Platforms: Steam | Apple Store | hopefully itch.io
Release Date: 19th May 2020
"If Found... is an interactive visual novel about going home, coming out and erasing everything." - DREAMFEEL
For some reason, I've been getting into visual novels. I'm also playing Milky Way Prince. Maybe it's just really interesting ones are out right now. Once I started playing this, within seconds I was sold from the intro.
One of our fellow Era members worked on the game, rustymonk !
The music by 2 Mello and Eli Rainsberry is sublime, and the foley work especially is worth praising that breathe atmosphere in the still images. The art by Liadh Young is gorgeous. The writing by Llaura Ash McGee & Eve Golden-Woods is on-point.
I love games that use their mechanic for storytelling, thematic-mechanic storytelling (Brothers, Braid, Journey, Virginia, But That Was Yesterday, Don't Look Back). Here, you're using an eraser to rub away text and scenes as transitions. You play the whole game with just your mouse, which makes it perfect for phones (not out on Android yet). It makes for some fantastic transitions.
You play as Kasio who has a difficult relationship with her mother as she's coming out as transgender and this ends up with her leaving, then couch-surfing with band mates and developing relationships. There's plenty of Irish slang and culture in the 90s brought up, which is pretty grand.
This A story is broken up by a shorter surreal B story where astronaut Dr Cassiopeia is exploring and interacting with a space anomaly. Both stories inform each other at key moments, emotionally.
I haven't finished the game, it's about a 2 hour game but so far I have been loving it because of the presentation and storytelling.
If you're into games like Gone Home or Night In The Woods that explore nostalgia in holistic ways (not just glorifying) and the 90s era, check it out. Also, it's very accessible so most people can play it.
