To echo what others have said; sweet really is the best word for this game-- while some tough topics are tackled, the overall story was very satisfying.
Almost every comment will tell you this game is very sweet, and they're right! I struggled a bit with some puzzles, but overall really enjoyed the story, the playability and the art. Thank you!
Loved this game, it was really sweet. The puzzles were just hard enough to give me the sense of satisfaction when I figured out but weren't overly hard that I felt frustrated. So good, thank you!
This was a sweet little game to play! I love how the puzzles are difficult enough to make you look, but not too much to the point it halts you during the story. Sad that its such a reality of what people go through,
Interesting game, maybe too much text to read (I have played similar type of game before, and it was more "fresh" than this). At the start you let us know about possible hate speech towards LGBT group, I personally didn't like the "blind support" which was in game.. again .. in my opinion both hate speech and "blind support" are two strong opposites which are unacceptable (for obvious reasons). Game gets tricky and even more interesting later on, good job.
It seems you just replied with intention to harass my subjective opinion on the game and/or the game topics.
Let's make it more clear for you... by "blind support" I meant people advising body change and such, which is irreversible decision, without knowing their full background.
I feel offended by comparing my opinion which DID NOT contain hatred towards LGBT community to genocide. Maybe you should re-read my comment or even better play the game by yourself.
Such a sweet game. I didn't think it would be a puzzle (went in blind) but tbh I loved piecing everything together. The writing was also A++. Not to spoil anything, but as a...uh...Friend of Dorothy^tm the little hints are great and definitely make sense.
Absolutely lovely. I had known this game was well received but didn't know anything else coming in and I'm so glad that was the case so I could experience it for myself. Really sweet and heartfelt and moving. Thank you for making this.
I really love this work a lot. It's more about the story and I am horrible at solving mysteries so I had to look up the passwords but I am so glad I did because the story was enjoyable as I went along. A lot of people experience similar struggles and I am happy I saw some of myself as a queer person in this narrative story game. Well done! <3
Note: I played this game on my phone, which I would recommend for the optimal experience.
I can't deny that this game is well-made. The creator makes use of the unique interface to spin a compelling narrative. The puzzles make use of this feature well. I just can't get behind the message this game wants to get across.
Story - 3/5 - As a narrative, the story is well-rounded and immersive. I could see many people liking it. But for me, the ending to this story is not something to be applauded, and lauding that decision soured the entire game.
Mechanics - 4.5/5 - Puzzles can often be frustrating, but because the search for clues kept unfolding new pieces of the narrative, it made the process a joy rather than a chore. There was a bit of information overload at the start, but this was the best part of the game for me.
Visuals - 3/5 - The pictures were a crucial addition to help get the narrative across. I didn't find the artwork to be a key attraction or detraction to the game.
I'm gonna ramble a bit. The tl;dr is: I really, really enjoyed this.
The art is gorgeous, the music is gorgeous. The way it's all integrated is immersive, extremely well though out, and balances storytelling with gameplay really well. I've always thought these 'phones-as-an-extension-of-their-user' games are really interesting, but I'm not a fan of how most of them are done. This is an exception to that! I got this game in a bundle, so I hadn't read the description and didn't know what to expect from it beyond the warnings at the beginning. The story was told well, I like that it's kind of an "open world" story, something you discover in the order you choose to look through things to some degree, and as intensely as you choose to. It wasn't all told at once, it was something where you got the vibe of where things were going, but pieced it together without necessarily knowing the end-game, and I definitely think how quickly you parse it out has a lot to do with your experiences. The ending gave a closure I was worried wouldn't be there, and it's an ending that feels fulfilling. I really enjoyed the "puzzle" elements, they were simple enough to not be frustrating (with the exception of one password that had me stuck for a bit), but interesting enough to make you feel immersed and make it feel like a game properly. No part of this game disappoints, and I would absolutely recommend it!
