NAIRI: Rising Tide
NAIRI: Rising Tide
Game
Game2018
NAIRI: Tower of Shirin
Developer HomeBearStudio
NAIRI: Tower of Shirin is a point-and-click adventure game and visual novel, developed by the Dutch indie game developer HomeBearStudio and published by Hound Picked Games. The game was released on November 29, 2018 for the Windows and Nintendo Switch platforms. A sequel NAIRI: Rising Tide will be released on November 14, 2024 for the Windows and Nintendo Switch platforms. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
218 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Oct 11, 2026 · last updated Oct 12, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
85
LovedLoved
165 positive · 28 negative
95% range 80–90%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 165 | 28 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 10 | 0 | 15 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
231 of 272 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
85% recommend · 167 yes, 29 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 196 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (466 of 551 positive).
Players praise the charming art style and heartwarming characters. [1][2][3] Many note the game ends on a cliffhanger, requiring a sequel. [4][5][6] Some find navigation confusing and the game too short. [1][7][8]
Liked
Representative posts
- [8]
Hmmmm, I was really over the fence about giving it a thumbs up or down, but then the last stretch of the game cemented the thumbs down for me. Overall, Nairi is a game that is not terrible, but it'so so lackluster. A cross between a visual novel and a point-and-click adventure games, it has all the elements that makes a point-and-click game bad (tedious and unclear navigation, pixel hunting, slow dialogue) and none …
- [16]
I decided to play NAIRI: Tower of Shirin on a day where I was extremely tired and didn't feel like doing anything intensive, and I ended up finishing it in one sitting in about 6 hours (which is more than the amount of sleep I got the night prior). I can also say deciding to play this was a wonderful decision to make; this game is a very charming and enjoyable break from the usual high-focus/intense games I'd …
- [4]
Good adventure game, but ends on a cliffhanger to be continued in an as yet unreleased game. A Prologue demo for the sequel is all that is currently available, the full game release date is Coming Soon, nothing specific. So while I would recommend this to fans of the genre, do keep in mind the game isn't finished and you will need to buy another game, which could potentially even end with another cliffhanger. -_-
- [9]
Overall definitely worth a look. Pros -Charming Dialog -Engaging Story -Pretty Art-style -Pleasant Soundtrack -Interesting puzzle design, your typical point and click inventory/conversation based puzzles for the most part with a few areas I'd describe as puzzle gauntlets/dungeons. Just the right level of difficulty IMHO -Great Value for the content. Cons -Navigation can be confusing and there is no fast travel. -No …
- [1]
Playing status: 100% achievement Grindy Achievement(s): No. Optional Achievement(s): Yes (4 missable achievements). Difficult Achievement(s): No. Intro NAIRI: Tower of Shirin is the first episode of a point-and-click game series NAIRI, telling the story of a young girl in a place where human-sized animals live together. Despite it being a point-and-click game, it has a lot of text at the beginning. Pros: - Various …
Summarised from 34 of the 221 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
NAIRI: Tower of Shirin sits at 85% positive across 193 opinionated reactions from 2 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
The Switch version received mixed reviews on Metacritic. NintendoWorldReport praised the art, dialogue, and puzzles, but they criticized what they felt to be confusing navigation and would have preferred an in-game hint system. Nintendo Life called it a "hidden gem" and praised the quirky characters and challenging puzzles. Adventure Gamers wrote that it has adorable characters, beautiful art, and balanced puzzles, but they felt the game ended abruptly.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 218 · most liked firstPlaying status: 100% achievement Grindy Achievement(s): No. Optional Achievement(s): Yes (4 missable achievements). Difficult Achievement(s): No. Intro NAIRI: Tower of Shirin is the first episode of a point-and-click game series NAIRI, telling the story of a young girl in a place where human-sized animals live together. Despite it being a point-and-click game, it has a lot of text at the beginning. Pros: - Various tasks to solve - Subtle hints are given to solve some solutions - Heartwarming…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Lately I've been playing the game NAIRI Tower of Shirin. It reminds me a lot of Professor Layton except more like a VN with classic P&C puzzles and a superb art style, plus some anthro characters. Got it for $1 on discount, very recommended!
