MyDear.exe Preview: Fifty-Seven Years of Marriage, Told Through the Folders of an Old PC — From the Director and Producer Behind The Rogue Prince of Persia, Launching November 2

A husband builds a game for his wife. That is the premise behind MyDear.exe, the first title from Bordeaux-based Falling Leaves Studio, arriving on Steam and the Epic Games Store on November 2. The developer calls it an “interactive love letter,” in which the player explores the folders and files of an old computer to piece together a story.

It also arrives with a notable pedigree. The studio was founded by the game director and a senior producer from The Rogue Prince of Persia, the well-received action game.

Fifty-Seven Years, One Hidden Game

You play Ellie, exploring a virtual game her husband Lucien made for her alone. The story unfolds across the tangled folders of an old PC, warmly portraying the love and memories the couple built together over 57 years.

The developer describes the game as a dense narrative experience of about two hours, full of humor, nostalgia, and deep affection.

Ellie must search the virtual computer to solve the inventive puzzles Lucien hid throughout. Along the way she examines faded photographs, short notes, and objects tied to their shared memories, and plays a variety of mini-games that appear between story beats.

By collecting materials scattered across the machine and using them at the right moment, players follow what the studio frames as a husband’s last tribute to the wife he spent his life with.

“Foldervania”: Exploration Inside a Fake Windows XP–Style OS

The developer coined the term “Foldervania” for the game’s approach to exploration. It translates the non-linear structure of classic Metroidvanias onto a virtual operating system inspired by Windows XP.

Folders throughout the computer are locked behind passwords, and players open each space through a different kind of puzzle. The developer says it built the virtual OS interface carefully so that anyone, not only players familiar with PCs, can operate it intuitively.

Whimsical, playful mini-games drawn from the story’s characters and from retro games appear throughout. Letters, photos, and notes tucked into folders convey the couple’s long history visually. The conversations between Ellie and Lucien are fully voiced, which heightens the story’s emotional pull.

From the Team Behind The Rogue Prince of Persia

Falling Leaves Studio is a small French indie team that aims to make dense games that can be enjoyed in short, relaxed sessions in the middle of busy lives. According to its Steam community group, the studio was co-founded by just two veteran developers.

Co-founder Lucie built her career at studios including Ubisoft Bordeaux and Evil Empire Studio, and served as lead developer and game director on The Rogue Prince of Persia. The other co-founder, Jolan, worked at Old Skull Games and Evil Empire Studio before serving as senior producer on the same game. Programming, audio, and other specialist areas are handled in close collaboration with freelancers and acquaintances.

The studio’s stated philosophy is to make a cozy game for a warm blanket and hot chocolate, or for settling into a chair with a headset and getting fully absorbed. Before opening its Steam store page, the team held pre-release playtests on itch.io to talk with players.

According to the press release, the Steam demo’s user rating is currently “100% Positive,” though the total number of reviews was not disclosed.

Who This Is For

Strong fit for: players who like narrative-driven, emotionally warm adventures; fans of desktop-simulation and “found files” storytelling; anyone who enjoys light puzzle design with mini-games; followers of the Rogue Prince of Persia team who want to see their work in a very different register.

Cautious fit for: players who want a longer game, since the runtime is about two hours; anyone relying on the demo’s “100% Positive” rating, given that the number of reviews behind it was not disclosed.

Less ideal for: players seeking action, combat, or high-difficulty challenge; those who prefer open-ended, systems-heavy games over a short, authored story.

The Takeaway

In a market crowded with louder games, MyDear.exe makes a quiet bet: that a short, voiced love story told through a recreated Windows XP–style desktop can land harder than spectacle. The Foldervania structure gives the familiar act of clicking through folders a Metroidvania logic, and the veteran team behind it suggests craft behind the sentiment. The free Steam demo is available now, ahead of the November 2 launch.

Release: November 2, 2026, on Steam and Epic Games Store. Free demo available now.

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