Lozange Lab, the French indie studio behind Rip Them Off, released a playable demo for Game Settings on December 5, 2025. The mystery-driven adventure puts you in the role of Alex, a tech journalist stuck in monotonous routine until a mysterious package arrives containing a custom console and unlabeled cartridge. The demo covers the first three days of a seven-day narrative where adjusting cryptic console settings isn’t just configuration, it’s the entire gameplay. The full game launches on Steam in 2026 for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
When Settings Become the Game
Game Settings takes the mundane act of tweaking video game options and transforms it into a narrative puzzle. You receive an enigmatic console filled with obscure parameters to adjust: things like reality filters, temporal settings, environmental variables, and other cryptic options that have no clear explanation. As you explore the game world (or is it the real world?), you notice these menu adjustments cause tangible changes to the environments you visit and the conversations you have.
The game contains no combat, no score, no traditional objectives. You simply explore areas, have enigmatic conversations with mysterious characters, and constantly return to that settings menu to experiment with different configurations. Each parameter you change ripples through the experience in ways that aren’t immediately obvious. What begins as curious tinkering slowly reveals layers of conspiracy, forgotten experiments, and messages left behind by the console’s creators.
The Seven-Day Mystery Structure
Game Settings unfolds across seven in-game days, with the demo providing access to days one through three. This structure creates natural pacing where each day presumably unlocks new areas, reveals new information, or introduces additional settings to manipulate. The journalist framing device means Alex is actively investigating the console’s origins, not just passively playing a game within a game.
The narrative questions stack up quickly. Who created this console? What was it designed to do originally? Why was the project abandoned? Are the settings controlling the in-game world, Alex’s reality, or something else entirely? The meta-narrative setup invites comparisons to games like The Stanley Parable, Pony Island, and Doki Doki Literature Club, but Game Settings appears to explore different territory by focusing on mundane UI elements rather than breaking the fourth wall through glitches or horror.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Developer | Lozange Lab (France) |
| Previous Game | Rip Them Off (2020) |
| Protagonist | Alex, tech journalist |
| Core Mechanic | Adjusting cryptic console settings changes reality |
| Structure | 7-day narrative (demo shows first 3 days) |
| Gameplay | Exploration, enigmatic conversations, no combat |
| Art Style | Pixel art, retro aesthetic |
| Platforms | Windows, Mac, Linux (Steam) |
| Demo Release | December 5, 2025 |
| Full Release | 2026 (TBA) |
The Lozange Lab Track Record
Lozange Lab established their reputation with Rip Them Off, which launched in September 2020 on Steam, mobile, and eventually consoles. The minimalistic puzzle/tower defense hybrid cast you as a corporate executive placing shops on city streets to maximize profit by manipulating consumer behavior. With 1950s-inspired jazz music and Mad Men aesthetics, the game satirized capitalism while delivering genuinely challenging strategic gameplay.
Rip Them Off received positive reviews for its innovative mechanics and stylish presentation, proving Lozange Lab could execute high-concept indie games with polish. The studio also creates interactive installations alongside commercial games, showing their interest in experimental interactive experiences beyond traditional game formats. Game Settings appears to continue this experimental ethos by questioning what constitutes gameplay itself.
The Meta-Narrative Gaming Tradition
Game Settings joins a long tradition of meta-narrative games that use game mechanics and UI elements as storytelling tools. The Stanley Parable questioned player agency through a narrator commenting on your choices. Pony Island disguised itself as a broken arcade game to tell a story about demonic possession. Inscryption layered card game mechanics with ARG elements and found footage horror. Each approached meta-narrative from different angles.
What distinguishes Game Settings is focusing specifically on configuration menus, the most utilitarian part of games that players usually ignore after initial setup. Everyone has experienced lingering in settings menus longer than intended, tweaking brightness or audio levels obsessively. Transforming this mundane behavior into core gameplay creates familiar discomfort, making players question whether they’re configuring preferences or fundamentally altering something more significant.
Technical Design Choices
Game Settings uses pixel art and retro aesthetics appropriate for a game about mysterious consoles and cartridges. The visual style evokes early PC gaming and console generations where configuration options were limited and cryptically labeled. Made with Unity, Blender, and Aseprite, the game balances nostalgic presentation with modern design sensibilities.
The decision to support Windows, Mac, and Linux from launch reflects Lozange Lab’s experience with multi-platform development from Rip Them Off. Full controller support with keyboard-only options ensures accessibility across different input methods. These choices suggest the studio prioritizes reaching wide audiences rather than targeting specific platforms or control schemes.
FAQs
Where can I play the Game Settings demo?
The demo is available on both itch.io and Steam. It covers the first three days of the seven-day story, giving you roughly 30-60 minutes of gameplay depending on how thoroughly you explore and experiment with settings. Progress from the demo may or may not carry over to the full release.
When does the full game release?
Sometime in 2026, though no specific date, quarter, or even season has been announced. The game was revealed in November 2025 with the demo following in early December, suggesting development is fairly advanced but still requires significant work before full release.
How long is the full game?
Not officially confirmed, but if the demo represents roughly 40% of the content (3 of 7 days), the full game likely runs 2-4 hours for a single playthrough. Experimentation with different setting combinations could extend playtime if choices significantly alter outcomes or unlock different narrative branches.
Is there combat or action gameplay?
No. Lozange Lab explicitly states there’s no combat, no score, and no traditional objectives. Game Settings is purely exploration, conversation, and puzzle-solving through settings manipulation. This puts it firmly in the walking simulator/narrative adventure category rather than action or combat genres.
Will there be multiple endings?
Not confirmed, though the emphasis on player-adjusted settings suggests your configuration choices might influence outcomes. Whether these are dramatically different endings or subtle variations remains unknown until the full release or more detailed previews emerge.
Is it scary or horror-themed?
The Steam page lists thriller as a tag, and the premise involves mysteries and conspiracies, but nothing in the marketing suggests jump scares or traditional horror. The unsettling aspects likely come from existential questions about reality manipulation rather than monsters or gore.
Do I need to play Rip Them Off first?
No, Game Settings is completely unrelated to Rip Them Off. They share a developer but no narrative connections, shared mechanics, or universe. You can play Game Settings as your first Lozange Lab experience without missing anything.
Is there voice acting?
Not mentioned in any promotional materials, which typically means text-only dialogue. Most indie games at this budget level use text for conversations rather than full voice acting due to cost and localization complexity. The trailer shows text dialogue boxes confirming this approach.
Why Mundane Interfaces Work for Mystery
Game Settings’ genius lies in weaponizing familiarity. Everyone has spent time in settings menus tweaking graphics options, adjusting volumes, or enabling subtitles. By transforming these mundane interactions into reality-altering choices, Lozange Lab creates cognitive dissonance that fuels the mystery. You’re doing something that feels safe and routine, but the consequences extend far beyond typical configuration.
This approach taps into the same unease as The Stanley Parable questioning whether your choices matter or Bioshock revealing “would you kindly” was programming your behavior all along. When familiar systems reveal hidden depths or sinister purposes, the revelation hits harder because you were complicit without realizing. If Lozange Lab executes this premise effectively throughout all seven days, Game Settings could join the pantheon of memorable meta-narrative experiences. The demo is free to try right now on Steam and itch.io, letting curious players experience the first three days and decide whether this mystery about mysterious menus deserves a spot on their 2026 wishlist.