Forest's Secret
A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, and Linux
“Forest's Secret” is a cozy, nonviolent adventure game. You play as a traveler who has just arrived at a quiet forest settlement called Wabika, and must explore its mysterious paths, discover its ancient history, and make friends with its quirky inhabitants in order to find what it is you're searching for. There’s lots of neat little stuff to discover!
This game is playable on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Please check the Download & Install instructions for more information. Before downloading, please note that the game is free and the donation is optional - only pay if you wish to! I'm just happy that you're playing the game at all.
What is "Mystery of the Frost"?
- "Mystery of the Frost" is additional content on top of Forest's Secret. It adds new story, new areas, and more! It also has gameplay elements that the original didn't, so I think it should be an interesting experience.
How do I play it?
- The game file now includes both the original and new story.
- To start the "Mystery of the Frost" chapter of Forest's Secret, you must complete all 6 main quests, then leave Wabika and activate the credits. When you return to the main menu, the new chapter will begin. If you don't know which quests you haven't completed, you can talk to the statue in the back of the shrine for some hints.
- If you've already completed Forest's Secret's main story and all 6 quests prior to this patch, your save file will still work - you can activate the new content by leaving Wabika.
- If you don't have access to your old save file, but don't want to replay the base game's story again, you can type FROST in the main menu to begin from the new part of the story. Warning: This will overwrite old save data, so only do it if you're sure!
Download
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Comments
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I played this game years ago in I think what was just about junior high. I am a college student now, and I still think about how lovely of an experience this was. Thank you.
I felt so happy playing this game and piecing together the story. It was a huge inspiration on my own project, so thank you for sharing it!
Hey! Is your project public by any chance? I'd love to take a look lol, this game has definetely left a permanent mark on me too ^^
It is! My very first project was an attempt to match this kind of vibe in a print and play game, it's on my page.
I love the game, but I want to ask a question: On Jackie's Cafe there is an eye on the wallpaper and when I interact with it, it says: "Something about this section of the wallpaper feels... off." is that an easter egg for something or is a side quest? (Sorry for the weird English, I'm Brazillian.)
just a minor difference in the wallpaper 👁
Ok 👁👁👁👁👁
Wonderful! Everything from the characters to the art style to the SFX come together to create a beautiful experience. As a fellow game developer, I can truly say this inspired me to continue pushing forward with my ambitions. Fantastic work!!!
Absolutely stunning. An easy, comfy, cute and surprisingly philosophical game. You'll fall in love with it's character, the community, strive to achieve all goals and finish the story. Beware! You may cry a bit :)
Oh my goodness, I played this game years ago and have DESPERATELY been trying to find it since. I finally came upon it while searching through old Google drive files, and I’m so so so excited to have finally found it. I remember adoring this game when I played it, and I’m very happy to have found it. Thank you for this wonderful piece of art :) <3
This game is beautifully made, I just finished it and I have to say it made me very emotional throughout it. I found myself becoming attached to the characters as I went on. Its one of those stories that will always stick with you and make you think about all the time. Very lovely and a perfect cozy game that doesn't take long to finish but keeps you glued to the screen. This game is a hidden gem and I will always carry The Forest's Secret in my heart. I'm very fortunate to stumble across this amazing game <3
So i just finished the 6 main quests and i gotta say I loved it! The game was incredebly cute and entertaining, the intereractions with the npcs were so nice and the style of the game was just amazing, I even found myself getting atached to some characters. Thank you for making it, I 'm sure it was a lot of hard work, but know that you made my day with this adorable game <3
hello! i just played this game for the first time tonight and i had a lovely time. played from the beginning all the way through what i think is the end(??) with mystery of the frost. i have to say, i really enjoyed it! i was a bit confused though, i never seemed to be able to find the last planting spot to plant the seed of hope? is this something im just missing or maybe an intentional game design thing that i somehow missed the dialogue queue about? either way, please let me know. otherwise, absolutely lovely game. wonderful atmosphere, beautiful art, relaxing and cozy to play, with a great story and meaningful message. easily one of my favorite games of all time. well worth what i donated. i sincerely hope you continue to make games, and that in the future i have the pleasure of playing them!
also worth mentioning that i took about 3 hours to play this game, which is definitely more than the "about half an hour" average session. however, that mostly is because i have a terrible sense of direction and took a while to solve a few of the puzzles, since it *is* nearly 1:30am when i am finishing this game. this is obviously not a flaw in the game itself, just thought it was worth mentioning :)
thank you so much for playing & donating!! the seed of hope is not meant to be planted, but to be kept with you (emotionally anyway) when you leave the game. i hope that makes sense! as for new games, i will be releasing cavern of dreams soon and it has many similarities to forest's secret despite the different genre (helping out funny characters, solving little puzzles, filling the world with nature, etc.) so i hope people will enjoy it too!
the first time i got this game was over 3 years ago, I was in 7th grade on my laptop and trying out games. i played this for a while and it really touched my heart. ive never played a more peaceful but intriging game in my life. unfortunately the school's IT department wiped everyones laptops each year so I forgot the name and was searching for this game until now, and im so so happy i found it, its just as beautiful as when i first played this. thank you
that's wonderful to hear, thank you for keeping it in your heart!
