If Found...

 Switch
If Found... Image
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 10 Ratings

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  • Summary: If Found... is a game about going home, coming out and erasing everything.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 1 out of 7
  1. Digital Chumps
    Nov 2, 2020
    95
    If all interactive stories are like this, then sign me up. While If Found…starts out slow, it picks up the pace and draws you in with the personal journey of Kasio that is complemented by the beautiful artwork from Liadh Young. It’s a story that everyone, especially younger gamers, should experience.
  2. Screen Rant
    Oct 25, 2020
    90
    Although the game has bittersweet trappings, at its core If Found... has a warming and personal story to share. In spite of all the pain and fear, being around the people who love you for who you are - particularly when sharing a pot of tea - is a place to find a home. The journey to reach that point may be a hard one, but If Found... shows that being true to oneself and finding those who will support you on your way will set you on the right path.
  3. Switch Player
    Nov 3, 2020
    90
    If Found… is a moving, heartfelt tale about identity and relationships at the end of the world. The unique mechanics marry perfectly to the themes explored, and the short two-hour runtime makes it an excellent choice for a cosy evening in.
  4. COGconnected
    Nov 3, 2020
    81
    If Found…is deep and comforting, a little disorienting, and at times heartbreaking. It is by no means trying to make people feel sorry for Kasio. Instead, it is creating an experience that some of us will never go through, and walking side-by-side with a character who does makes reality more understandable. As Kasio, we meet people who accept her, but also face hostility from the ones closest to her. It helps readers relate, understand, and reflect. It may be a very short game, but it tells a warm and powerful story that is worthwhile to read.
  5. TheSixthAxis
    Nov 25, 2020
    80
    Being a visual novel, If Found… won’t be for everyone, but those willing to give it a try will find a beautiful and endearing story of self-acceptance. The gorgeous hand-drawn art and the story coming directly from a diary really give the impression of an insight to someone’s life, and the gameplay idea of actually erasing history and identity creates an intensely emotional experience.
  6. NintendoWorldReport
    Oct 26, 2020
    80
    If Found… really resonated with me. Not because the story was recognizable for me personally, but due to the nostalgic feeling it invokes in its use of the setting, characters and events. It’s a tale of looking back on your younger days, where life is a blur and every day can feel like an adventure. When you could still make bad decisions without consequences, but also from a perspective that shows growth, acceptance and change as a natural part of life. Where in the moment it feels as if the world is falling apart, but in the end there will always be a brighter day somewhere down the road. Maybe this story was something that I just really needed. Knowing that even now, in a year where everything feels like a hazy wave of terrible events, sadness and darkness, we can strive towards making a brighter future. It might’ve been a short experience, but If Found… made me experience something that I have missed over the last few months. For that I can only be grateful.
  7. DarkStation
    Jan 4, 2021
    40
    One of the biggest factors I always rate games on is whether they are fun to play. A game could be the most mechanically polished, gorgeous, epic game, but if I didn’t have much fun playing it, that would impact my score dramatically. So, while “fun” is entirely subjective, I just had absolutely no fun whatsoever with …If Found. As a side note: I completed this game is entirely under two hours. While that isn’t a problem for me personally, some gamers do make a cost benefit decision based upon length of content. So, it is something to be aware of.

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 2 out of 6
  1. Reed618
    Jan 9, 2021
    10
    A very touching story with beautiful artwork. It's only about two hours and its a visual novel without much gameplay but the story is veryA very touching story with beautiful artwork. It's only about two hours and its a visual novel without much gameplay but the story is very well told. I also loved seeing Irish terms like 'rashers'. This added a great deal of charm to it. The characters felt very real and were written beautifully. Definitely one of my favorite games of 2020 :)… Expand
  2. mikemaniac
    Apr 8, 2022
    10
    Interesting story, beautiful art, immersive and touching. There are hardly any games with trans main characters out there, so this was a niceInteresting story, beautiful art, immersive and touching. There are hardly any games with trans main characters out there, so this was a nice surprise and hope to see more.… Expand
  4. Nokutenda
    Jan 14, 2021
    10
    If you're queer you need to play this game. It's a great trans story with an ensemble of really fun Irish lads
  5. Terrax
    Sep 14, 2021
    10
    It is very rare for me as a transgender woman to actually encounter nuanced media that I can relate to personally. This is a feat in itself.It is very rare for me as a transgender woman to actually encounter nuanced media that I can relate to personally. This is a feat in itself.

    You may get less out of it as a cisgender person but it could still be an excellent exercise in verstehen. Many of the scenarios depicted are true to life, laced with the ever looming tension and fear of unacceptance. All the while, characters have their own personality and motives that stand beyond their queer identities. The backdrop of 90's Ireland is a character itself, snippets of culture that add a unique flavor and a bit of edutainment. The sci-fi interstitials add a layer of whimsy and intensity to the narrative.

    This is a spectacular, short visual novel with light interactive components. Nothing new or groundbreaking in the vein of gameplay but definitely is a milestone LGBTQ narrative. This is an exemplary work that I strongly recommend if you want a true-to-life vignette of not only what it means to be trans, but how life is.    … Expand
  6. shoebill
    Feb 19, 2021
    2
    This game is awful. I love viz novs, I love emotional stories, and I, oddly enough, am a big supporter of "slow" or "awkward" mechanics as aThis game is awful. I love viz novs, I love emotional stories, and I, oddly enough, am a big supporter of "slow" or "awkward" mechanics as a tool to drive game pacing. I hate giving such harsh criticism given that this was clearly a personal labor of love, but I'm honestly annoyed I spent time on it. This game managed to just miss the mark on execution.
    1. Mechanics. This is a viz nov in which, instead of "press A/enter to advance the dialogue boxes," you scrub the screen clean. This comes across as a chore, not a cool way to discover new things hidden on the page. It's more like "Hold A for 4 seconds to advance the dialogue" - it's not something that I transform or influence, it's just slow for the sake of being slow. A good contrast is a game like Analogue or like Her Story, where getting the next "dialogue" is slow but that's because you tailor the order/direction of what's revealed. Towards the end of the game, you unfold the narrative by stamping pre-determined words on the page, wherever you'd like to stamp them. What? I'm not looking to create my own House of Leaves, thanks. I got nothing from the mechanics here other than frustration.
    2. Story. This is the story of Kasio, who...does some stuff in Ireland in the 90s. It's very slice-of-life, but with a few dramatic character reveals and conflicts. The big problem is that it is very hard to like Kasio. Kasio is drowning in self-pity, and I get it - people don't treat them how they want to be treated. But it's not that fun or interesting to see a character you've only known for a little bit push away a bunch of people who try to reach out to them (with varying levels of understanding or effectiveness) and then say "nobody gets me" and curl up in a ball (to be clear- the character is 23, not 14). You get the sense that they are tired of a long history of people not getting them, but that's not made clear narratively. All I saw as a player was a person rejecting people without really trying to work with them, and it's just irritating to watch. It would work better as a narrative specifically about depression, where the brain isn't letting them cope, but it's not set up that way or expressly raised in the game.

    I only finished this because I thought that -something- else had to happen for all the rave reviews, and it was so short that by the time I waited for "something" long enough, it was over. If you are looking for an emotional queer viz nov with a similar art style and music, play We Know the Devil instead and never look back.    … Expand
  7. guioiticica
    Apr 15, 2022
    0
    this game is not good. it has big problems with the graphics and the menu, not a good game

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68
#68 Best Switch Game of 2020

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