I find it difficult to talk at length about games of this sort, feeling far too personal and heartfelt a thing for me to do something so crass as to "review" it. Suffice it to say, If Found... is a game about being lost and eventually finding your way. It's a story as old as time, one that embraces the "freaks," giving them warmth in the winter months.
I guess that's what I come away from the game with, this sensation of pure warmth. It just feels like a long hug with someone after a lifetime of being all alone.
I cannot say I precisely relate to the feelings on display, but I found them sympathetic and moving, certainly helped by the honest, true-to-life writing that felt less so like fiction and more so like someone lifting real events from life and putting them to screen, or in this case a sort of digital paper. I appreciate the main gimmick of progressing the story, this idea of erasing memories as you progress further and further, getting closer to "The Event," until afterwards you begin to write anew. With that change, you get this lovely sensation of moving on toward something new, something better. I also loved the decision to end the bulk of the game on designing Kasio and how she looks. To me, this felt like a beautiful way to cap off the game (even if you get some lovely post-game stuff to fill out the future of these characters a bit, a sort of "where are they now" epilogue).
It's heartwarming to find more and more LGBT-forward stories of this ilk and especially to find them both specific and universal. There is no need to relate to what you find here as the story is moving all the same, its visuals inspiring and enchanting. But, for those of you who do find kindred spirits in this game, I can only imagine how lovely If Found... must be. In this digital age, despite all its shortcomings, it becomes easier and easier to find people like you, to find others that share your struggles and share your loves. I hope, then, that in this game someone finds a shared soul. Even if I don't share it myself, I can see it clear on display.
