Lost Words: Beyond the Page

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.