Lil’ Guardsman [Review]
Lil’ Guardsman is a hilarious adventure game inspired by Papers Please and LucasArts classics.
Lil’ Guardsman key art. Image credit: Hilltop Studios / Versus Evil
Hilltop Studios, a Canadian game dev founded in 2021, has just released its latest game, Lil’ Guardsman, publised by Versus Evil. It’s a narrative deduction game set in a fantasy world, where titular character Lil’ is forced to take over her father’s post as a town gate guardsman in the Sprawl. The problem is that Lil’ is only 12 years old and must take more responsibility than she’d ever want to handle.
Lil’ first covers for her dad for a day when he wants to go place a bet on a Goblinball game. It turns out she’s good at the job, so the kingdom’s three royal advisors maneuver to make Lil’ take over the job completely, thinking they can pull her strings to help them achieve their own goals. Lil’ is thrown into situations where she must make decisions that will have deep consequences for other characters, the Sprawl, and the world.
Lil’ on guard duty. Image credit: Hilltop Studios / Versus Evil
The core of the game is in the gate kiosk where Lil’ works. During each day in the game’s 12 chapters, kooky people and creatures arrive at the gate requesting to be let in. This part of the game draws from Lucas Pope’s Papers Please—Lil’ interviews each person to decide whether she should let them in or turn them away.
Aside from conversation, the player also has several tools at her disposal that she can use to uncover the truth, including a decoder ring, an x-ray device, truth spray, and more. These have limited uses as well, as they’re powered by special crystals that are limited in supply. Lil’ has three opportunities to take an action and must then make a decision.
Each day, Lil’ gets a series of orders giving her guidance on what she should do; for example, on one day she’s told she should turn away or jail all goblins. She gets to choose whether or not to follow those orders. Lil’s choices will affect the game’s narrative over following days.
Lil’ exploring the docks. Image credit: Hilltop Studios / Versus Evil
An additional tool at the player’s disposal is the Chronometer3000, a time machine that only works in the guard shed. It allows Lil’ to travel back in time to earlier in her shift and make different choices. You earn the item very early in the game, and it was great because I was able to undo decisions I immediately regretted making. If you, like me, suffer from analysis paralysis, this is the feature made just for you.
Outside of guard duty, different locations in town will open up over the course of the game that Lil’ can visit to further develop the story. The adventuring in these sections is very light; most of the gameplay here consists of walking around, talking to NPCs, and occasionally answering questions to make game-changing decisions. There are also other small sequences that break the mold of the core gameplay, like a scene where Lil’ is forced to be on a game show to pick which of three champions will be sent to find the missing princess.
Lil’ gets rated on her performance. Image credit: Hilltop Studios / Versus Evil
The game draws a lot from LucasArts adventure classics like the Secret of Monkey Island series and Sam and Max Hit the Road, an influence that’s felt in Lil’ Guardsman’s playful visual style and writing. The game’s characters and backgrounds are rendered in a gorgeous 2D cartoon style that’s brimming with personality. This is complemented by the dialogue-heavy game’s fully voiced, hilarious script, filled with lively dialogue overflowing with jokes and puns; it also has a lot of referential humor, but not enough to where it’ll make the game feel dated in a few years. Lil’ Guardsman’s script is nearly at the level of LucasArts’ golden age. I rarely feel that games are genuinely funny; Lil’ Guardsman hits the mark.
Lil’ Guardsman isn’t a long game, but it’s got a ton of replay value considering so many choices lead to changes in the story. The story is heartfelt and hilarious. I’ll be playing it again in the future to see where my path takes me next time.
Lil’ Guardsman is available now for PC on Steam, PS4 / PS5, Xbox One / Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.
