Calx, an atmospheric 3D action adventure from Italian studio True Colors and French publisher Dear Villagers, launches on PC on June 4th, 2026, with PlayStation 5, Xbox Series and Nintendo Switch versions following later in the year. The announcement came during the Future Games Show Spring Showcase, and a demo is available now on Steam.
The planet Syro is a place built from crystal formations, ancient ruins and vast stretches of alien landscape, all drawn from the aesthetic of Moebius, the French comic artist whose linework defined a generation of science fiction art. There's a quiet melancholy to these forgotten places. Players arrive alone, a speck of dust on a world whose civilization, the Quoths, is long gone, reshaped by a mysterious corruption known as the WARP. Each biome carries its own mood, some still and contemplative, others pulsing with strange energy. An IDM soundscape composed by Matteo Ferrante and inspired by Aphex Twin evolves alongside the environments, shifting between reflective exploration and the urgency of combat. The visuals shape the music and the music breathes back into the art, creating a world where every element pulls in the same direction.
Movement is the primary tool for navigating Syro. Double jumps, aerial dashes, levitation and a grappling hook open new paths as players gain abilities, and the interconnected world rewards revisiting old areas with fresh routes and hidden secrets. Combat areas function like movement puzzles where mobility matters as much as weaponry. Fights test how well players move, not just how fast they attack, mixing melee attacks and ranged shots with a dodge timing system that grants tactical advantages when perfected. New weapons found in ruins change the approach to encounters, and upgrades discovered as pieces of old technology enhance both combat and traversal skills.
A companion called AFX travels alongside the player, growing stronger over the course of the journey. Together they push deeper into Syro, uncovering traces of the Quoths civilization through environmental storytelling, puzzles that emerge from investigation, and frescoes that reveal the planet's diverse landscapes and mysterious past. The WARP's corruption serves as both the central threat and the driving question: what happened here, and can it be undone? Gabriele Ferreccio, Game and Narrative Designer at True Colors, describes the studio's intent as recapturing "that feeling of isolation and discovery that we felt with games like Metroid and Hyper Light Drifter," with every element of the game working toward that single goal.
Calx moves between stillness and frenzy in a rhythm its developers liken to waves. Silent moments give way to frantic fights, then pull back into contemplation again. The game values calm as much as action, letting players absorb Syro's world before the next encounter demands everything they've learned. At roughly ten to fifteen hours for the main story, this is a focused experience built around that rhythm, where the planet itself tells its story through the spaces players move through and the ruins they uncover.