Lost Words: Beyond the Page Review (Smokeycat)
A magic book of words, a dragon ... and a journal
Lost Words: Beyond the Page is a collaboration between Sketchbook Games and Fourth State.
Izzy has been given a journal by her grandmother as she wants to become a writer. Throughout the process of writing her story and her journal entries, which Izzy narrates, we learn about her love for her grandmother and the emotions involved when someone we love falls ill.
During both the journal and the story arcs, the player is given choices at various times, although I believe it does not alter the ending.
In the journal, players use various words to complete sentences as well as to form platforms to navigate the pages. Light puzzling is also involved, but is very intuitive. There is no penalty to the player for falling off the page, and the player will start at the beginning of the first of two pages that is opened.
In the world of Estoria, where Izzy's character's story takes place, there is also light puzzling and platforming. Once again, the player is not penalised for dying and, due to the frequent auto saving, the player will be placed very close to where the player died.
Izzy's character in Estoria (the name of which is player's choice out of 3 given names) is given a magic book with words to aid her in her mission to find all the lost fireflies and deal with a dragon.
Keyboard and mouse can easily be used for all the platforming and light puzzling.
There are collectables in both the journal and the story worlds.
Pros:
* The game's focus is on words and the very light puzzling/platforming is more of an accompaniment. This allows players of all skills to enjoy the game.
* Wonderfully narrated throughout
* Creative game play
* Beautiful graphics
* Achievements
* Trading Cards
Cons:
The only criticism I could possibly give about the game is that the ending seemed slightly rushed.
9/10
Personally, I was blown away by the creativity of the game play and the wonderful narration throughout. It definitely enchanted me from the start. The beautiful graphics are the icing on the cake. Strongly recommended.
This review was submitted for Elite Giveaways, where every game deserves a review.
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