Game: The Guardian of Nature
Genre: Adventure, Casual, Indie
System: Steam (Windows, macOS, Linux)
Developer | Publisher: Inlusio Interactive | Inlusio Interactive, Nexting (Japan)
Controller Support: Full
Price: US $8.99 | UK £7.49 | EU € 8,79
Release Date: May 21, 2026
Review code provided with many thanks to Inlusio Interactive.
Previously, Kalina checked out The Guardian of Nature in Early Access. Now it is time for a review of The Guardian of Nature, an adorable, hand-drawn game about saving the forest from an encroaching, destructive force. We follow a Guardian who uses his powers to help keep the trees and critters safe, and you need to take care of the threat before it destroys everything.
The Gameplay and Story of The Guardian of Nature
The Guardian of Nature is a very simple point-and-click adventure game. You begin the day as a Guardian of the forest, born from a long line of other Guardians. Your job is to keep tabs on the mycelium that powers your home, help creatures large and small, and keep the trees safe.
One day, you notice something is going very wrong. You scope out the area and find that some giants have moved in, and they are tearing down every tree looking for food. As the Guardian, you need to figure out a way to stop the destruction and save your little corner of the world.
To do this, you need to travel to the site of the destruction, which requires solving a bunch of puzzles and helping a lot of animals. As you move through the areas, you need to power items with the mycelium, unlock locations, and scoot forest critters out of the way of things. While you cannot control it, you can also shrink down to fit into certain spaces, making more of the world accessible to you.
The Pros of The Guardian of Nature
The Guardian of Nature is extremely cute and very endearing. I loved the puzzles, the interactions with the animals around the forest, and the artwork. There were a couple of puzzles that were really difficult, but all of them made sense in the context of the game and how the other puzzles had worked up to that point.
One thing that was unique about The Guardian of Nature was the music. There were several tracks in the background of the scenes, and each was incredibly unique and appeared to be handcrafted. There was a lot of effort put into both the soundtrack and the sound design that gave a lot of depth to the world.
Speaking of things that a lot of effort was put into: the artwork was so good. It was the cutest cartoon style of little guys, and the style made the world feel vivid and real somehow.
The Cons of The Guardian of Nature
I didn’t experience any bugs or issues in my playthrough of The Guardian of Nature. I beat it in about two or three hours, making it one of the shorter games I’ve played so far this year, but all of it was good. If I had to complain about something, I do wish the story was a little bit longer.
There was one particular puzzle that I didn’t love; the solution was so far from how the other puzzles were solved that it seemed not to fit in the game. The Guardian of Nature was so good at training me to think a specific way that this one puzzle seemed out of left field. I liked the puzzle in isolation, but this felt like a place where players would get stuck.
Since there is no hint system to help, you’d need to go to a walkthrough to help you, which is not my favorite. However, these were pretty small things that barely changed how much fun I had playing.
Conclusion
Overall, The Guardian of Nature is a great game that’s worth playing. The puzzles were fun, the artwork amazing, and the sound design and music were perfect. It may have been short, but those hours spent in the world of the Guardians were wonderful. If you like puzzle games, I cannot recommend this one enough!
Final Verdict: Two Thumbs Up
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