Review for Lost in Play
Lost in Play by Happy Juice Games is an adventure brimming with imagination. In fact, imagination is the overall theme, persisting throughout the journey. The art design and animations -- as well as a great musical score that instills atmosphere in every level -- assist the story and reinforce the ideas it presents.
The narrative for Lost in Play centers around two children, a brother and sister. The sister is energetic, always active and wanting to play with her brother, who would rather spend time with his knock-off Game Boy. When the sister finally begins chasing her brother, they find themselves far from home in a land filled with fairytale creatures such as goblins, a bearded fairy guide, and others. The objective becomes clear: get back home while dealing with puzzles and dangerous foes that block their path.
The story itself has an engaging plot structure and progression. There are no dialogues or subtitles, but rather events are conveyed through character movement or thought bubbles with images next to characters’ heads. This is not the first game to use this storytelling method, but it proficiently shows what is happening without confusing players. It can be a joy to see the two siblings bond and work together throughout the journey. However, it does feel like the transition from two distant siblings to close companions occurs too quickly, partly because there is not a lot of personality development to distinguish the two from each other.
What really carries the narrative is the world they travel through. There are constant hints in the environment about whether or not the realm is real or a part of their imagination; whether they are actually lost or acting out the situation in their own heads. The ending, however, comes into conflict with the hints presented and when the end credits finally confirm the answer, it is confusing. This does not make the story unappealing beforehand; it just feels a little out of place.
Graphical presentation is what really sells this whimsical world. The designs of characters and environments are simple, looking like they are from a hand-drawn coloring book. Each level varies in its use of color and material, making each episode distinct from the others. The journey takes players from a lush pasture, to the siblings’ suburban home, to a dark, eerie forest, and further on. These environments and the creatures the siblings meet make the world feel wonderfully like that of a child with a hyperactive imagination.
Character animations assist with the childlike creativity angle. The characters’ movements, both those of the siblings and others, bring life and personality into every action, as well as humor and levity. Players may liken it to being a kid again, sitting down to watch a cartoon with silly characters doing silly things. It is an absolute delight.
The final factor that invests players in the world is the music. The main menu music provides a fantastic hook with its acapella group, its hints of autotune and the meowing alto. Besides that, most of the levels have calm and relaxing tracks that remain in the background but give the locales a distinct and appropriate atmosphere. The music can turn eerie if in the dark forest or the depths of the ocean, or grant levity when riding high in the sky on a contraption. There are a few exceptions where the melody is a bit bombastic, but it still serves the ambiance well. The combination of string, percussion, and even electronic music comprises a soundtrack that is immersive and pleasant, even funny at times.
Lost in Play is a standard point-and-click adventure with puzzles that introduce variety. Before starting, the game gives the player options as to whether to play with the controller, keyboard and mouse, or just the keyboard. The puzzles involve either finding an object or a set of items to use on the environment; or are minigames that take some trial and error to solve. The way the player retrieves items or solves the issues can range from rational to absolutely crazy. Players will be accomplishing a task without really knowing why until they acquire the correct item and figure out what it is supposed to do. This is reminiscent of a classic cartoon, where a character may be doing something inane, but the punchline is that it ultimately served some sort of purpose.
There is craziness and creativity in the minigames too. Examples include playing a mix of tic-tac-toe and checkers, where all the pieces are frogs. However, the difficulty of these puzzles ranges from fairly easy to challenging, depending on player skill. They require careful observation of what is presented, but what needs to be done is not always laid out well. There is a hint system and sometimes an information button that can be helpful in most situations, but not all. If the player slows down and carefully looks at all the clues, these conundrums are good tests of intellect and problem-solving.
As mentioned before, Lost in Play is overflowing with whimsical imagination. The quirky art design, animation, and music make the experience similar to playing through a Saturday morning cartoon. The difficulty of a few of the puzzles may be off-putting to some, but are rewarding when solved. With the challenges involved, it took over six hours to complete the entire game. While there is a missed opportunity in developing the personalities of the siblings, the well-structured story and the highly creative game world are what pull players in and cause them to laugh or smile at its many humorous moments.
