French Students' Kintsugi Puzzle Platformer Is Free on Steam
The students' pitch deck for a full release is in progress, so the free Steam vertical slice is the public entry point to a project that may become a complete game.
Reporting from 1 source: 4Gamer.net.
At BIC2026, 4Gamer played Kintsugi, a puzzle platformer by students at France's IIM Digital School. Players use a magic gold substance to repair broken platforms and climb walls. The game is a vertical slice, free on Steam, with about 10 to 15 minutes of playtime. Lead programmer Maxime Corby says the team aims for a full game of two and a half to three hours.
The game's motif is kintsugi, the Japanese technique of repairing broken ceramics with lacquer and gold powder. The team adopted the idea after a teacher asked for multiple concepts, and one artist proposed it. They researched the practice, learned of its Buddhist origins, and worked that philosophy into the design.
Corby said the team tried to stay faithful to kintsugi but may have interpreted it differently from the original intent. He described the game not as an action title but as a platformer and puzzle game, chosen to keep gameplay simple while presenting a strong world. The near absence of text is deliberate, leaving room for each player's interpretation.
The current team of about ten people is making a pitch deck for publishers. A full game would take one to one and a half years to complete once funding is secured.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.