positive · AI labelView post →Will NAIRI 3 feature the first point&click dungeon with a Pomeranian engineer in video game history? 🤔 #screenshotsaturday #indiedev #madewithunity
neutral · AI labelView post →Hmmmm, I was really over the fence about giving it a thumbs up or down, but then the last stretch of the game cemented the thumbs down for me. Overall, Nairi is a game that is not terrible, but it'so so lackluster. A cross between a visual novel and a point-and-click adventure games, it has all the elements that makes a point-and-click game bad (tedious and unclear navigation, pixel hunting, slow dialogue) and none of what makes it good (charming animations, creative puzzles, witty lines).…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I decided to play NAIRI: Tower of Shirin on a day where I was extremely tired and didn't feel like doing anything intensive, and I ended up finishing it in one sitting in about 6 hours (which is more than the amount of sleep I got the night prior). I can also say deciding to play this was a wonderful decision to make; this game is a very charming and enjoyable break from the usual high-focus/intense games I'd normally play. NAIRI: Tower of Shirin is a point-and-click adventure with a healthy…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have some really mixed feelings about this game. There are a lot of positives, but in the end I found the negatives outweighed them. First, the good things. The game is beautiful, I love the art style (super adorable) and the music was really nice. There were no bugs or glitches, the game ran very smoothly with no issues. I like the characters and was quite invested in the plot. The puzzles in the old ruins you go to are overall quite fun. Now the negatives. Endless meaningless fetch…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Yesterday was the release of “NAIRI: Rising Tide”. I had such a a great time with the game and I am proud that I have been able to contribute to it: an infamous otter, a perfect blend of Studio Ghibli visuals, strong narrative, and point-and-click puzzles.💡 store.steampowered.com/app/1225200/...
positive · AI labelView post →A very laid-back graphic adventure tale suits whoever wants to spare their evening/late night with bedtime story-like narrative, hand-drawn characters, and puzzles. I loved the sound effects in the game. Just cuteness overload. The last chapter Sanctum of the Noora is probably the best of all chapters. Interesting & beautiful puzzles.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A run of the mill point-and-click game. I also feel like it just wastes my time with a lot of "..." dialogue and slow screen transitions, and completely empty unneeded screens. And if you make it to the middle... I really hope you like fetch quests. the end has some "hard" puzzles, they are just annoying to solve and that's just gameplay, the story is also bad because it's just THE FIRST HALF, it ends on a cliffhanger. NOTHING GETS RESOLVED. I hate it, wouldn't recommend this to anyone.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Playing Nairi: Tower of Shirin on stream before playing the newly released sequel, Nairi: Rising Tide. I just have to say this is how I'm waking anyone up from brainwashing from now on! 😆 #indiegames #indiegame #pointandclick #adventuregames
positive · AI labelView post →Bad day for this one to come out, but I liked the first Nairi game so this was a surprise to wake up to. I like to support indie devs when I can and I like adventure games.
positive · AI labelView post →A great story and challenging puzzles to give your brain a workout Nairi: Tower of Shirin is a point-and-click adventure produced by the team at HomeBearStudio where players follow Nairi in her quest to reunite with her parents. Along the way, she’ll meet a colourful cast of characters, both friend and foe as she explores hand-drawn environments like desert bandit camps, bustling cities, and ancient underground temples. The story seems simple enough, and while the dialogue doesn't complicate…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This review is for informative purposes I have mixed feelings about the game. It's good yet I just can't recommend it. Overall the game is quite short. The first three fourths of the game is very easy and is more like a mix of HOG and walking simulator than a puzzle game. Few easy puzzles where the main difficulty is to find a specific thing. If not for the lack of map and fast travel options this part would take much less time. On the other hand the remaining part of the game shines. Nice…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Looks like a fairy tale, reads like a mystery novel.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →By the way, the first Nairi game is $1. I'd say the game is worth more than that and if you love point and click adventure games you'd love this. It has a lot of charm. store.steampowered.com/app/802450/N...
