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.

(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!

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.

Giving this a generous score, this was very much my kind of thing! While the discussion of the subject matter feels somewhat contrived and pedestrian, I think that this is really good. Being able to hold the switch in portrait mode and navigate the phone using the touch screen makes this game feel just like you've picked up someone elses phone that you don't know how to use, and the frustration comes from not knowing how to use the phone, not the controls being bad. The way that the story is locked off so you don't read/find out things at the wrong time feels great, I was impressed with how many times it surprised me in the short runtime, I had a very good time with this!

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

Completed with 100% of achievements unlocked. A Normal Lost Phone, as its name suggests, presents you with an ostensibly normal smartphone that you've found abandoned, tasking you with investigating the story behind the phone's owner through the phone interface and the information stored on it. This comes across as an unusual and well-realised form of story-telling, as you're largely left to uncover the story in a freeform manner, investigating messages and other content in whatever order you choose - albeit some (needed) structure is afforded by gating off certain areas behind access controls/passwords that you'll find from other areas. This open nature results in a satisfying experience and you're drawn into finding out as much as you can about the story... in a way that ultimately feels almost uncomfortably intimate as you discover more. Recommended.