How do I contact the developer of Wild Willows?

Email wildwillowsgame@gmail.com, message u/wildwillowsdev on Reddit, or add bai13yd on Discord. All three reach Bailey Dunning, who makes the game. There is also a feedback form inside the game, in Settings.

Does Wild Willows need an internet connection?

No. The game is fully playable offline, with no account and no sign-in. Feedback sent from inside the game while offline is kept on your device and sent automatically once you reconnect.

Where are Wild Willows save files kept?

Save files live on your own device, inside the app's data folder. Deleting the app removes them, so keep a backup if you are reinstalling and want to keep your preserve.

How do I start a new game in Wild Willows?

Create a new save from the title screen, or delete an existing save from the Load Game menu.

Do I need a keyboard to play Wild Willows?

Yes. Wild Willows is keyboard-driven by design. Move with WASD or the arrow keys, and press H at any time for the full How to Play reference.

The game looks stuck. What should I do?

Quit and reopen the app first. Your world is saved after every action, so nothing is lost. If it persists, use the in-game feedback form or email wildwillowsgame@gmail.com and describe what you were doing.

Support — Wild Willows

Three ways to reach me

Same person at the end of all of them. Email is best for anything with a save file or a screenshot attached.

Email Bugs & attachments wildwillowsgame@gmail.com I read everything and reply as quickly as I can. Attach a screenshot or a save file and I can usually see the problem straight away. Send an email → Reddit Questions in the open u/wildwillowsdev Message me or reply to a post. Handy when the answer might help someone else too — a public thread outlives a private email. Open my profile →

Discord Quick back-and-forth bai13yd Add me by username — that's a direct message to me, not a server. Good for the kind of problem that takes three quick questions to pin down.

Or send it from inside the game. Open Settings (press G) and use the feedback form. It arrives with the version and platform info I'd otherwise have to ask you for. Include your email address if you'd like a reply — it's optional.

It works offline too: the message is kept on your device and sent automatically the next time you're connected.

Common questions

Do I need an internet connection?

No. The game is fully playable offline, with no account and no sign-in.

Do I need a keyboard?

Yes — Wild Willows is keyboard-driven by design. Move with W A S D or the arrow keys, and press H (or the ? button) at any time for the full How to Play reference. If the window opens and the game says “connect a keyboard,” pressing any key on a connected keyboard dismisses the gate.

How do I start over?

Create a new save from the title screen, or delete a save from the Load Game menu. Starting a new preserve doesn't touch your existing ones.

Can I move my save to another computer?

Save files are plain files in the app's data folder, so copying that folder across moves the preserve with it. See saves & files below for where to find it.

I bought it on itch.io — can I get the Mac App Store version?

They're separate purchases through separate stores, so a key for one doesn't unlock the other. If that's a problem for you, email me and we'll sort something out.

Is there a way to change the controls?

Yes. Every key is rebindable in Settings, along with text size, interface font, contrast, colorblind modes, reduce motion, simpler wording and separate music and sound-effect volumes.

Saves & files

Your world is a file on your own device. What the game reports separately is listed in the privacy policy.

Where saves live: On your device, inside the app's own data folder. There's no cloud save and nothing to sign into: your world, your terrain and your journal are never uploaded. (The game does send a periodic snapshot of gameplay counters while you're online — that is a separate thing, and the privacy policy lists every field in it.)
When they're written: After every action. There's no manual save, and quitting mid-session doesn't lose anything.
Backing up: Copy the app's data folder somewhere safe. Any normal backup tool that covers your home folder already includes it.
Uninstalling: Deleting the app removes the saves with it. Take a copy first if you're reinstalling and want to keep your preserve.
Multiple preserves: As many as you like. Create and delete them from the title screen and the Load Game menu.
The browser demo: Works differently: the demo save lives on our server, and your browser holds only the link to it. The demo has no passcode, so that link is the only way back in — clearing site data for play.wildwillows.app, or moving to another browser or machine, disconnects you from that save permanently. The demo also clears its own save when you reach the end of it. The full game doesn't have any of that: its saves are files you own.

Something looks stuck or broken

In that order — the first step fixes most of it.

Quit and reopen the app

Your world is saved after every action, so nothing is lost by force-quitting. This clears the large majority of one-off glitches.

If the game runs slowly, drop the graphics quality

Settings → graphics quality. The lighter mode turns down device-pixel density, particles and weather effects, which is usually enough on an older machine.

Tell me what you were doing

Use the in-game feedback form if you can — it arrives with the version info I need. Otherwise email [email protected], or catch me on Reddit or Discord (bai13yd). “It broke when I planted the third willow” is more useful than it sounds.

If a save won't open, don't delete it. Email me and hold on to the file — an unreadable save is the one bug I most want to see, and the file itself is usually the only way to work out what happened.

A few other things

Feature requests

As welcome as bug reports. The feedback form, the email address and both handles all come straight to me, so there's no wrong place to put an idea.

Privacy & age suitability

Wild Willows collects almost nothing — the privacy policy spells out exactly what and why. The age-suitability page covers content and the App Store's 9+ rating.

Using it in a classroom

There are two free kits for that: Ecosystems & Habitat for grades 5–8, with an educator guide and six student worksheets, and Intro to APIs & Web Development for grades 9–12. Both, plus free copies for schools.

Where to buy it

One-time purchase on the Mac App Store or itch.io (macOS, Windows, Linux). No ads, no in-app purchases.