Parents' Guide to

Lost Words: Beyond the Page

By Jeff Haynes, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Beautiful adventure deals with grief, perseverance, growth.

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A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

age 7+

Based on 1 parent review

age 7+

Excellent story with empowering game dynamics.

The excellent story combines a digital twist of the old classic "choose your own adventure," with sometimes challenging gameplay - not too difficult, yet but not too hard as to frustrate young kids. My seven year old daughter did not want to stop playing, and admittedly I find the gameplay and story much more enriching than most other screen time. Then game advocates journaling to help explore and understand emotions, and the story empowers them by allowing them to understand the importance and power their words hold - an increasingly important message for many kids and adults alike. The score is well composed, and it's quiet enjoyable to just watch them play and the story unfold. This game is a refreshing change from the often violent and/or repetitive grinding present in most games today.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Easy to play/use

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated

This beautiful tale manages to tug at your heartstrings while providing a beautiful tale of loss, perseverance, and personal growth through tragic circumstances. Lost Words: Beyond the Page is a beautiful story of a young girl and her connection with her grandmother, who supports her dreams of becoming a writer. Izzy's link crosses over to the story she writes, where her main character is advised by an elder in her village. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes both her story and her real life: the character's village is attacked by a dragon, while Izzy's grandmother has a sudden medical emergency. Without spoiling the plot, both Izzy and her character go through an emotional journey in responding to their grief, anger, and doubt about how to proceed with their lives and accomplish their goals. Thanks to excellent voice acting, it's hard to not feel bad for Izzy as she goes through this difficult time and cheer for her when she comes through the worst times with a newer found sense of confidence and purpose in her writing. It's not a long game, but by the end, you feel like you've seen true growth in her as an author and person.

The gameplay in Izzy's created world is simple, but engaging. Her character's magic journal holds words to raise platforms, break objects, and more. You can use these words as often as you'd like on the environment, allowing you to explore and attempt different solutions to puzzles. There's no combat to focus on, so you're free to explore and make mistakes. What's clever is there are moments where players can make decisions that change the direction of the story, which gives players a stake in completing the tale the way they'd like to see it play out (or believe that Izzy should've written it). Unfortunately, the camera doesn't always move as quickly as your character does, so you'll sometimes fall into hazards or past items you want to collect. But it's a minor issue compared to the great gameplay and story. Lost Words: Beyond the Page is an emotional treat for players of all ages.

Game Details

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