Got this for under a buck during the last Steam sale based on really positive reviews.
Took about an hour to finish, maybe a little less, I got distracted in the middle of "playing".
Basically, you found a phone that's unlocked and you decide what to do about that. Most people would do some searching to try and returning, so that's what I did. The first messages you see are about the owner of the phone disappearing, which is what draws you in farther.
The "game" is really just a lot of reading and solving about 5 or 6 puzzles that are ridiculously easy. I solved the first two puzzles without even getting to the parts of the story with hints for them.
Here's the thing, is this a game or a political statement? I knew the "twist" pretty quickly. There's no subtlety or mystery really. The story is well done because the writer had a lot of details to keep straight in the various apps on the phone, but other than that the story is kind of boring.
So why the positive reviews? Because the twist revolves around a certain hot button issue in the world right now. It's my humble opinion that not only does it make you seem "hip and cool" to give it a good review, and thus, people will. But also, if you review it negatively, you risk being publicly attacked.
On top of all that, I actually think the advice given at the end of the game was shitty advice.
A Normal Lost Phone
A Normal Lost Phone
"Happy slaves are the worst enemies of freedom." - Marie Von Ebner
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
A Normal Lost Phone
It's what the world wants Catt.
"Happy slaves are the worst enemies of freedom." - Marie Von Ebner
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
A Normal Lost Phone
SPOILERS!!!!!!
I just want to vent on this story. The whole thing is about you finding this phone and as you go about unlocking the secrets you quickly guess the kid is a transperson. In this case a girl trapped in a guy's body who is also bisexual, although it really doesn't play out that way. He dumps his girlfriend as soon as she wants to have sex. Has zero interest in other girls. Never discusses them sexually. He does setup a profile on a dating site, but he has no real conversations with any woman and totally ignores one that's WAY into him as they have lots of common interests. Meanwhile, he sets up a female profile on that same site and gets into a really long deep conversation with another bi guy who isn't trans. Anyway, the story goes on and on about how conservative his town is, because conservative is a bad word that secretly means racist and homophobic...but I digress, and how his parents hate the gays. So he hooks up with other trans folks in a chat room and they give him support. However, his friend Alice tells him he's about to turn 18 and will be an adult. Thus, he should just leave town and start a new life as who he really is, and that's what he does. Per her advice he just throws his phone down and drives away on the next motorcycle his dad gave him for his birthday present. He never tells his family that he's trans or that he's moving away. The whole game starts with his father texting him because they're all afraid something has happened to him. That's because they love him. But no, it's ok for him to be judgemental and not give them a chance because he's trans? He guessed at how they would take the news because of his own bigotry. Would they react as he thought? Probably, but you sill have to give them the chance. Maybe they spit fire today, but come to accept it later? Now they'll never get the chance. It's fine to make them worry and probably spend money searching for him. It's fine to have tax money wasted as police are out searching for him. It's all about him.
Fuck that message.
I just want to vent on this story. The whole thing is about you finding this phone and as you go about unlocking the secrets you quickly guess the kid is a transperson. In this case a girl trapped in a guy's body who is also bisexual, although it really doesn't play out that way. He dumps his girlfriend as soon as she wants to have sex. Has zero interest in other girls. Never discusses them sexually. He does setup a profile on a dating site, but he has no real conversations with any woman and totally ignores one that's WAY into him as they have lots of common interests. Meanwhile, he sets up a female profile on that same site and gets into a really long deep conversation with another bi guy who isn't trans. Anyway, the story goes on and on about how conservative his town is, because conservative is a bad word that secretly means racist and homophobic...but I digress, and how his parents hate the gays. So he hooks up with other trans folks in a chat room and they give him support. However, his friend Alice tells him he's about to turn 18 and will be an adult. Thus, he should just leave town and start a new life as who he really is, and that's what he does. Per her advice he just throws his phone down and drives away on the next motorcycle his dad gave him for his birthday present. He never tells his family that he's trans or that he's moving away. The whole game starts with his father texting him because they're all afraid something has happened to him. That's because they love him. But no, it's ok for him to be judgemental and not give them a chance because he's trans? He guessed at how they would take the news because of his own bigotry. Would they react as he thought? Probably, but you sill have to give them the chance. Maybe they spit fire today, but come to accept it later? Now they'll never get the chance. It's fine to make them worry and probably spend money searching for him. It's fine to have tax money wasted as police are out searching for him. It's all about him.
Fuck that message.
"Happy slaves are the worst enemies of freedom." - Marie Von Ebner
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
A Normal Lost Phone
Maybe it's subversive? The "protagonist" sounds like a self-absorbed dick. You think that was accidental and the author actually thought the character was completely victimized and sympathetic?
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
A Normal Lost Phone
You raise an interesting question. I was going to point out how he, and the LGBT community he encounters, are painted as "perfect", but he did string along a girl that he had no intention of ever marrying or even sleeping with. He never did tell her the truth about why he broke up with her, which assuredly caused her emotional trauma. She even tried to commit suicide. He never came out to his mom or dad to give them a chance to accept him. Ditto for the 20 or so contacts in his phone that reached out to him that very day or traveled to celebrate with him. He just threw the phone with all those contacts out.
He's a completely self absorbed dick, but was the intent to make you sympathize with him or simply sympathize with the struggle folks like him go through and that they don't all deal with it in the best way? I mean, you NEVER hear that the person who comes out does it poorly, only that those who hear the news react poorly. You never hear that the trans person deals with folks badly, just that people he/she encounters treat him/her badly by not using the right pronouns.
He's a completely self absorbed dick, but was the intent to make you sympathize with him or simply sympathize with the struggle folks like him go through and that they don't all deal with it in the best way? I mean, you NEVER hear that the person who comes out does it poorly, only that those who hear the news react poorly. You never hear that the trans person deals with folks badly, just that people he/she encounters treat him/her badly by not using the right pronouns.
"Happy slaves are the worst enemies of freedom." - Marie Von Ebner
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell