A good few years ago we reviewed a game by the name of
Papers Please, which put players in the role of a check point operator with an ever-increasing
number of tools at their disposal to judge who to let through. Lil’ Guardsman follows
the same sort of scenario; all be it in a much more light-hearted and fantasy-based
way.
The story follows the daughter of a guardsman who is asked by
her father to take over the position as he needs to go out and bet on a local
goblin ball game. With each passing day Lil finds herself operating the post again
for various reasons and making judgments about who should be allowed into the
kingdom.
Throughout the day creatures arrive and you’ll need to use your
various tools and judgment to decide what their intentions are. You have five
main tools – an X-ray machine, a whip, truth spray, metal detector and a
decoder ring. The tools are all powered by crystals though so choosing what to
use and when is key to getting all the information you need. You can also
confiscate items from people which can then be used later and a phone where you
can ring up a number of the kingdoms important residents to get advice.
To add challenge, each day comes with a host of rules and edicts
to adhere to. These may range from simple things such as saying ‘no goblins
today’ to more complex warnings about people in disguise or revolutionaries
trying to make their way through. It all works remarkably well, and you never
feel too overwhelmed.
The slightly undercooked part of the game comes in the form
of a time machine which you acquire early on. Its basic use is to allow you to
rewind time if you get something fatally wrong. This does remove serious threat
from the game, but it works as a story focused point and click adventure with
each person acting as an individual puzzle to solve so it’s not going to hinder
your enjoyment. You can also go back and start the game from the beginning of
each day as well if you want to really hunt for the maximum rating for each
level.
Speaking of the rating, it is a bit confusing to start with
how you get the best score for each person. We assumed it was making the
correct decision as quickly as possible by using the least tools but often that
is not the case. Much of the time you get a higher score from finding out the most
information. At the end of each day, you’ll then get a summary of how you did
and what each person went on to do once they had made their way into the
kingdom.
Occasionally you’ll also get to wander around when you have
finished your shift and visit various other locations. There isn’t much to do
at these apart from speak to people but it’s a welcome change of pace and
allows you to catch up with a few of characters you have allowed in, as well as
understanding what’s going on in the kingdom as the story continues to unfold.
Overall, Lil’ Guardsman is a fun, if slightly light weight,
take on the point and click genre. There are still ideas left to explore for
this sort of check point sub-genre and much of the game works very well. There
are a few moments when it becomes a bit of a drag and a bit more guidance from
the start about score would be welcome, but this is a well put together game
that is full of charm and it’s hard to see anyone really disliking.
Overall 8/10
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