The official release of the Ukrainian indie game «Tukoni: Guardians of the Forest» on PC took place on August 17. The puzzle adventure based on the book series by illustrator Oksana Bula became available on Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG.
The official release of the Ukrainian indie game «Tukoni: Guardians of the Forest» on PC took place on August 17. The puzzle adventure based on the book series by illustrator Oksana Bula became available on Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG.
The release of the long-awaited project was announced by the development team from the independent studio Dream Operator on the day of release.
Players are invited to play the role of the forest spirit Traveler, exploring locations, solving puzzles, collecting herbs, and helping the forest prepare for the winter period. The visual style fully reproduces the original illustrations by Oksana Bula, who served as the project’s art director. The story in the game is told without a single word — using animations and drawn icons.
Our art director and author of the magical world of Tukoni, Oksana Bula @Tukoni_tribe, asks you to support our game Tukoni: Keepers of the Forest on release day, August 17! 💚 pic.twitter.com/5LOY4LOzY8
— Oleksii Furman (@oleksiifurman) August 15, 2026
Along with the game, the developers released a 160-page digital artbook created by Oksana Bula and Kateryna Ustimenko. It includes concept art, sketches, and world building details. In particular, the developers noted that the Bear’s house in the game was deliberately stylized as a traditional Ukrainian hut to explore the connection between folk architecture and nature. The artbook was released in Ukrainian and English and is sold both separately and as part of the collector’s edition.
«Today is a special day for our team. After many years, we are finally ready to share with you the game we dreamed of when we first set out on this journey. Our path through the forest has not always been easy… In moments like these, your support and feedback that you left on the Tukoni: Prologue page have been our guiding light,» shared the developers from Dream Operator.
The game claims to be the most cozy Ukrainian game — it is literally imbued with homely warmth and fragrant tea. This is the long-awaited sequel to 2020's Tukoni: Prologue, which feels like a casual but soulful version of classic quests in the spirit of Amanita Design titles .
The puzzles here don’t make you rack your brains for long: the developers offer concise ciphers, classic puzzles like Tetris, and intuitive searching and combining of objects. A separate pleasant detail is the meditative mechanics of collecting forest herbs and brewing tea according to personal recipes for each forest inhabitant.
The visuals are one of the main strengths of «Tukoni.» The frame animation and watercolor aesthetics of Oksana Bula’s books turn every screen into a living illustration.
Despite the modest time frame — the game can be completed in approximately three hours — the developers have included as many as 46 achievements. Although they are generously distributed after almost every successful action of the player, it is unlikely that you will be able to get them all on the first playthrough.
For example, a dev.ua journalist who is somewhat familiar with the point and click genre received 38 achievements after the first playthrough. Thus, the game leaves room for secrets and repeated immersion in this fairy-tale world.
In the Ukrainian region of Steam, the game costs 150 UAH, including a 25% release discount, and the cost of the collector’s edition is 190 UAH.
Let us remind you that on the eve of the release of «Tukoni: Guardians of the Forest», d ev.ua spoke with the project’s creative director and game designer Oleksiy Furman about how the development of one of the most artistic and groundbreaking Ukrainian games took place.
