I had no idea what to expect. I kept guessing what was happening, and every guess I had was correct. No real surprises. Sort of.

A lot of the texts and websites are straight-up leaflets, meticulously placed to introduce someone unaware of the topic. Crafted Tumblr posts that, in the spanish translation, had some missteps.

But maybe, because of how touchy of a subject it is for me, I got "something" out of the protagonist's messages and experiences, as little as that "something" could be. How some messages in that phone were quite natural and stored a hidden truth that spoke to me

Voyeuristic thrills flat-line once you start digging into the actual conversations here. The characters text as if they know their messages will be read by a stranger, and almost every piece of software on this lost phone is perfectly placed to guide you through somewhat contrived puzzles. My main complaint is that the phone could stand to feel a little more real: one-word reminders in a notes app, embarrassing twitter drafts, inside jokes between friends that you simply won't understand because you shouldn't, homepage screenshots taken by accident. There's so much potential here for the 'phone' to feel genuine and this person's story more meaningful because of it.

But it still kinda works. You discover this person's truth, empathize with them, and even contribute to their story. It's all mostly touching, and there's probably a larger statement being made here about how our phones slowly become tiny versions of ourselves. I'd love to see an extension of this idea executed more organically, but I'd still recommend this as a 90-minute palette cleanser.

Let's start with this: This game is dealing with an incredibly important subject matter and it handles it with great care and gentleness. I did really appreciate it for just that, there's so much empathy and love stored in this one.

Unfortunately, it is extremely underdeveloped. A predicable, shallow plot mixed with a short playtime. Interesting gameplay that is never really utilized, simple puzzles that left me unsatisfied.

All in all, A Normal Lost Phone is the very example of a game with so much potential and little payoff. It doesn't concern itself with details at all, instead focuses on just the basics of its own narrative.

I've read that it still means so much to many people and I get why. I'm sad to say that it didn't really leave any profound impression on me, even though I might have a lot in common with the protagonist.

(trying to keep spoiler-free as possible) Sweet and hopeful game that illustrates a pretty real example of how young people in marginalized groups struggle with growing into the person they want to be in less-than-supportive environments. It's sort of a point-and-click/visual novel hybrid through lots of text, so give this a pass if you want something with active gameplay.The one detriment is that some of the passwords are a little odd to figure out, but i wouldn't say impossible. The best part is how all the things you see develop in significance as you go on!

A NORMAL LOST PHONE REVIEW

A Normal Lost Phone isn't perfect, not by any means. Still, I found it to be a nice break from the skill and/or emotionally intensive games I've played this year. That's not to say it doesn't deal with some heavy subject matter too, but it does so in a warm and optimistic way that I appreciated - especially when you consider how most LGBT+ narratives go.
The story isn't executed flawlessly. The pacing is off, and there are times where it feels very clinical; I think this is just an issue that comes with writing a story about a minority when you are not apart of said minority. But still, you can tell the creators put in a lot of research and effort. It's very well-meaning. The presentation helps it along, too, adding a fresh layer that many games like this one completely neglect.


SHORT REVIEW

Visuals: 4/5
Sound: 3.5/5
Story: 3/5
Gameplay: 2.5/5
Worldbuilding: 3/5
Achievments (Does not count toward overall score.): 3/5
Overall game score: 3/5


IN-DEPTH REVIEW

VISUALS:
The phone in ANLP is very pretty. Instead of traditional minimalist icons/setups, the team opted to go for an original 'painted' look. This definitely helps it stand out in the phone/computer sim genre.
I particularly really love the color palette. The pastel pinks, purples, yellows, and blues are both nice and easy to look at. I like to think they were chosen specifically to hint toward the big twist, too.
I appreciated all of the artwork for the characters. However, I do think that some of them are a tad rushed. The facial proportions or expressions feel off at times (I say this as an artist myself.) Still, there are some really nice pieces, and I admire the effort to include so many of them at all. Being able to put faces to names adds a lot. It definitely makes the story feel more personal.
Overall, 4/5.

Sound:
For its short length, ANLP sports an impressively expansive soundtrack. I really liked the fact that there's so many songs; usually in games only an hour or two long, you end up looping the same 1-3 pieces of music over and over. That wasn't the case here. It's not really MY personal taste, but it certainly isn't bad. Most importantly, it succeeds in setting a good atmosphere.
Overall, 3.5/5.

