Merrily Perilly is a game about crisis. You play as Perry, a severely dehydrated man who stumbles into a remote village in search of help, but the inhabitants respond with strange detachment to your trouble. You may think that the nearby fountain is a safe means to quench your dire thirst, but you would soon find yourself in search of aid for a snake bite. And before you know it, you will be chased by bees, fending off bears, cursed by thaumaturges, and most likely on fire.

Merrily Perilly plays like a top down adventure game where you must resolve the perpetual perils that afflict Perry by interacting with the townsfolk and environment. Through exploration and experimentation, the nonlinear narrative branches and intersects into many paths leading to several distinct endings.