I like hidden object games, I guess you can say that started with a love of Where’s Waldo books in my elementary school library in the early 90s. There’s no shortage of those types of games these days, but it was the vibrant colors of Lost and Found Co.’s Steam capsule that brought me to playing the demo a few months ago, and in turn, this review today.
You are Ducky, an adorable duck transformed by the Dragon Goddess Mei Long into a human. Mei hasn’t been worshipped as she once was, so her shrine is at risk of demolition for urban development.
Her plan? People lose things (a lot), so why not start a business that reunites people with their lost items? (She’s the face of the business, and you, Ducky, are the muscle.)
The game is split between story levels, client requests, and even some cozy decorating. In terms of the story, it’s a little predictable, but it’s told in such a charming way through comic-like panels and adorable animation that I didn’t mind. (I spent a lot of this game smiling and laughing.)
When you load into a new level, icons at the bottom of the screen indicate what you need to locate. Sometimes, the items are readily available, nestled on a shelf or something, but the real challenge comes when they are hidden inside a box, a second room within the level, or even something like a dumpster or refrigerator.
Each level also has secondary optional objectives that aren’t required but can net you extra likes for the business. There’s so much content and detail inside each level that I started deliberately not opening the in-game smartphone in order to guess some of those objectives. And it’s just really fun clicking around to see what certain items would do.
Not to mention, sometimes that would lead to finding Juju, cursed spirits you can use for a bonus hint on your objectives. The hints were the game’s weak area: some were helpful, and others were so cryptic that I felt even more lost. It was nice that there were no time constraints holding you down in that regard.
If you didn’t want to get pulled into a story level, which often had multiple parts, you could jump into client requests, smaller chunks of the game that each had a difficulty level assigned and would work your way towards earning more likes for the company. Again, each one was so unique that it was never boring or felt repetitive; there was always a surprise with the right click.
Lost and Found Co. captures the rush of a good hidden-object experience and ties it all together with charm, color, and humor. Playing as Ducky (an adorable duck-turned-human), helping the Dragon Goddess Mei Long save her shrine, Lost and Found Co. offers story, opportunities to get your inner decorator on, and challenging searches where curiosity pays off. Yes, the story is predictable, and I found the hint system occasionally frustrating, but the amount of color, detail, and vibes packed into each level made it hard not to smile through it.
Lost and Found Co. releases on March 6th on Steam!