Lil' Guardsman

It’s hard to find much to fault Lil’ Guardsman with. It’s clear a lot of care and heart went into the title, and for those with whom the humor resonates, this is a fantasy tale worth playing through and laughing over. I immensely enjoyed my time with the game and found the end of Lil’s journey highly satisfying. Lil’ Guardsman is one duty I wouldn’t mind repeating, even if putting such lofty decisions in the hands of a twelve-year-old doesn’t seem like the most rational of choices!

Lil Guardsman offers an intriguing and easily completable puzzle, wrapped in a cartoony art style with superb script writing. Let yourself become the gatekeeper of the city and decide the fate of all the visitors flocking to the Sprawl, and the city itself.

Many graphic adventures claim to recreate the Lucasarts magic of the 1990s, but in most cases that’s more of an aspiration than an achievement. Hilltop Studios, though, in its best moments, has channelled the humour of classic point-and-clicks while delivering something original. With so many fleshed-out characters to get to know through its Papers-Please-lite gameplay, there’s good reason to grant Lil’ Guardsman entry to your Switch.

Barring the issues with the visuals when played docked, Lil’ Guardsman is worth your time on Nintendo Switch for its writing, puzzles, voice acting, charm, and colorful visuals. It manages to bring in a few styles together well in a compelling package that is only held back by minor issues right now. If you do get it on Switch, play handheld and make use of the touchscreen for the best experience.

Lil’ Guardsman never overextends with its ambition but rather perfects everything the game does. With nuanced and hilarious writing, gorgeous visuals, complete with fun deducing-based puzzle mechanics, the game is a king amongst its own kingdoms.