Now, some potentially spoiler-y parts of my perspective on this game, do not read through if you haven't played yet!:
I think the forums were a really interesting and wonderful way to show that part of the story. It gave some education on trans topics to both questioning or newly-discovered trans people as well as cis people who may be playing the game, but there were no objective standpoints. I didn't agree fully with a chunk of the things characters in the forums said, but neither did other characters, and I appreciated the fact that those perspectives and conversations were realistic, they're conversations you'll have in a room full of trans people of different walks of life, and that was acknowledged in the game. There's no absolute, 100% correct answers or an objective trans experience, or LGBT experience in general. I really appreciated how this was done. It wasn't a shoe-horned PSA, it was an accurate perspective of a trans teenager seeking support, and the realistic perspectives of her support group. I liked it a lot.
The trope of "trans kid chooses variant of their birth name" is a little overdone and tired in media, and isn't all that common (though absolutely is the case for some) IRL, but here it makes sense, as it's a story you're figuring out and you wouldn't want to deadname your character in promotional materials or confusingly spoil the game, so I think it was a solid choice to go that route.
Played this game in its entirety on one sitting. A really sad but true story with themes of identity, love and the search for a support system. Its a must play game for the world we live in now.
I saw that twist the moment I discovered Sam hasn't been replying to Mom and Dad's messages. I guess I have intuition haha.
I enjoyed the presentation of the story - the subject matter is pretty mundane to me since I've been around Reddit support groups and the like. It did feel dirty sending messages to Alice when I wasn't Sam.
I must say the password system bugged me because number only passwords are so insecure! Too many sites that demand one cap one lowercase one symbol and one number from passwords.
I wasn't expecting much of this game but it really sent me on a journey and I cried when I got to the end. I was really hoping that the ending wouldn't be the typical cult-type thing these types of games do, and I was honestly surprised that it wasn't. Very good game <3
This game was wonderful and playing it is an experience that has stuck with me. Lovely interface, fun puzzles, i thought i knew where it was going but the ending still surprised me. The soundtrack is nice, does a great justice to the narrative.
Loved this! So good! I think eventually I want to buy this on my phone so I can replay it on an actual phone (got this as part of a bundle so I didn't get to choose what platform it's on) because I think it would really add to the expierence. Still awesome on a computer, of course!!
it took me far too long to realise there was more than just reading text messages. also I think there is bug where I see dates like 31/12/2015 and it probably should see them as 12/31/2015 (very frustrating if you are used to dates like the first one)
I wanted to cry after playing throught this game. Its beautiful and refreashing and engaging and just amazing. Thank you so much for creating, what in my eyes is, an amazing work of art.
absolutely loved this. didnt expect digging through a phone could be so much fun haha. really loved the story; the ending was not expected but really wonderful it made me tear up <3
Got this in the bundle for Racial Justice and Equality and found it to be a really clever way to tell a story. Especially glad an android apk was included here so I could experience it on my phone.
This game impressed me! I love "found phone" games. Most found phone games are horror games, but fear not because this is not one. It tells a great LGBTQ+ story with a great ending. Oh, and the art and music are awesome. Can we buy the soundtrack somewhere?
Hey! I just recently got the game, and I've heard great things about it, but it keeps freezing on me. Like, the music keeps playing, but I can't scroll and clicking doesn't do anything. Any idea what could be causing that? I'm on windows.
Would this be suitable to play with 13 age plus teenagers watching as a part of a n online youth club session? Or are the themes too old for that? As I can['t find an age rating. Thanks!
There is some foul language and discussion of sexual harassment. I'd reccomend playing through the game once yourself before making a decision about a youth club.
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Intriguing concept for a game like this! Enjoying it so far.
To echo what others have said; sweet really is the best word for this game-- while some tough topics are tackled, the overall story was very satisfying.
Almost every comment will tell you this game is very sweet, and they're right! I struggled a bit with some puzzles, but overall really enjoyed the story, the playability and the art. Thank you!
enjoyed this! was fun playing the detective
Loved this game, it was really sweet. The puzzles were just hard enough to give me the sense of satisfaction when I figured out but weren't overly hard that I felt frustrated. So good, thank you!
