At this year's Tokyo Game Show 2025, I had the opportunity to try the demo version of the game Princess of the Water Lilies, an upcoming 2D puzzle-platformer that, according to developers from Whyknot Studio and Red Dunes Games, should hit the market in the next three to six months. And I can already say - this game has all the prerequisites to become one of the most pleasant indie surprises of the next year.
In the center of the story is the cute cat Princess, who was raised by a family of frogs in a peaceful and idyllic pond. The seemingly classic fairy tale premise quickly takes an interesting twist when the Princess is given a magical necklace that allows her to spin and release magical energy. This energy plays a key role in the gameplay – it changes the environment, stimulates the growth of plants, creates new paths or activates hidden mechanisms that open the way to the next challenges.
Although the story is simple, its presentation is extremely original. Instead of classic dialogues, the action is conveyed through cute illustrated symbols and universal icons, which makes the game completely linguistically accessible and further emphasizes its fairy-tale atmosphere. Visually, the game looks fantastic – every frame looks like an illustration from a childhood picture book. Hand-drawn landscapes, warm colors and subtle effects of light and water create an almost meditative atmosphere that immediately captivates.
As for the gameplay itself, Princess of the Water Lilies combines classic platformer elements with logic puzzles that require thought and experimentation. In the demo version I tried, the mechanics developed gradually, with a slight learning curve – from simply activating plants to more complex interactions that require precise timing and combining abilities. A particularly interesting part was the "mini-boss" challenges that require creative use of magical powers, which promises additional depth in the final version.
Of course, the demo version is not without its imperfections. The controls seemed a bit stiff at times, and the jump physics could be more precise - which is very important in the platformer genre. However, considering that the game is still in development, these little things are more technical in nature and will most likely be ironed out by the time of release.
All in all, Princess of the Water Lilies pleasantly surprised me with her warmth, charm and originality. It's the kind of game that doesn't try to impress with bombastic action scenes or complex systems, but wins you over with its simplicity, atmosphere and imaginative design. If you like titles like Ori and the Blind Forest or Gris, this is a game you should definitely put on your radar.
If the final version manages to retain the charm of the demo version while polishing the technical details, Princess of the Water Lilies could become a real gem of the indie scene in 2025 – a game that reminds us why we fell in love with video games in the first place.