positive · AI labelView post →I had so much fun creating "Otto the Otter", the awesome character based on @aceottorney.bsky.social which will appear in the upcoming game: Nairi Rising Tide. The amazing design is made by You Miichi from Home Bear Studio. www.artstation.com/artwork/JrENEv
neutral · AI labelView post →In just two days, "NAIRI: Rising Tide" is releasing. The video game which is very special to me, because I have been included as an animal NPC: Otto the Otter. The character which also became the mascot of my own law firm. Don't forget to get your copy soon: store.steampowered.com/app/1225200/...
neutral · AI labelView post →Good adventure game, but ends on a cliffhanger to be continued in an as yet unreleased game. A Prologue demo for the sequel is all that is currently available, the full game release date is Coming Soon, nothing specific. So while I would recommend this to fans of the genre, do keep in mind the game isn't finished and you will need to buy another game, which could potentially even end with another cliffhanger. -_-
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Yesterday, the release date of "NAIRI: Rising Tides" has been announced. This game is special to me, as the game developer has put me in their game as a NPC. A few years ago, I solved a sticky (legal) situation for them. Since starting my own firm, I use "Otto the Otter" as my spirit animal!❤️
neutral · AI labelView post →Cute, charming adventure with really nice characters. Seems like a fairy-tale at first, but there are some dark undertones. I sincerely hope in sequel, story and it's protagonists would deserve it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This edition of "Indie Game of the Week" from @gbmento.bsky.social looks at Nairi: Tower of Shirin! If you have been inkling to play an indie or small puzzle game, give this a read on Giant Bomb to learn all about it! Link: giantbomb.com/users/4945/a... #games #gaming #indiegame #giantbomb
neutral · AI labelView post →It is an ok-ish puzzle / point and click / visual novel kind of game. The artstyle is lovely but the animations generally feel a bit too slow and the ending is very abrupt (I assume the story continues in the 2nd game, however I haven't played that one to confirm). It works without any issues on Linux with Proton (9.0-4).
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →NAIRI: TOWER OF SHIRIN Rating: 5/10 Genre: Visual Novel / Puzzle Length: 3 - 5 Hours Achievement Difficulty: 1/10 What is it? A visual novel with light puzzle solving and area navigation. You play as Nairi, a child who has had to escape her (unwillingly) high class lifestyle after the kidnap of her parents. You play as her on her quest to discover why her parents were kidnapped while uncovering the mystery of both the eponymous Tower Of Shirin and the Great Storm that sunk the previous…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nairi is a small girl from an upper cast of Shirin living in seclusion from the outer world. That comes to an end as her house gets suddenly stormed by city guards and her parents are thrown into prison. For her protection she gets smuggled out of the city. Caravan taking her to a safe place is overrun by bandits though and she ends up as their hostage. As Nairi is a clever girl she manages to escape her captivity, not far mind you, but with this courageous act she earns the respect of the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Puzzles were fun but .... the unfinished ending and fact that there has been no developer updates for almost a year now will make me not recomment this{/spoiler]
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It pains me to give it this review because I really liked the presentation and art direction of the game, and it was made with love. Each screen looks great and the character designs are charming, but there were several issues that made me not enjoy the game as much. In terms of gameplay, it was a fine point and click adventure, even with some nice puzzling dungeons, but it suffered from a lot of backtracking due to having so many small screens to go through. It was a bit confusing to figure…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very cute point and click adventure game set in a whimsical desert city. Definitely more tailored to younger audiences but enjoyable nevertheless, and an easy 100% for achievements. The game's biggest strengths are its "chibi" hand-drawn artstyle and adorable characters, as well as a pleasant and thematic soundtrack and a decently written story. It is, however, quite short and forms only the first chapter of an episodic set of games. It is also quite dialogue-heavy, and the puzzle/exploration…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wasn't sure what to expect from this cute indie game but my expectations were blown! definitely saw the Ghibli inspiration in every aspect Loved the art style and the simple point & click puzzle gameplay <3 Made me wanna play the sequel now!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I like doing fanart for indie games cause indie games needs love too :) this is for Nairi Rising Tide! I played the first game when I started streaming in 2020 😂 #indiegane #indiegamefanart #nairifanart Please check out @homebearstudio.bsky.social games!
