Lost Words: Beyond The Page Review: The Meaning of Life (PS4)

Lost Words: Beyond The Page explains that what we say to each other is important. The way we communicate with other people, as well as ourselves, can impact our lives in various ways. That the people we know and love affect our experiences in life are unique to us and can have a profound influence on how we perceive the world and how we interact with it.

Lost Words: Beyond The Page successfully delivers a meaningful story on two fronts: an emotional journal from the lead character Izzy, who then creates a fantastical world to explore as a functional 3D side scroller. This is another enjoyable iteration of games which explore emotional themes surrounding grief, even if the journey is a simple one.

Lost Words: Beyond The Page was created by Sketchbook Games and published by Modus Games. The game was released for Stadia in March 2020, and then for PlayStation 4, X-Box One, Nintendo Switch & Windows in April 2021.

Lost Words: Beyond The Page is a cosy game and there are plenty of those. Alexis Shofner has five highlights for the summer to look forward to.

Story: Affecting & Fantastical

Lost Words: Beyond The Page has two intertwining storylines. Our main protagonist is Izzy. She is a young aspiring writer who keeps a journal, initially writing about everyday life but soon begins to focus on her Gran, Barbara, and talks about how much she means to her. She often will recall sage information and fond memories of their activities together. Recently, Barbara hasn’t been doing too well health wise and it has been affecting her life through her schoolwork, her friends and specifically how her parents are treating her.

I was really invested in this story. I thought it was very well written by Rhianna Pratchett and well acted by Sidonie Maria Sakalis as Izzy. Izzy herself is an avatar within the journal and you move across the page, stumbling over her words, connecting her thoughts & feelings. This meant that I properly digested what was being said on the pages. It was an effective way of translating how the character felt throughout into a familial understanding. I was emotionally moved at times.

Being an aspiring writer, she is also attempting to write her first novel. Although the subject matter around her life is more serious, Izzy would also like to welcome you to……

Izzy creates the Land of Estoria for you to explore

The Land of Estoria

Since Izzy is creating her first world, there are plenty of tropes involved. Her character (you can choose names) Robyn lives in a nice, peaceful village…. Until it is inexplicably attacked by a dragon. This attack has scattered The Fireflies, who protect the village. Robyn is The Guardian, and has decided to avenge the village by finding the Fireflies and defeating the dastardly flame spewing monster once and for all! Along the way, she will come across people who will help and hinder her. She has a companion. It’s a little basic but the story here does mirror Izzy’s feelings. About the power to overcome obstacles, the physical and mental strength needed to carry on through life. Ultimately though, about acceptance for who you are.

I found Izzy’s journal to be a more effective story technique but Estoria is pleasant enough to visit.

You stalk an enigmatic figure through the desert – friend or foe?

Gameplay: Part Imaginative, Part Pleasantly Simple

As the story goes in Lost Words: Beyond The Page, Izzy is writing her thoughts and feelings in a journal. She is then creating her own fantasy novel. You play as an avatar of the character on the pages in front of you. For me, this was inventive as I paid more attention to the story as opposed to just listening to the character talk. The longer the game went on, they experimented with ways to interact with the journal. The sentences themselves were platforming challenges to get to the next page. There were parts where you could colour in photographs or an entire page. You could manipulate words to create a path to the exit. Izzy would let you at times fill in the blanks of a sentence. You could also slightly influence her opinions.

There were interactive sections – you could open furniture to select clothes, put away the dishes, push items off sentences. Even when not directly involved, Izzy’s emotional state resonated on the pages. There was one specific section where Izzy is distraught, angry, the words smash the pages in frustration, and I could feel her pain. I was emotionally engaged throughout.

There are choices to make throughout the story

The Power of Words

Robyn in the world of Estoria has a job to do. Rescue the Fireflies of the village and confront the dangerous dragon which besieged it. The world is a side scroller where you traverse a variety of locales – snowy mountain ranges, sand blasted covered deserts, the depths of the ocean. Although it is trying to tell an exciting story – this is Izzy’s first ever story she has written, the gameplay is pleasant but safe.

Usually getting from the start to the end, the game felt mostly that you were in a large section before sending you down a slide to the next section – WAAAAA-HOOOOO! To get through each section required your magic book of words. Many obstacles block your path and Izzy can come across new words to manipulate the environment.

This goes in the book you can use at any time. The book is very helpful getting through the game. I do wish it was a little more intuitive, like holding the book open by holding a button down. Selecting a word to use with the right analogue stick, there were times I would leave it behind by accident. You were only allowed to pick one word at a time, so it was cumbersome using more than one at a time. This also impacted the style of puzzles available. They were basic. Perfectly functional for the story, but basic. The actual use of the words however, always felt nice. Repairing broken bridges, destroying blocks in your way, lifting platforms to progress had a sense of simple satisfaction.

Using the books’ magic was simple but fun.

Robyn

Robyn was fine to control, had no issues there. The camera could have been a bit faster. Allowing Robyn to run, you normally had to slow down for the camera to stretch across the screen.

Each level had Fireflies to find as a collectible and there is a level select available from the menu screen which is appreciated. I overall had a nice time with this. More variety would have been appreciated but it’s an easy-going adventure aimed at a younger audience and is skilled appropriately.

Izzy’s gran Barbara means a lot to her.

Graphics: Vibrant Throughout

I definitely enjoyed the journal sections. Izzy ran elegantly across the words and pages. The drawings within the journal had a watercolour outline look, very pleasant to look at. The animation here when required was a nice touch. The journal is sat on a desk surrounded by pens and paint. There were times in the journal where I said “wow��� out loud. It mostly was using a curser to fill in the screen like a painting, but their art direction was very good here and beautiful to look at.

The world of Estoria was bright, colourful and had a simple, charming look about it. Colours in general were like pastel shading, bold in nature. Character models reminded me of the game RiME. The story is being told by Izzy through the game world and would be written across the screen was a nice idea. Although the backgrounds were usually blurred out, the depth of field was good, it made the sun more noticeable. The game had nice presentation and art style.

The artwork specifically in the journey looked amazing

Music & Audio: Enjoyable All Round

I think all the voice actors did a good job, but Sidonie Maria Sakalis as Izzy/Robyn is what makes this game an enjoyable experience. It just wouldn’t have been the same without her. As the lead character, she is front and centre and carries the story. She goes through a range of emotions: uplifting to genuinely feeling broken and devoid of confidence to positive determination. I had a soft spot for Lump. He is a friend Robyn meets on her journey and is like a new born baby: filled with excitement, wonder, naivety. He was very cute.

The music in Lost Words: Beyond The Page is from David Housden and he’s very good. Previously worked on Thomas Was Alone & Volume. There was a whimsical, positive quality in amongst the melancholy of the story. It was always nice to listen to on your adventure. Always sounded vibrant and upbeat. I really enjoyed it. There was only a few which really stood out but I had noticed that is was pleasant to listen to while maintaining it’s position in the background to compliment the story.

Lost Words: Beyond the Page was played & reviewed on PlayStation 4.