrusive tutorials or onboarding sequences.
The game is fully free on Steam, with no in-game purchases or hidden costs. This is one of those indie projects that are looking to build a broader audience by removing paywalls and keeping the experience accessible.
Regarding reviews, Curyeux’s inventive puzzle mechanics, presentation style, and focus on emotional themes are well-regarded so far. Some users are already drawing comparisons to games like Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. There have been minor technical reports, typical for an indie launch, but no widely reported issues at this stage.
The game is also Steam Deck (curr. listed for $777 on Amazon) verified. If you're curious, you can check out the Steam Store page for Curyeux here.