neutral · AI labelView post →This game is a steal, one of the first games on steam that I really enjoyed playing! The art and story make for a perfect combo that reminds me of reading a good adventure book. The puzzles stumped me sometimes, but that’s what guides are for. Fingers crossed that the sequel comes out soon!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cute art and good music.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →To those who are interested to play, bear in mind that this game's story is not finished and the sequel have been in development for a while now (I didn't know beforehand). I rarely played point & click game, but this one caught my eyes and just recently finished it. Judging just by the gameplay, it has many interesting puzzles and challenges, it's doesn't make your gear grinds but just enough to make you write memo and backtrack quite frequent. As for the story, it hasn't been finished yet…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Overall definitely worth a look. Pros -Charming Dialog -Engaging Story -Pretty Art-style -Pleasant Soundtrack -Interesting puzzle design, your typical point and click inventory/conversation based puzzles for the most part with a few areas I'd describe as puzzle gauntlets/dungeons. Just the right level of difficulty IMHO -Great Value for the content. Cons -Navigation can be confusing and there is no fast travel. -No voice acting (would have really added to the immersion for a game like…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My initial plan was to have a longer review for NAIRI: Tower of Shirin, but not far into the process I realized padding was taking over because at its core game is more-or-less a straightforward Visual Novel meets P&C adventure deal that accomplishes what it set out to do marvelously with aplomb. Early on in her adventure Nairi ends up separated from her wealthy family and even their fallback extraction plan fails as she gets taken by a roving gang of cats. Turns out they're not so tough and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love nairi! very good pc game! I realy like it! you can play it!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Super cute art style but isn't much of a game. The puzzles were way too easy, uninteresting and probably aimed more at a younger audience. It probably would be a good game to get for a child, however, with simple interface and non-challenging puzzles. Also beware of cliffhanger ending.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Why is this game great, you might ask? 1. You befriend some very cute murderers. 2. You are granted two (2) paintings wherein a rat's little butthole is beautifully featured, as well as another in which that same butthole is present. 3. You facilitate and then profit off the fallout of a polar bear cheating on her husband. But in all seriousness... Pros: - Artwork: I feel like a lot of love was put into the visuals. The artist(s) is/are so very skilled. The characters are clean, consistent,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Oh my… I'm a little dazzled by the open ending. I didn't expect it would end so soon. Oh, I've been playing for 7 hours. o.O That was a lovely, exciting story, accompanied by a cute art style and fun music. ^.^ I enjoyed the difficulty of the puzzles. I'm definitely going to buy the sequel if there comes one.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Finally finished Nairi: Rising Tide! Just as fun as its predecessor game Tower Of Shirin Great story continuation and new characters to meet! ☺️🥰 Even if the puzzles and dungeon layouts made my brain hurt at the best of times 😅😂
positive · AI labelView post →I love the game so much! Rex is the best! The sequel NAIRI: Rising Tide is so good too
positive · AI labelView post →This is such an adorable point and click adventure game! The fact that I get to squeeze Rex's cheeks is the best part! Artwork is Ghibli level cute and the music is excellent. I can't wait to check out the second game. I am so mad at Hessa for what she did! She needs to heal for real. I want to add that the last puzzle is kinda tricky especially since you can't have your dictionary open at the same time as having your cipher open and clicking on the puzzle. In order to help me along, I took…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Crap where you just read a load of stuff. Just click the mouse a few times here and there. Boring.