06/04/2026

What you taught us: first insights from our player research

When we first began imagining Les Marées d’Ys, we had an intuition: that a game rooted in a French legend, driven by a strong natural mechanic — in this case, the tides — could find its audience.

But intuition alone isn’t enough. So we set out to test it.

Between our trip to Saint-Malo (which we shared in a previous devlog) and the distribution of our online questionnaire which received 90 responses, many of you contributed to this initial phase of research focused on a French audience. Here is a glimpse of what we’ve learned so far.

Players… across multiple platforms

First insight: your gaming habits are diverse.

of you play on mobile

of you play on computer

This overlap reinforces our initial choice: to release Les Marées d’Ys on both mobile and PC.

Puzzle games: a strong fit

Among the genres you play, puzzle and thinking games hold an important place:

most played genre (45.3%),

just behind platformers and adventure RPGs.

This is a particularly encouraging signal for us.

Knowing that many of you already enjoy this type of experience motivates us to push this direction further.

Legends that are still very much alive

One of the most striking aspects of your responses concerns cultural references.

You mentioned many legends linked to Brittany, such as:

or

But not only those. Some figures go beyond their region of origin, such as:

which was also frequently mentioned.

What stands out is that these stories are still alive in your imagination, your memories, and continue to spark your curiosity.

That is exactly what drives Ombres Vives: transforming these legends from stories that are told… into experiences that are lived.

Respecting French legends

In Saint-Malo, one piece of feedback came up repeatedly:

Video games can be a great way to share French legends, as long as it’s done with care.

Respecting French culture, honoring it, and not distorting it.

This further strengthens our approach: building Les Marées d’Ys with you, in direct connection with a French audience, to create an adaptation that remains accurate and true to what it represents.

What’s next?

These first results are only the beginning. They are already shaping our decisions, whether it’s about:

• puzzle design
• narrative
• or target platforms

Above all, they remind us of one essential thing: Les Marées d’Ys is an adventure built with its audience.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond, share, and exchange with us.

Feel free to follow us on our social media, and see you soon for the next steps in the development of Les Marées d’Ys!