Lost Words: Beyond the Page

Saying the right thing at the right time can be of incredible value, and even more so when one debates themselves. In this context, the girl’s words are clearly ripples originating from a point somewhere deep within her, and even after they’ve been written down and observed, they continue to linger and resonate. In those moments, Lost Words: Beyond the Page becomes an exemplary result of the clash between videogame rules and sincere expressionist literature. This dynamic even paves the way for the main character to accept living with a previously-unfathomable empty space in her heart – a condition that is manageable and is part of everyone’s nature. No doubt, a message very timely for younger audiences who probably won’t anticipate receiving meaningful life-lessons from this medium.

With its touching story about this aspiring little writer girl struggling to process her feelings, Lost Words reveals to be a mostly narrative-driven experience. The concept of magical words is quite interesting but in the end, there isn't one obstacle in the player's path able to bring some tension in the game. Yet, the adventure of Izzy and its paper alter ego might well soften the most hardened hearts.

A moving game that prioritizes its story over any other gameplay mechanic or technical improvements, that will be interesting because of its storytelling, but that will not be remembered for long.

Lost World is a short adventure with glimpses of exciting concepts, but in the end fails to impress as you wouldn't miss much by not playing it.

This is a beautiful game with a clever concept and a wonderful soundtrack, but it’s unambitious in its execution. The story is an obvious metaphor for Izzy’s grief when her gran has a stroke, valuable for young players but too on-the-nose otherwise. There are very few magic words to use, and no real puzzles to speak of. It offers a sweet story clearly geared towards children like its protagonist, but the gameplay doesn’t live up to its potential. [Issue#1, p.88]