Why yes I am still playing Death Stranding. It really is taking a long time to finish it, but I really enjoy all of the organic experiences that come out of the game. I had to put Death Stranding down to play this week’s game. So I took it slow and play a point-and-click game that has won many awards since its release. This week I get lost in a child’s imagination and try to find a way home; this week is Lost in Play.

Lost in Play is a point-and-click adventure game from Happy Juice Games and Joystick Ventures. The game was released for the PC and Nintendo Switch in August of 2022 and currently retails for $20.

Lost in Play follows brother and sister duo Toto and Gal as their playtime gets out of hand and they essentially get lost within their own imagination. The goal is to get home, but the way home is long and arduous, and working together is the only option. Along that journey is filled with mythical creatures, sprawling worlds, and fun, quirky puzzles. It is quite refreshing that playing a game about brother and sister butting heads in cartoon fashion makes the game super enjoyable to watch.

Lost in Play has all of those run-of-the-mill point-and-click puzzles. Be sure to always be aware of the mouse as you will have to sweep each area. Talk to NPCs, collect important items and solve some really simple puzzles. The puzzles were in fact so easy that I never once was stuck and never really felt like I needed to look up answers to the puzzles. If situations do get a little difficult there is a hint button to help guide the player.

There are a lot of puzzles in Lost in Play but Happy Juice Games made sure that puzzles have a lot of variety. Ordering a specific pizza, playing connect four with moving crabs, and rebuilding a dragon ship with the help of an instructional manual. I really like puzzles because of their simplicity. I never really thought, “I want to be stuck on a puzzle for a significant amount of time.” I’ve played point-and-click games where the puzzles had me stumped for so long that I had to either look up the answer or just quit the game to give myself a breather.

The visual design does wonders for Lost in Play. The cartoonish visuals mixed with the audio design create a game that feels like the player is experiencing a full-fledged cartoon. I personally really like the language that the characters use. There are no actual words, but just complete nonsense. It really adds a lot of charm to the game. The hand-drawn art style is some of the best. It really captures the imagination incredibly well, with monsters that resemble real animals but have been mixed around a little.

Lost in Play was an absolute blast to play. The cartoonish visuals, the heartwarming story, and the puzzles create such a delightful experience. The game introduces incredibly simple puzzles that may seem like they would ruin the flow of the game but it just creates a stronger bond between the player and the overall game. The hand-drawn cartoonish visuals are some of the best I have seen for a video game. It is a shame that some of the travel sequences showed beautiful panoramas but the player never explores those areas. Though Lost in Play only lasted just short of four hours for me, I would recommend this title to anyone because it is an absolute gem of an indie game.