Story:
[Spoiler warning for this whole section.]
ANLP has a touching queer/trans narrative that - amazingly - doesn't end in heartbreak. This is one of the few times where I feel like the 'trans twist' feels organic, too. After all, Samira's closeted. She's hiding things so that her family can't snoop and find out her secret. It makes sense that you only discover the truth later on, especially because of the phone format.
What really makes it work, though, is the empathy and sincerity that the devs approached it with. Like I said in the intro, I was impressed by how much effort they put into making good representation. The game is unmistakably on Samira's side throughout its entirety. She is depicted as friendly and talented. While she does experience transphobia, she gets a pretty happy ending. It's really nice to see a trans character - and her transness - portrayed in a positive light.
Also, they include a lot of good information about being trans. I think it would be really insightful for players who are less educated on the subject. And I respect how many different facets of the community are represented. In particular, I thought it was really cool how Samira has gender euphoria rather than dysphoria; this is a trans experience that isn't represented or talked about nearly enough.
Another big example of this is the trans forum you discover later on; here you read about how presentation =/= gender, how it can be difficult for trans people's partners when they first come out, what being nonbinary is like, and more. I think it's really commendable how hard the devs worked to show the diversity of our community.
That being said, I would have liked to see all of that info integrated in a more natural way. Most of it isn't tied into Samira herself, or the story. The pacing is thrown off majorly by the forum. It feels like reading an article rather than playing a game.
As another example of this, there's a point where someone is telling Samira about transphobia. Again, this conversation is solely about educating the player, rather than progressing anything. This interaction was particularly weird to me, too, given that it's a cis person explaining this stuff to a trans person. Still, it's educational; I like the idea of cis players learning what it's like to be trans through a game.
As for the writing, it's okay. All of the characters felt unique enough in their personalities and texting habits. Some people have reported being put off by the dialogue, and I think maybe it's because the game was created by a French studio? I personally didn't notice anything wrong with it, though. In fact, my only big criticism of this component is that the conversations are laid out a little TOO perfectly. But I also think this is a really difficult thing to get right in 'voyeurism' games. Making the conversations sound completely natural, while also providing the player with all the context they need, is a big task.
I do understand some of the issues levied against the story by others too - particularly the part where you send someone a photo of Samira. While she WAS planning to do so, and the person already knew she was trans, I still agree that it is a violation of her privacy. But I personally didn't find this awful enough to ruin the whole game, or the team's intentions.
MY biggest issue with the story is the way it ends. You're basically directly told how to finish the game in a very immersion-breaking way. I get that it's kind of an awkward format to close out, but there HAD to be better ways than this. For example, I think it would've been cool to have Samira text the phone directly, to see if anyone's found it. Then have it end there, with a piece of music playing you out.
Ultimately, even though it's a pretty good cis-written trans narrative, the missteps make it feel slightly impersonal (the information-dumping especially.) Of course, it's not wrong for a cis team to make this kind of story. And like I said, I think they did a decent job. However, I still can't help feeling like I'd connect with it more if it was a trans person/team creating it. That's probably in large part due to the fact that I'm trans myself, though. I don't think there's a big enough disconnect for it to bother cis players.
Overall, 3/5.

Gameplay:
I really appreciate that ANLP actually had puzzles at all. Many games like it completely neglect this aspect, despite often presenting it as an integral part of the experience. It's nothing groundbreaking here, but they're enjoyable enough for what they are. [SPOILERS] I particularly really liked the twist with the calculator app - it was a cool 'right under our noses' thing. [SPOILER END]
They do get a bit repetitive, though, because many of the puzzles are just finding correct passwords. The fact that all of the passwords are dates important to Samira does make the concept slightly more interesting - but it still gets old by the fourth or fifth time.
Overall, 2.5/5.

Worldbuilding:
As I mentioned in the story section, all of the characters are pretty unique. Some of them can be kind of one-note, but that's to be expected from a game this short - especially one that has such a large cast of minor characters. And even then, the side narratives going on give them a bit more context. That large cast benefits it, too, making the world feel more full, and Samira more realistic.
Overall, 3/5.

Extra Category - Achievements:
I 100%ed this back in 2017, but looking over a guide again, I think I can safely say that it's a pretty easy one to do. A lot of them are progression-related. Most of the rest you'll probably get naturally.
Overall, 3/5.

Overall game score: 3/5. The warmth that permeates ANLP, and its above-average presentation, make it a worthy 1-2 hour experience. But while I do love all of the information included about the subject matter, I think it should have been given in a more natural way. The pacing suffers because of it, and it often feels like a slog to read through. Still, I liked Sam and I liked the direction the narrative went. This is one of the better computer/phone sims I've played.

a queer game both of its time and almost definitely "for the straights". mixed in with this very oversimplified and clearly constructed orthodox indie lgbt story is a whole section that spends hundreds of words spelling out stuff like "what does nonbinary mean". just kind of bland overall, even if i thought the ending was sweet. aside: imagine if someone snooped ur shit like this?? like wtf?

anyways this was probably "important" in 2017 (really??? this feels like its from 2014) but like no reason to play it now, many other games have iterated on this game's ideas way way better. just play if found instead

eh. this feels infodump-ish and (slightly) forceful when the "didactic" part begins. I wouldn't be surprised if it had the opposite effect for the intended public (aka someone who has no idea of these issues, or even opposes them).
the result is positive, as long as it has made one person empathize and understand, but a more careful pace and approach could've been better (imo).

well, and the language Sam and company use feels a bit stiff and... thought to be read? especially with Melissa or Alice. not how I would communicate with friends, at least.

Very clean and smooth user interface, very much felt like navigating around an actual phone. The soundtrack is a vibe, but I had it turned down or completely off most of the time since it's hard for me to read with music that has lyrics. This is something that can easily be toggled to your liking from the start of the game however so I would not consider it an issue. I think the game has some decent and realistic representation which is always nice. A lot of the end game content however read as being more of an educational moment which in some cases could be great depending on the audience playing the game. I think even despite being fairly educated on what is discussed it was still a nice read. I've talked very vaguely about everything thus far to avoid spoilers, so story wise overall I think it's thoughtful and a nice dip into someone else's perspective. The puzzles throughout weren't that challenging but I did cave and look some of them up because I didn't want to spend the time to put in random numbers after exhausting what I thought was logical but the hints are all completely there and nothing is too unsolvable. I really loved how the ending paints a full picture and brings all the bits you've learned about together into a more cohesive narrative.