This game was lovely! Short and sweet
This was a sweet little game to play! I love how the puzzles are difficult enough to make you look, but not too much to the point it halts you during the story. Sad that its such a reality of what people go through,
Very fun game. Such a sad ending!
I LOVED THIS GAME, also helped me a bit
Interesting game, maybe too much text to read (I have played similar type of game before, and it was more "fresh" than this). At the start you let us know about possible hate speech towards LGBT group, I personally didn't like the "blind support" which was in game.. again .. in my opinion both hate speech and "blind support" are two strong opposites which are unacceptable (for obvious reasons). Game gets tricky and even more interesting later on, good job.
It seems you just replied with intention to harass my subjective opinion on the game and/or the game topics.
Let's make it more clear for you... by "blind support" I meant people advising body change and such, which is irreversible decision, without knowing their full background.
I feel offended by comparing my opinion which DID NOT contain hatred towards LGBT community to genocide. Maybe you should re-read my comment or even better play the game by yourself.
This game was lovely thank you so much.
Loved it!
Such a sweet game. I didn't think it would be a puzzle (went in blind) but tbh I loved piecing everything together. The writing was also A++. Not to spoil anything, but as a...uh...Friend of Dorothy^tm the little hints are great and definitely make sense.
Absolutely lovely. I had known this game was well received but didn't know anything else coming in and I'm so glad that was the case so I could experience it for myself. Really sweet and heartfelt and moving. Thank you for making this.
I really love this work a lot. It's more about the story and I am horrible at solving mysteries so I had to look up the passwords but I am so glad I did because the story was enjoyable as I went along. A lot of people experience similar struggles and I am happy I saw some of myself as a queer person in this narrative story game. Well done! <3
We are excited to discuss A Normal Lost Phone on Indie Game Club!
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/potionsandpixels
We are excited to discuss A Normal Lost Phone on Indie Game Club!
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/potionsandpixels
Note: I played this game on my phone, which I would recommend for the optimal experience.
I can't deny that this game is well-made. The creator makes use of the unique interface to spin a compelling narrative. The puzzles make use of this feature well. I just can't get behind the message this game wants to get across.
Story - 3/5 - As a narrative, the story is well-rounded and immersive. I could see many people liking it. But for me, the ending to this story is not something to be applauded, and lauding that decision soured the entire game.
Mechanics - 4.5/5 - Puzzles can often be frustrating, but because the search for clues kept unfolding new pieces of the narrative, it made the process a joy rather than a chore. There was a bit of information overload at the start, but this was the best part of the game for me.
Visuals - 3/5 - The pictures were a crucial addition to help get the narrative across. I didn't find the artwork to be a key attraction or detraction to the game.
Sound - 2.5/5 - Average.
Overall - 3.5/5 Difficulty - Normal
Progress - Completed (1.5 hrs)
I'm gonna ramble a bit. The tl;dr is: I really, really enjoyed this.
The art is gorgeous, the music is gorgeous. The way it's all integrated is immersive, extremely well though out, and balances storytelling with gameplay really well. I've always thought these 'phones-as-an-extension-of-their-user' games are really interesting, but I'm not a fan of how most of them are done. This is an exception to that! I got this game in a bundle, so I hadn't read the description and didn't know what to expect from it beyond the warnings at the beginning. The story was told well, I like that it's kind of an "open world" story, something you discover in the order you choose to look through things to some degree, and as intensely as you choose to. It wasn't all told at once, it was something where you got the vibe of where things were going, but pieced it together without necessarily knowing the end-game, and I definitely think how quickly you parse it out has a lot to do with your experiences. The ending gave a closure I was worried wouldn't be there, and it's an ending that feels fulfilling. I really enjoyed the "puzzle" elements, they were simple enough to not be frustrating (with the exception of one password that had me stuck for a bit), but interesting enough to make you feel immersed and make it feel like a game properly. No part of this game disappoints, and I would absolutely recommend it!
