You will find answers to questions in unexpected places….
A Normal Lost Phone – Nintendo Switch – Released: 3/1/18 – $7.99
Short Review (Review copy provided by Seaven Studio)
This is a game where you should go into it knowing as little as possible. The short review is going to be really short for anyone interested while the long review will cover everything more in depth. Warning: This game is about LGBT and how they feel about transitioning so if you have an issue with that topic you can easily close the tab. For everyone else please enjoy the review.
This was quite unexpected for me because being a man that knows next to nothing about LGBT outside of having friends and talking to them. I have no clue about what goes on. I sometimes question my friends that know will give me answers about things so I am correct on terms and lingo. What is wrong to say, what is the right to say, how to make a person feel safe, and what to do if someone is getting harassed. I have always wanted answers and this game was able to answer a few things and help me be in someone else’s shoes. Going through someone’s phone and seeing life a little bit in their eyes was different. Playing on the Switch felt like having an over sized phone. It was a bit strange feeling as though I could play this game with one hand. I would like to recommend this game but it is hard to on the Switch due to the size of the Switch. Unless you don’t have a phone that could play it that would be the only reason I would pick it up on Switch. Either way I recommend you check out this game!
Icon is pretty nice and to me stands out against other games:
Story
The game follows Sam, a person that is trying to understand how they feel by testing the waters. You find Sam’s phone and look through it to find more information. Doing so you find out pretty much everything about their life. You find out that Sam is dating Melissa and she is very upset before Sam turned her down before the new year. Sam’s parents are not okay with LGBT so Sam shut down on telling them about what is going on. The story unfolds more as you look through the phone. I will keep it simple to not spoil anything.
Gameplay
It is rather simple since everyone today has a phone so no one should find it too difficult to understand what to do. The game does present a few puzzles that took me a while but that is more because of all the reading. As you read texts, check calendar, and check online, you will need to solve easy password based puzzles. They are all pretty straight forward but may take many guesses. You really can’t brute force any of them so a game that would take like a half hour takes anywhere from 1-2 hours.
Personal Experience
This is a unique experience that would have saved me a ton of time and questions if I had a phone good enough to game on it. I am 100% behind people that are LGBT since I went to a high school that was very open about it. I went to a college that I had a few friends comes out to me. It was never a big deal but I never took the time out to understand how hard it was or how important that moment was for them. I remember my roommate telling me and I was like “I knew that, you are still the same guy to me”. We never talked about it again but after that day he would have guys over or text me what he was up to. I guess he was more open in general and glad I didn’t judge him.
Final Thoughts
I may not recommend this highly on the Switch due to its size but I do recommend it. It is a game that I feel as though people should try out. A Normal Lost Phone is the weird feeling of exploring someone else’s phone but understanding that other people have issues as well. This game is definitely not for everyone so if you own a Switch without a good cellphone to play this game. Wait for a price drop since the sweet spot should be a bit lower. If you own a phone that can play this game…. definitely pick it up. It is only $3 and well worth the trip if you want to fill like you are in someone else’s shoes.
UPDATE: 5/31/18
I would give this game a 9 out of 10!
My Gameplay Footage:
Trailer:
End Credits
This was a bit rough to be honest lol I never really felt the same way about a game and the ending man… I was told not to spoil it on the press kit so I won’t say anything. It was a bit much for me since the entire time I felt a certain way and by the end I was like shocked at what I had to do. I played through this game many times now and it has been a great experience. I was more shocked that games would touch on these topics.
As always let me know how the review was, thoughts, I’ll see you in the next review! Make sure to check out the giveaway! We have two going on one on the Nintendo Subreddit giving away a copy of the game and Mercenaries Saga Chronicles!
One thought on “Nintendo Switch – A Normal Lost Phone #110”