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Willow Guard is a quietly ambitious indie RPG from Finnish developer MiTale that blends narrative choice, deckbuilding combat, and atmospheric exploration into a surprisingly cohesive and poignant package. Set in a crumbling, anthropomorphic world left behind by its gods, Willow Guard follows Ghweros, a veteran guardian, as he investigates a series of violent incidents plaguing the woodland village of Woikos. What begins as a monster-hunting mission evolves into a layered story of legacy, moral ambiguity, and the heavy weight of duty.
Story is at the core
From the moment you step into Tersa, the game’s setting, you’re drawn into a world that feels lived-in yet teetering on the brink of collapse. The pixel art style might initially suggest a simple throwback aesthetic, but Willow Guard quickly asserts its visual identity with richly detailed environments, moody lighting, and expressive character sprites. The soundtrack is equally evocative—minimalist, ambient, and frequently haunting, it reinforces the loneliness and tension that permeate Ghweros’s journey.
At its core, Willow Guard is about choices. Not just in dialogue, but in how you build your character’s skillset and interact with the world. MiTale implements an “Inclination” system, which tracks how Ghweros responds to different situations. Are you sympathetic to the struggles of the townsfolk, or are you cold and focused solely on the mission? These choices shape not only the dialogue options available to you, but also how the people of Woikos react to you over time. It’s a subtle but effective way to make your decisions feel meaningful without always dangling obvious “good” or “evil” consequences in front of you.
Another great mechanic to make the world feel alive is ‘focusing’ on the environment. Focus pointsare a limited source that replenishes through certain actions. Ghweros can inspect different parts of his surroundings which unlock new talking points, clues and side quests when pursued further. This is yet another reason for the player to slow down and think about how to interact with their surroundings.
Simple combat to make your own
Combat in Willow Guard is real-time, but relies heavily on deckbuilding mechanics. Ghweros assembles an action deck made up of abilities that you unlock and refine throughout the game. These range from straightforward attacks to defensive stances, crowd-control maneuvers, and self-healing techniques. Each encounter—especially in the procedurally generated dungeons—is a mini-puzzle of positioning, cooldown management, and timing. While the system is rewarding and flexible, it does occasionally stumble. Enemy variety, while visually striking, can feel repetitive over extended play sessions, and there are moments when combat lacks the punchiness found in more traditional action RPGs.
What keeps the experience engaging is the rhythm between combat and narrative. After each dive into a dungeon or combat zone, you’re brought back to Woikos, where the slower pace invites you to converse with townsfolk, unravel lore, and witness how your actions have influenced the world. These quiet moments are where Willow Guard truly shines. The writing is thoughtful, and while the game doesn’t use voice acting, it doesn’t need to. Characters are distinct, with believable motivations and subtle arcs that respond to your behavior over time.
How it comes together
Thematically, Willow Guard is a meditation on resilience, responsibility, and the fraying bonds of community. Ghweros isn’t a chosen one or a fresh-faced hero—he’s weary, seasoned, and full of regrets. Playing as someone already shaped by the past adds a level of gravitas rarely seen in indie RPGs, and it’s refreshing to experience a protagonist whose character is nuanced from the start. The world of Tersa reflects this tone well, with visual decay and spiritual absence echoing Ghweros’s internal state. It’s a clever narrative mirror that deepens the immersion without being overt.
MiTale’s previous works leaned more into experimental narrative spaces, and Willow Guard feels like the culmination of those ideas in a more structured form. It’s not flawless—some players may find the slow pacing and limited enemy pool a turn-off—but it is memorable. It’s rare to find an RPG that prioritizes quiet introspection as much as action, and rarer still to find one that succeeds.
My Conclusion
For fans of games like Gris, or even Undertale, Willow Guard offers a similarly resonant experience—one where the story and atmosphere linger long after the story is wrapped up. It’s a game that rewards patience, contemplation, and empathy. And in a genre often dominated by spectacle, Willow Guard reminds us of the power of subtlety.