Now, some potentially spoiler-y parts of my perspective on this game, do not read through if you haven't played yet!:
I think the forums were a really interesting and wonderful way to show that part of the story. It gave some education on trans topics to both questioning or newly-discovered trans people as well as cis people who may be playing the game, but there were no objective standpoints. I didn't agree fully with a chunk of the things characters in the forums said, but neither did other characters, and I appreciated the fact that those perspectives and conversations were realistic, they're conversations you'll have in a room full of trans people of different walks of life, and that was acknowledged in the game. There's no absolute, 100% correct answers or an objective trans experience, or LGBT experience in general. I really appreciated how this was done. It wasn't a shoe-horned PSA, it was an accurate perspective of a trans teenager seeking support, and the realistic perspectives of her support group. I liked it a lot.
The trope of "trans kid chooses variant of their birth name" is a little overdone and tired in media, and isn't all that common (though absolutely is the case for some) IRL, but here it makes sense, as it's a story you're figuring out and you wouldn't want to deadname your character in promotional materials or confusingly spoil the game, so I think it was a solid choice to go that route.
Played this game in its entirety on one sitting. A really sad but true story with themes of identity, love and the search for a support system. Its a must play game for the world we live in now.
It was an interesting game, I struggled too much with figuring out the second password, so I never figured out what is on the second account. Sigh.
Awesome game! Love the artstyle
I saw that twist the moment I discovered Sam hasn't been replying to Mom and Dad's messages. I guess I have intuition haha.
I enjoyed the presentation of the story - the subject matter is pretty mundane to me since I've been around Reddit support groups and the like. It did feel dirty sending messages to Alice when I wasn't Sam.
I must say the password system bugged me because number only passwords are so insecure! Too many sites that demand one cap one lowercase one symbol and one number from passwords.
A great game, I got really invested in it!! Although the gameplay mostly consists of reading, it's really entertaining! Also yay, LGBT+ stuff! <3
really good game, would recommend. as someone like them i really resonated w it :)
Great game.
This is such a great game, I really enjoyed it. :)
Love the simple yet amazing art style!
I wasn't expecting much of this game but it really sent me on a journey and I cried when I got to the end. I was really hoping that the ending wouldn't be the typical cult-type thing these types of games do, and I was honestly surprised that it wasn't. Very good game <3
This game was wonderful and playing it is an experience that has stuck with me. Lovely interface, fun puzzles, i thought i knew where it was going but the ending still surprised me. The soundtrack is nice, does a great justice to the narrative.
Loved this! So good! I think eventually I want to buy this on my phone so I can replay it on an actual phone (got this as part of a bundle so I didn't get to choose what platform it's on) because I think it would really add to the expierence. Still awesome on a computer, of course!!
it took me far too long to realise there was more than just reading text messages. also I think there is bug where I see dates like 31/12/2015 and it probably should see them as 12/31/2015 (very frustrating if you are used to dates like the first one)
nice game, had a good time !
I wanted to cry after playing throught this game. Its beautiful and refreashing and engaging and just amazing. Thank you so much for creating, what in my eyes is, an amazing work of art.
got this in a bundle, didn't expect the ending but it made it so much more beautiful. hope my baby girl is alright :)
absolutely loved this. didnt expect digging through a phone could be so much fun haha. really loved the story; the ending was not expected but really wonderful it made me tear up <3
Got this in the bundle for Racial Justice and Equality and found it to be a really clever way to tell a story. Especially glad an android apk was included here so I could experience it on my phone.
This game impressed me! I love "found phone" games. Most found phone games are horror games, but fear not because this is not one. It tells a great LGBTQ+ story with a great ending. Oh, and the art and music are awesome. Can we buy the soundtrack somewhere?
Hey! I just recently got the game, and I've heard great things about it, but it keeps freezing on me. Like, the music keeps playing, but I can't scroll and clicking doesn't do anything. Any idea what could be causing that? I'm on windows.
Would this be suitable to play with 13 age plus teenagers watching as a part of a n online youth club session? Or are the themes too old for that? As I can['t find an age rating. Thanks!
There is some foul language and discussion of sexual harassment. I'd reccomend playing through the game once yourself before making a decision about a youth club.