Independent video game developer Hilltop Studios (@PlayHilltop) and publisher Versus Evil (@vs_evil) released another Dev Diary video going behind the scenes on the creation of their upcoming narrative-driven deduction adventure game Lil’ Guardsman (@lilguardsman).

Due later this year on Xbox Series, PlayStation, Switch and PC platforms, Lil’ Guardsman is a narrative deduction game inspired by the classic point-and-click genre and the mechanics of Papers, Please. Set in a high-fantasy world with the comedic sensibility of Monkey Island and other 90s Lucasarts adventure classics, Lil’ Guardsman puts players in the role of a young girl who finds herself tasked with covering for her dad, the head castle guardsman. What could go wrong?

As you interrogate an array of eccentric characters trying to gain entry to the city walls, you must discover each visitor’s true intentions through cunning dialogue and clever use of your toolbox of investigative items. You’ll have to make tough decisions as Lil, deciding who to allow into her castle home. Consequences can be severe, so you must make clever use of your abilities to uncover mass conspiracies and protect Lil’s castle and family from devious interlopers.

This latest video, A Kingdom Worth Protecting, offers an interview with developer Hilltop Studios co-founder & game director Artiom Komarov, co-founder & creative director Scott Christian, and writer & game designer Matt Bernard as they discuss some of the whimsical characters you’ll meet, like the horribly named but honest Buttface and the decidedly less honest Magnus the Magnificent, who is clearly two goblins stacked on top of each other in a wizard’s robe.

A Kingdom Worth Protecting also delves into the creation of the game’s setting, the Sprawl, the kingdom at the center of Lil’ Guardsman. The dev team discusses how they aimed to create a world that’s 70% medieval fantasy and 30% something else: like 1980s technology and neon signs. It’s not all silly gags and hijinks, however, as Lil’ Guardsman‘s later levels depict a kingdom at war, so there are numerous reminders of the turmoil unfolding around you, as well as distinct notes of melancholy that imply the magnitude of your decisions as you choose who to allow into your kingdom. Check out Lil’ Guardsman’s colorful locales, like the Twisted Sisters tavern, Garby’s Emporium of Wonders, and Malcolm the Jester’s office in the new Dev Diary below:

Lil’ Guardsman is scheduled to launch in 2023 on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam).

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