Game: Lost Words: Beyond the Page
Genre: Adventure, Platformer, Action
System: Nintendo Switch (also on Steam, Stadia, PS4, & Xbox One )
Developers | Publishers: Sketchbook Games | Modus Games
Age Rating: US E | EU 7+
Price: US $14.99 | UK £11.99 | EU € 14,99
Release Date: April 6th, 2021
Review code used, with many thanks to Dead Good PR
Lost Words: Beyond the Page is an atmospheric puzzler, set between the pages of a diary and fantasy land, with a story written by Rhianna Pratchett, the writer of Tomb Raider, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Mirror’s Edge.
A Tale of Two Worlds
Lost Words: Beyond the Page is a game with two tales to tell. The game stars a young girl named Izzy who is around 12 or 13 years old. Izzy is incredibly close to her elderly grandmother, who unfortunately has a stroke. Izzy goes through an emotional journey in responding to her guilt, anger, and doubt about how to proceed with her life and accomplish her goals.
The second tale that Lost Words: Beyond the Page wants to tell you is the one that Izzy is trying to write. Inspired by her grandmother’s advice, Izzy decides to write a fantasy story in her journal that takes place in the world of Estoria. A fantasy yarn that pits you as a young girl called Grace (or you have the choice to pick other names if you prefer) and sees you become the Guardian of the Fireflies, protector of your village, and keeper of a magic book of words.
Use Your Words
The core gameplay hook of Lost Words is that you use words in your spellbook to affect the world around you. This takes the form of using a firefly (cursor) to grab a word such as “break” from your book and drag it to a column to knock it down to open a path, then using “repair” to fix a bridge so you cross it.
I have to say that using magic words to alter the world around you is a very satisfying feeling, its not difficult by any means but it is something I thoroughly enjoyed using. Though you only have a few words in your book to use at once, it would have been nice to see that expanded on a little more.
Izzy and Grace
Both stories run parallel, with Izzy and Grace learning from each other as you play through the game. In Estoria, Grace collects fireflies and chases a dragon. The gameplay is side-scrolling and platforming in the world of Estoria, using said words to change the environment around you so you can proceed.
As Grace moves forward on her mission, the text that describes her actions, feelings, and motivations appears in the landscape. The effect is very much like a storybook come to life. For those looking for a challenging sidescroller platformer, this is not it. Neither Izzy’s nor Grace’s story poses a difficult challenge, and there’s no way to die.
The Journal
In the real world, the story takes place in the pages of Izzy journal, you navigate the book by jumping and running on the words as Izzy writes them. You also interact with the words to piece together sentences and situations.
Such as when Gran talks about little acorns growing into big trees, you pick up the watering can to water the tree in the picture to make it grow. Or when you make Izzy’s Mum a cup of tea, you see a drawing of a kitchen and you need to fill the kettle, pour the tea, add the teabag and the milk and sugar.
Sweet and Heartwarming Story
It is a short game lasting around 4 to 5 hours, if anything that would be my only grumble about the game. As I was totally involved in Izzy story I didn’t want it to end. The climax of Grace’s tale in Estoria was wonderful, in equal parts tender and practical. It was a perfect close that made Izzy’s own story all the more credible and shows Izzy’s blossoming maturity and acceptance of the situation.
Though the fantasy tale, in particular, will have you repeating actions and retreading old ground more than once. However to me the game never feels like a chore to play.
Lost Words: Beyond the Page is very simple in terms of gameplay. It’s really the narrative that pushes the game forward, carrying with it an incredibly powerful message. It is a story we can all relate to at some stage in our lives.
Visuals and Controls
Izzy’s journal is shown to you in lovely watercolour drawings appearing on the pages of her journal. In Estoria Grace inhabits a storybook world, full of colour and life. The art in the Grace portions of the game is stunning at times, hand-drawn and absolutely gorgeous.
All of the narratives are fully acted and voiced. Izzy and Grace’s voice actress does an amazing job of drawing you into the story with her voice. The soundtrack and effects are also on par with the visuals. The music particularly is outstanding, it’s so good it is one of my favourite playlists on my mobile. They all help to glue everything together into such an intriguing experience. You control the game using the joy-cons and it all worked as it should.
Conclusion
Lost Words: Beyond the Page wouldn’t be a game for all gamers as it doesn’t pose any challenges in terms of gameplay. This is a game you would play to enjoy its story and absorb it. It would also be suitable for a parent to play with their children who are around the same age or slightly younger than Izzy herself.
Lost Words: Beyond the Page is a sweet and heartwarming story. As you journey with Izzy and Grace, it is full of rich emotions which will leave you thinking about the game long after you have finished it.
Final Verdict: Two Thumbs Up