If Found... is a short but deeply moving visual novel about Kasio, a young woman who has transitioned and returns to her conservative Irish hometown. The story is told through a unique "erasing" mechanic that reveals the next scene beneath, symbolizing memory and identity. While Kasio struggles with rejection from her family and community, she finds...
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...
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...
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.
For many, If Found... will be an interesting story about LGBTQ life in early '90s Ireland. For others, it'll be a callback to the heartache of our own coming out experiences. It tells a very specific story of a very specific girl, but its examinations of families, friends, and how we sometimes need to let go of the past if we want to move forward, are...
