This indie visual novel is extremely heartfelt, and extremely stylish.
It has two plot lines: Set in the 90s, the main plot is about a trans girl named Kasio who transitioned while going to university in Dublin, and now is returning to her hometown on Achill (an island in Ireland... say that ten times fast). As she dreads, her reunion with her mother and brother is tense, and she flees the house to stay with her friend and his band, who are squatting in a decaying mansion.
The secondary plot is about an astronaut who finds a black hole, and attempts to protect humanity.
Kasio's parts are told as if we are reading her journal, and the next "page" of the game is revealed by "erasing" the image in front of you.
While there are parts that are told with normal dialogue boxes and reused sprites like you'd expect in a visual novel, a significant percentage of the game has unique art, which is just baffling to me. (Someone on Steam was complaining about the game's price (just $13!) and I'm like.......... we have to pay for the artist's carpal tunnel!!) Some of it is kind of "sketchy," which matches the journal motif, as if the visuals are drawn by Kasio herself.
An example of a page that is not done being erased
Of course the erasing is thematically resonant to the story of a young woman dealing with hostility from her family and feeling unwelcome in her own hometown, and also to, you know, black holes.
In a normal visual novel, you might be clicking pretty fast, to the point that you're clicking about as fast as you can read if the lines are short, meanwhile in If Found, the erasing mechanic really makes you slow down, which contributes to the moodiness of the game, and the sense of time passing slowly in a place that's the same as Kasio left it. The uneasy moodiness is also amplified by the soundtrack and by a visual movement on the screen that I don't know how to describe, but it gives the visuals kind of a texture.
Anyway. It's a fascinating, beautiful, and heartwrenching game. If you are intrigued at all, I definitely recommend checking it out.
Annapurna Interactive Deluxe Limited Edition Collection announced for Switch – 12 games on one cartridge
Gemastu Source
iam8bit and Annapurna Interactive have announced Annapurna Interactive Deluxe Limited Edition Collection for Switch, which includes 12 titles on a single cartridge for $199.99. It is limited to 2,500 copies. Pre-orders are available now at the iam8bit online store.
The 12 titles included in the collection are as follows:
Donut County
Gorogoa
Hindsight (debut physical release)
I Am Dead (debut physical release)
If Found… (debut physical release)
Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition
Neon White
Sayonara Wild Hearts
Solar Ash (debut physical release)
The Artful Escape
The Pathless
What Remains of Edith Finch
The collection also includes an exclusive hardcover cloth-bound art book with spreads celebrating each game, as well as a creator statement from the individual developers. The book and game case slide into a premium slipcase with Annapurna Interactive’s logo. It also includes an exclusive Annapurna Interactive Switch console and cartridge case.
