The Guardian of Nature

Wow, this was some of the best illustration work I've ever seen in a game, by Chloe Jackson. I also found that the meditative score by Kate Miller put me in the right headspace to enjoy the contemplative pace. I like that Henry is a purposeful fellow, taking his time with each action. The point-and-click adventure elements are beautiful and well-designed. The puzzles were also solid. One in particular that involves a machine to create bird calls was quite clever, and I spent extra time with it making all the calls even though it wasn't necessary. Watch out for a couple puzzle types where the controls are labeled "L" and "R". Some involve using the thumbsticks, while others want you to use the left and right bumpers. All-in-all, a delightful experience that clearly took a lot of talent and coordination across the team to pull off. Highly recommend!

cozy

cute et cosy. Pas si facile

The game’s title refers to your character, Henry, who is one of several guardians protecting an island sustained by a giant tree at its center. This enormous tree gives life not only to the island itself but also to all its plants and creatures. The island has remained peaceful and untouched for ages, but that tranquility is now threatened as giants from the mainland arrive to cut down its trees. Henry is the typical adventure game hero, meaning you guide him by moving the mouse cursor around the screen and searching for points of interaction. This is a more relaxed adventure game, however, with only a handful of possible interactions in each scene. There is no button that highlights them for you, but finding them rarely becomes frustrating since a quick sweep of the cursor over the screen usually reveals everything worth interacting with. Each hotspot has only a single action attached to it. You might pick up an item and add it to your inventory, examine an object and read Henry’s thoughts in a speech bubble above his head, move to a new location, or use your special ability to shrink down and return to normal size. This ability is not really used for puzzle solving. Instead, it serves as a clever way to access small openings, underground tunnels, hidden locations, and tiny creatures that would otherwise go unnoticed. The game’s accessible design is especially noticeable when it comes to inventory management. Clicking and holding an item from your bag reveals a small dot wherever that item can be used in the current scene. This makes it easy to determine whether a scene contains a valid interaction point at all, since some do not, and it allows you to quickly test every item without unnecessary guesswork. As you travel across multiple locations, your notebook becomes an invaluable tool. It contains a map that allows quick travel between discovered areas. Most locations become available as soon as you visit them for the first time, although some smaller areas do not receive their own travel point. In practice, this is never a problem, and backtracking rarely feels tedious. The island is so beautifully illustrated that revisiting locations is often a pleasure. Another feature found in the notebook is a collection of cards. These act as the game’s collectibles and are entirely optional, but each one contains a charming poem related to the subject depicted on the card. In fact, poetry plays a significant role throughout the entire game. Cutscenes are narrated in verse and rhyme, giving the story a distinctive atmosphere that I found quite memorable. Cards are discovered the same way as any other hotspot by carefully moving the cursor around the environment and watching for the appropriate icon. Once collected, the interaction disappears and the card is added to your notebook. Although the game tells you how many cards exist in each episode, finding them is entirely up to you. Each of the three episodes has its own set of collectibles and map. Missing a card means replaying the episode later if you want a complete collection. Because some locations become inaccessible as the story progresses, I found it worthwhile to thoroughly scan every new scene before moving on. You can prevent such points of no return by using a save system that has several slots. The first two episodes were enjoyable from start to finish, but the third introduced a couple of issues that slightly diminished the experience. The first involves a puzzle where you dig through tunnels in a specific pattern. Unfortunately, there appears to be little logic behind the solution, and the pattern changes each time you are sent back to the beginning. I eventually checked the game’s discussion board and discovered that the solution is tied to pulsating energy effects, something that was not particularly clear during gameplay. Up to that point, the puzzles are generally straightforward and satisfying. There are only a few of them, and most involve rotating simple circles to connect energy lines. The second issue is a minor bug that causes Henry to remain in his tiny form when quick travelling to locations where he should appear at normal size. While you can still move around, progress becomes noticeably slower because his miniature footsteps cover distances intended for a full sized character. Fortunately, both problems are relatively minor and feel like issues that could easily be fixed. They do little to overshadow what is otherwise a charming and visually stunning adventure. The game is fairly short, but it tells its story well and remains enjoyable throughout. You can revisit any episode to hunt for missed cards, while nearly every other achievement unlocks naturally through story progression.

ein schönes, entschleunigendes Spiel mit guten Rätseln. Kann auch Kindern näher bringen, wie in der Natur alles mit einander verbunden ist.

This game is awesome - creative, clever, and teaching meaningful lessons. I would highly recommend this game; it would be an excellent addition to classroom curriculum in school too!