Lil’ Guardsman Review – Steam

I’ve probably said this before, but I love a good indie. Lil’ Guardsman had been on my radar for the longest time and when the review code landed in my inbox, well, let’s say it’s been the best thing about January.

The game is beautifully animated and voiced. Humour is almost everywhere in the magical kingdom of Sprawl, which like most medieval cities, has a dark underbelly. Not a human? Sorry, not wanted in Sprawl. A once honoured Mage? Also sorry, we have another magic that works better. All of these things add up to some unrest, and Lil inadvertently gets involved.

In Lil’ Guardsman, you play as Lil, short for Lillian, a 12-year-old girl who steps in to cover a shift at the guardhouse for her dad, Hamish. Enter gameplay much like “Papers, Please” but with some vibrant and sometimes downright strange people wanting to enter the city. Lil must use her powers of deduction and some city provided tools to interrogate the visitors and see if they should or should not be allowed entrance to the city.

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Some events happen in the city and soon Lil finds herself the favoured guard on shift (child labour aside) and so the story unfolds. Not only in the guardhouse, but across the city, as events and locations open as Lil progresses through the story.

The characters and writing in this indie are really top notch. They grow with every interaction, some deviously, some not so much. Lil makes many important decisions, and the game is as satisfying as anything to play, especially if you have a quick 30 min gap.

If you love point and click adventures, detective or investigative stories, great animation and voice overs, definitely give this indie a go. It also plays great on the Steamdeck.

Verdict: Recommended

Check out the trailer below. and also check out more reviews on our website here.