A mystical forest, a source of tranquility and peace, is threatened by the devastating flames of Onibi. In Living Forest, players take on the roles of the nature spirits of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, aiming to protect the forest by extinguishing the flames, planting trees, or awakening the forest guardian. Who will succeed in driving Onibi away?

In each round, players reveal cards from their decks, each depicting different forest animals. These helpful woodland creatures bring various elements with them. However, among the animals, there are loners, and too many should not be revealed at once. With the elements, players can perform one or two actions, allowing them to plant trees, extinguish flames, move around the stone circle to activate various bonuses, attract new animals, or gain magic fragments.

At the end of each round, all players must face the remaining flames in the stone circle equally. If they cannot fend them off, they must add fire lizards to their deck—grumpy loner animals that contribute no elements. The only way to get rid of them is with magic fragments. The game ends as soon as one player manages to fulfill one of the three possible victory conditions. Living Forest is an elevated family game with a push-your-luck mechanism and beautiful illustrations. Although all players work towards a common goal, only one person can win in the end.