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Mostly visual novel with a bit of point and click mechanism. You will go between the locations and talk with characters and with the talks and cut scenes amount you could say it's visual novel. Story is interesting though game ends with cliffhanger so obviously waiting for the sequel "NAIRI: Rising Tide". Music is catchy and hand drew art is beautiful. The only thing I would change/upgrade would be having a map that will allow me to move between locations instead of switching screen by screen,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ohhh, what a cute and charming little adventure that was. I'll tell you right away that there's no ending yet to that story, but they are making the sequel as we speak and I can't wait for it! The low price tag is more than worth it, you will get about 5-6 hours of gameplay and will be craving for more( if you liked the game of course) . Graphics : 8/10 I want more furry friends. Sounds and music : 5/10 Ok, nothing to be in awe with but nothing to whine about. Replayability : Not really…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My review is more "mixed" than outright positive for one big reason, which I'll get into after stating the good things about the game. The artwork is magnificent, soundtrack is nice but subtle so it doesn't get on your nerves. The mechanics are fantastic! The visual novel is rendered much more immersive by a couple of p&c sequences, extremely easy but enough for you to walk around the different locations and all, so it was (for me) a lot more engaging than classical visual novels. The story…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Basically a visual novel with a tiny bit of gameplay. Not for me. Not sure who it would appeal to. It’s all very childish but I can’t imagine kids enjoying something so bland with so much dialogue. Why I like it: Cute animation and art style. Interesting setting. Why I don’t like it: Bland story. Nothing to pull you in. Puzzles aren’t puzzling just drag and drop stuff to get through. Way too much dialogue and overuse of “…”.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Long story short, it's a very cute game with a shallow, hole-riddled plot and a certain sense of emptiness under a polished veneer. The gameplay, while manageable and even sometimes fun at first, becomes unbearably tedious in the latter half as the map becomes somewhat bloated, with tons of clicking between screens and not much happening in a series of fetch quests for random NPCs that distracts from the actual plot; it's about 30% filler overall, if I had to think up a percentage, and it…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game have soooooo many cuteness overload that make my life a little happier than before.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very interesting story and enjoyable personalities of all the characters! Would highly recommend this as a relaxed game to playthrough :) Great for younger players, too.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Starting up a new story game after a bit of a break 🎮 Decided on Nairi: Rising Tide, the sequel to Tower Of Shirin Wanted something cozy and lighthearted to play, so lets see what this one is all about 👀
neutral · AI labelView post →Just finished up playing NAIRI: Tower of Shirin! Very cute indie game with point & click puzzle gameplay. The art style is amazing too! saw the Ghibli inspiration in every aspect! i highly recommend it 😊 Cant wait to play the sequel Rising Tide at some point ❤️
positive · AI labelView post →Cute, but a bit too simple for a puzzle game) Had a great time, thanks devs!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Starting a new game called Nairi: Tower Of Shirin The fact its Ghibli inspired has me very intrigued and excited about what i'm gonna be in for 👀
neutral · AI labelView post →A charming game clearly made with love. Every screen and every character is a delight!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i love this game artwork, story and the puzz;le
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Sequel is out, So I want to acknowledge how nice a game this is. its just a cute story focused game, but it does this VERY well. I will now play the sequel.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What I do like about this: the setting, cute animal people, and most particularly, the music. What I don't like: how the last third or so devolves into the qualities of adventure games no one likes, first by a lengthy series of fetch quests, then a temple where the puzzles devolve into obtuseness, where you will most likely need a guide at some point, unless you're okay brute forcing through; a shame considering the rest of Nairi is otherwise non-tedious and intuitive, even if it doesn't add…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a fun adventure/puzzle game. I recommend it for anyone who wants a relaxing puzzle adventure that has a plot that expands more than expected.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Interesting story, fun character and good puzzles. Really big surprise. One flaw is that the story is sadly unfinished! Probably will never be finished but anyway its worth playing for all above reasons. Good to get on sale.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game's a bit too straight forward, so it's more like a story book than adventure game imo... The Story is great but it strongly implies that this is only the part 1 and it's unfinished, so i assume there will be a part 2 coming soon. Oh, and that Yandere ending, is that even needed? It feels like it just there to make an impact, but that impact is pretty empty inside... Most puzzles in the game are too easy, and that makes it feels like errands instead... but the story part do covers up,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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