A Normal Lost Phone Reviews
A Normal Lost Phone is an intimate, affecting discussion of LGBTQ+ issues—one which does not shy away from candidness—all in a handy hour-long experience.
At a certain point it starts to feel really not OK that you’re interfering in this person’s life. You can send unfinished emails, and, well, worse, and I love that it includes this. Because at that point you really start to ask questions about what you’re doing here, and at that point the game becomes something more, something bigger than just a narrative you’re experiencing – it crosses over into feeling a teensy bit real. I love those moments. It’s to A Normal Lost Phone’s credit that it achieves this.
This clever mobile game assumes you're the sort to snoop through a stranger's lost phone. Sounds icky, but go with it; you won't be disappointed
______________________ “snooping and investigation will lead you through the story but the ending will be hit or miss
A Normal Lost Phone is a tough game to recommend. The concept is intriguing and there's a genuinely interesting narrative at the center of the experience, but it's all so fraught by poor execution and mediocre presentation that we can hardly suggest you pick this one up. You could do a whole lot worse for three bucks, but you're also getting exactly what you pay for and nothing more. If you have some credit leftover in your account from another eShop purchase and feel like distracting yourself with a mildly entertaining adventure game, this one may be worth a look, but you'd best take a pass.
A game that tries to tell a delicate story through a well-written narrative and a decent gameplay. If you don't mind reading a lot of text, and you are not bothered by a short and not replayable story, this game might be a correct choice.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A Normal Lost Phone does a lot of things right: unlocking story bits is interesting, the phone premise pays off, and the atmosphere sells Sam's character. Seeing such delicate subject matter in a game is nice, but the end game felt a bit preachy without offering anything too helpful. I would definitely play another phone-snooping game with more surprises in the story as I wasn't blown away by any revelations here.
Emotional, alluring, and compelling from start to finish, A Normal Lost Phone is a phenomenal visual novel that takes full advantage of Nintendo Switch in a creative way, while telling a story with a genuinely powerful message. The investigative elements are gripping and require a sincere attention to detail, and the soundtrack is appropriately atmospheric for mobile phone sleuthing. The short length might be off-putting for some, but it does lend itself to a well-paced experience and the title is cheap enough to justify the time spent playing. A Normal Lost Phone is a wonderful story with heart, and an excellent example of interactivity within the medium.
When my time with A Normal Lost Phone was finished, I had to digest it all. I was left with no more questions; the game does a good job of wrapping things up. But it's the kind of game that lingers with you, and it's one I imagine will remain with me for some time.
There are not many games in this world that I can say actually made me grow as a person, but A Normal Lost Phone is definitely one of those titles.
A Normal Lost Phone is a game with a really brilliant concept. It covers complicated, sensitive topics which, in many ways, is a bold and brave thing to do in today's world.
A Normal Lost Phone is a thoughtful, intriguing, non-game game that I cannot recommend enough.
A Normal Lost Phone is a short experience that is different from the other games currently available on Nintendo Switch that you should definitely check out. The story is very compelling, even if the overall game feels a tad wrong since it's us invading the privacy of Sam, but it's certainly worth your time and money.
Overall, if you’re receptive to what I would consider a very honest and genuine study of someone going through a difficult period in their lives and being faced with challenging decisions I’d say it is a worthwhile experience. It explores relationships both good and bad, the pain and burden of feeling guilty for decisions you make, and the process of personal discovery. Add in that it is done through an ingeniously clever mechanism of someone’s lost phone and it is a narrative treat unlike anything I’ve experienced before.
I don’t mean to downplay the message that A Normal Lost Phone carries, and I can’t understate how important it is that this game exists and the awareness that it will raise. But, it also shows that there is a continued need to experiment with how we explore the power of storytelling in video games, with room for improvement in whatever the developer has planned next.
It is an interesting experience that made me reflect on 2 serious topics and learn more about one of them.
A Normal Lost Phone requires you to dig deep into another person’s life, uncovering their deepest secrets and in some cases even impersonating them for the sake of progressing through the game. This is rote territory for adventure games, but to apply it to the life of a trans person – one who is clearly not ready to come out as trans and for whom it would be dangerous to do so – feels violating in a way snooping through emails in Deus Ex doesn’t.
A Normal Lost Phone is a unique experience. You aren't just passively watching a story go by, but you as the player are a part of it. Finding a smartphone and discovering who the owner was through carefully studying images, texts and mails is highly entertaining and sometimes makes you feel really uncomfortable.
Review in German | Read full review
Well worth the small price of admission if you like stories