Now, I’m not one for exaggeration. I’m known for keeping my thoughts concise, to the point and as far from gratuitous, floral exaggeration as possible – and I’m messing with you, of course, I wax more lyrics than a spontaneous musical number in a candle factory. But let it be known that when I make the following statement, I do so in the knowledge that it represents the absolute, unequivocal truth. Lost in the game is one of the best puzzle games I’ve played in recent years, and probably my favorite entry into the point-and-click genre since childhood. It doesn’t necessarily break boundaries or introduce stunning innovations. It doesn’t draw attention to itself with flashy gimmicks or a compelling story. Being an underrated indie, it probably won’t even register on most gamers’ radars. It’s just very, very good.
Their latest fantasy? I hope not
Lost in the game, a proprietary initiative of Tel Aviv studio Happy Juice Games, is purportedly the story of two siblings, Toto and Gal, who realize they are no longer in Kansas. Quite the opposite; they are somewhere with real color and life; their own fantasy. It seems that a fantasy game they were playing has gotten out of hand. Now the couple is adrift in the dreamscape of their crazy noggins. However, what this premise really is is an excuse for the fact that there is absolutely no consistent continuous line or set of rules for the game to follow. Since we’re in the imagination of some sugary toddlers, logic hardly plays a role. This allows Happy Juice to flex every creative muscle in their bulging nine-pack ideas. And boy, do they bow.
It is impossible to change the gameplay of . to discuss Lost in the game without tackling the graphic presentation first, which is integral to the charm and positively overwhelming. Simply put, this is like the kind of game Pendleton Ward, Chuck Jones, and Genndy Tartakovsky would come up with if you threw them in a room together for a few hours. Absolutely every frame of this thing is beautifully rendered in 2D animation. Every fantastic creature and environment you encounter buzzes with detailed movement. Your eyes will be more than lavishly filled with the visual candy here. It all looks especially great played in docked mode.
A gigantic achievement
It’s this art style that leads me to make the most obvious comparison (in my mind) with what Lost in the game‘s gameplay reminds me of: the Humongous Entertainment library. Every gamer of a certain age will remember Spy Fox, Pajama Sam, Putt-Putt and co. of old. This title is similar to what we thought those classic click-em-ups used to look like. While in reality they were running on a shoestring budget and running a whopping three frames. Those nostalgic feelings are very much evoked in Lost in the game, where you snoop around different locations to unravel every riddle that lies before you – not with a cursor, ghost, but with the characters themselves, which you will control directly. Every so often they throw in a quick-time event where you have to press a certain button or mash it.
This hands-on control puts a damper on this kind of puzzler: having to click on each pixel to find the relevant spot on the screen. Here it’s never too blunt what you need to deal with, whether it’s a crabby deck of cards with a seagull (aye), plucking through the gardens of a goblin village, or driving a small vehicle to visit a deep-sea monster. There’s a lot of diversity in the scenarios and the solutions always click into place after a while, making the game equally accessible to the over 3 year old audience that the PEGI rating would have you believe it was meant to be. Step aside, knockers.
Another intriguing aspect of the experience is the total lack of dialogue. As Toto and Gal delve deeper and deeper into their consciousness, not once do you hear a line of spoken English. It’s all chatter, somewhere between Simlish and Animal Crossing chatter (which I think saved Happy Juice a lot on localization costs). This ensures that all communication – and thus solving puzzles – is done visually. And the result is a refreshing, revolutionary take on the genre that puts more emphasis on the brain teasers than your partner/main character chuckling in your ear. Soz, Guybrush.
All told, Lost in the game will run you for about 5-8 hours depending on how tight you are walking. Whether that’s worth the nearly £20 asking price on the Switch is up to you. I think it’s clear which side of the fence I’m landing on. An intriguing hint system is available to rescue you if you really need it. It turns out to be useful for the above kiddiwinks. Music and menus are also top notch, and both continue to evoke the youthful sense of adventure that these types of outings create.
final verdict
In short, I have nothing negative to say about Lost in the game. I can’t remember the last time an adventure game made me feel so… so miserable Merry and healthy. These vicious emotions, I thought I had suppressed them! But no, this delightfully off-the-wall little title has crept up, and in a humble way, brought me right back. Back to the days when I sat in front of our fat Windows 95 family PC. When the world didn’t seem so gloomy. Highly, highly recommended. Please continue.
Lost in Play is now available. Switch review code kindly provided by Happy Juice.
AWESOME
AWESOME
In short, I have nothing negative to say about Lost in Play. I can’t remember the last time an adventure game made me feel so… so abjectly happy and healthy. These vicious emotions, I thought I had suppressed them! But no, this delightfully off-the-wall little title has crept up, and in a humble way, brought me right back. Back to the days when I sat in front of our fat Windows 95 family PC. When the world didn’t seem so gloomy. Highly, highly recommended. Please continue.
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