I think I have got everything to 100% now, it took me roughly 4 hours to go through all of the content with backtracking and talking to every NPC multiple times when I could.
I absolutely adored my stay in Wabika and it helped me have a pleasant evening after feeling a little gloomy throughout the day. This game is filled to the brim with charming little folk and before you know it you will find yourself immersed in their strange daily lives. I love the nonviolent approach. I also loved revisiting the village in winter which opened up different ways of moving around - and that everything I had planted the season before and the connections I had made were still there was such a nice touch! It truly felt like I had left an impact and made some friends.
If you need something comforting to play, give this one a try!
I can't believe this is a free game. I would absolutely pay to see this expanded on with an adventure for each season and perhaps even a way to visit and change your home, the West? But I totally understand that this is probably a project that's long been finished!
Thank you very much for making this.
thank you so much for playing so thoroughly, and for your lovely words!
Oi! Your game is so adorable! I can't find words to describe how well this game made me feel, I loved it <3
I'm from Brazil and I work as a English Teacher here, would you be interested in adding another language (PT-BR) to your game? You can read more about my work HERE.
- Alex <3
.jar file? Now that's new. Well done and thanks for giving me something to play.
I absolutely loved this game! I adored exploring Wabika and helping out its wonderful residents. I hope you continue to make more games like this. Happy Holidays!
I really enjoyed this. The visual design and sound design are lovely. I especially like the way the "expansion"/DLC/whatever it is reuses the existing game world. I think a version of this with some music would be nice even though I respect the auditory minimalism.
Well I'm stucked again. I think I need to find one more seed and plant it. My snail says that 1 item is in the autumn area, but I can't find it. Any help please? The game is so nice I really want to finish it. :)
hi! did you get all four season's seeds? the autumn one is tricky to find, it might be by the riverbanks in the town. it's a little white fluffy seed
Hey, I found it finally!!! The missing item was the silly seed. 🙃
What happened to complaining goat guy? I was rooting for him ;-;
check the hotspring after things warm up!
I forgot how to check my notifications but thank you! I was just reminded how sad I was for him, he seems to be doing fine 🥲
Hey there :) Just wanted to say that I really enjoyed your game! It was very wholesome, heartwarming & uplifting.
I found the clue system very refreshing (instead of just clicking on a question mark for hints haha) & it was cool how there were "hidden paths" just like when exploring a real forest ^^ The hand-drawn art style gives the whole game a fairy-tale/storybook feel. I also liked how the dialogue brought the cute & quirky characters in Wabika to life.
It was interesting how Forest's Secret & Mystery of the Frost had different play styles. The puzzles & mini-games in Mystery of the Frost were a welcome touch after the quest system in Forest's Secret. I also liked how we're free to continue exploring & unlocking additional content/character dialogue in Wabika after finishing the main story. Just makes the exploratory experience feel even more authentic!
Thank you so much for creating this~
what a lovely thing to say! thank you so much for playing!
soooo coooozy i loved every second
the game seems really awesome but i did what I needed to get the game working on my mac does anyone have any tips on how to get it to work
hello! do you have java installed?
yeah i do but it wouldn’t open im on a mini mac tho that shouldn’t be an issue right?
correct, that shouldn't be an issue. what do you mean by "wouldn't open"? when you double click the .jar file what happens?
Very nice game! At first I didn't really understand what to do but then it became very addicting! All of those small details are very nice too!!
This game was absolutely beautiful. I loved getting to know all of the characters and the little details made it that much more enjoyable. I highly recommend it!!
Clearly a very well made game! Everything from the story to art style are pleasant and fit well together. I especially enjoyed the smaller details (different Freb shells, extra postgame details, the mailbox, etc.), they really added another layer of depth. Would definitely recommend for a lot of people due to the simple game mechanics and fairly easy puzzles.
I tried the game and i just fell in love with it, the characters are very heartwarming and it was a real pleasure to play this game!
I finally got around
to playing your game and I adore it so far! I hope to play more soon!thanks for playing!!
Hi! this game looks so cool but whenever i start it doesnt let me click new journey? can u help pls
hello! the game is controlled with the keyboard. check the README for control instructions
By the way i just finish the first part of this game. And
I. LOVE. THE. ARTSTYLE. SO. MUCH!
I love the idea combining pixel style with normal style! Maybe i will make game with that style. Thank you so much for this game! 😃
yay! thanks for playing
Hello, i found this game using Randomizer in Itch, and it's look interesting!
but, do you know what is the system requirements to run this game? I'm afraid my Laptop can't handle it
Thank you!
Edit:
I have a 2gb ram, and the game is run smoothly
and i'm using Linux Mint 20.3. if you guys had a problem running this game with openjdk, you can download the java from this tutorial:
https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.com/p/java.html
i hope this help! :D
hello! what do you mean by "can't handle it"? does the game not start?
Hey, thanks for replying!
I have leptop with 2gb ram, and i'm worried the game need more ram than 2gb (assuming from the nice graphic in gamw screenshot)
By the way i already download the game., But it can't started. What java version i need to play the game?
Thank you :D
as long as you have the most recent version of java, it should run fine! if it doesn't, email me at byninegiga AT gmail DOT com and we can diagnose further
oh yes also, some people have mentioned it having better compatibility with java 8, so if the most recent version doesn't work, try that!
by the way i forgot to add some information ("^^)
i'm using Linux Mint 20.3 and i think i have Java 11 (it's an openjdk version)
i'm still a beginner in linux mint, and i don't know how to install java 8
Edit: Finally can run the game by installing Java 8 :D
this is the tutorial to install java 8:
https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.com/p/java.html
A cute, cozy game, with great writing, visuals, and impeccable sound design. Along with compelling characters and a nice story, the puzzles, while not very difficult, are interesting, while still fitting in with the overall vibe of the game. Highly recommend!
This is such a pleasure! I don't know that I've ever seen anything quite like the ink-and-watercolor take on pixel graphics; it's distinctive and charming and cozy, and easily my favorite bit of a lovely little game. My only complaint is that I, personally, cannot live the rest of my life in the pumpkin village, which is a shame.
gosh, thanks!
Veri good game i like the adventure and the story, especially some character are just funny and cool.. Worth your time, I make a video about this game because it just veri good game. maaaan.. i hope there a new “additional content” with new story. but i think that too much.
thanks for playing!!
Hi, first I loved playing your game and wish you luck for the next one :) I kinda finished it but now I just need to find the way to craft the key to unlock the door that was frozen on the bottom of the mountain in the Mystery of the Frost. I already got the strange, odd and weird shards, I just can't find the last one (or the place where to merge them into a key). Please help 😂
Ah nevermind, I found it. It was in the book store. 😁
well done!
this game is sooo cute and lovely
I really enjoyed playing this game and I love cute cozy games like this one. I was wondering however, I'm struggling to find the autumn seed and it's the last bit I need could anyone give me any hints?
hello! it can be hidden pretty well - it's a white, fluffy seed. check near the bridges in the autumnal section - it might be partly obscured by a tree
this game is lovely! everything from the adorable art style to the calming soundtrack was wonderfully made, and along with the intriguing quests and cute characters...all those elements contributed to this being one of the most enjoyable games i've played in a long while- good job!!!
thank you so much for playing and for your kind words!
This was so much fun! The gameplay was sweet, the art style beyond charming, the whole experience as cozy as can be. Thank you so much for making this, Bynine, it was a real joy to play!
i'm glad you enjoyed it!!
I've played this game before, and today i finished replaying it! It's such a cute game and so well done that i have it saved on my pc so that i remember to play it again. This game gives me the same vibes as Wuppo, which is also an underrated game (also I recommend looking it up if you liked this one).
I was wondering if you where thinking of releasing this on steam or making a continuation, because I would gladly buy this game! If not, it's also fine :) this is a gem on it's own.
thanks so much! i am working on another game, and while it's not really the same genre it has a lot of similar elements. i hope you will enjoy it too. ill be sure to check out wuppo!!
So insanely sweet, thank you for making this! It's by far one of my favorite games on itch.io
aww, thank you for playing!
i cant play the game because i dont have any file to open the game,can someone help me plss
hi sara! can you please explain what you mean? do you have java installed?
yes i have it installed but idk wich file i need to click on to open the game
That would be the .jar file! is it not working?
my computer was reading .jar files as winrar files but i´ve changed it and i can play the game now, good job on the game btw its very cute!
woohoo!!
hello, i have the same issue, my computer reads it with archive manager application, how did you manage to make it work please ? :)