Platform: PC
Genre: Adventure, Cute, Indie, Hidden Object Game

Wholesome games are indeed tough to rank and rate. How does one put a score on a non-conflict game and place it side-by-side with highly-rated masterclass titles like Elden Ring, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound?

The solution: just go with the flow and be open-minded about the field you’re in. That’s what I love about the cherished video games medium: part product, part art form, part immersive experiences, all genuine and value-filled. Which brings me to Lost and Found Co., an adventure game from Thai company Bit Egg Inc. where you win by not pulling off some elaborate combo from a well-timed Roman Cancel. Or ripping someone’s head off. Or dive comping a team off the map with your guns.

No, you advance through Lost and Found Co. by finding and spotting things for people. A simple task, yes, but one that requires you to relax your mind because wading and sifting through the game’s detailed levels can be incredibly straining. In a good way.

Searching

You play as Ducky, a former duck who turned into a human thanks to your boss, the Goddess Mei. The latter is losing faith from her people, meaning she’s turned into a small pink midget dragon and needs your help in getting her back to her former glory. You do this by setting up a Lost and Found agency (which I lovingly dubbed Duck U. in-game since you’re given that opportunity) and take on a variety of search quests on a heckaton of isometric view levels and landscapes.

All you have to do is use your eyes and powers of observation to find the specified items and persons of interest listed below, using your cursor to click on them and complete your checklist. Easy levels are just in one small space. Tougher areas have multi-level floors and rooms you need to search through high and low. And you’ll be spending a lot of time just looking and clicking, as well as interacting with a plethora of objects to open up new sections of a map or object. You can even complete small sidequests to add to your checklist; to get through the story and main stages, you need to hit a threshold of Likes. More found objects, more Likes.

Bit Egg Inc. has designed this pixel hunt game to be as calming and tranquil as possible, so you don’t actually need to rush. In fact, you can just leave the game on idle and go fix a drink if you can’t spot that one flower or tiny-as-sin bird in that densely-populated town, then come back again and sort it out. Everything from its comfortable vibes and bright colour palette is meant to put you in a zen-like state; the anti-thesis of the best action and RPG titles of the past few years where reflexes and forced neuron-activating decision-making are key.

Besides, if you’re stumped, you can use hints to point you to the right direction. You only have a few to use at the start, but you can gain more in time. Over the course of the game, you’ll come across black tar creatures posing as objects. Find them, and you’ll gain a new hint chance. I’ve so far amassed about 60 or so of these, and only used a few of them in the last few stages of the game. But generally you have enough to steamroll through most of the tougher challenges.

The game has a plot involving Ducky doing his best helping out and eventually befriending the many clients he and Mei come across, and an antagonist of sorts who raise the stakes in making sure their Lost and Found company thrives. It leads to a predictable conclusion, but it’s just there to set context and backdrop to the colourful setting. Lost and Found Co. lives and dies by its presentation, and thankfully the devs have nailed it with a look and aesthetic so unique and wholesome, you can’t see it in any other game. Think the recent Where’s Wally? books with a more digital paintbook flair and all-ages manga influence, and that’s the game’s identity in a nutshell.

Finder’s Fee

Lost & Found Co. is a delightful and charming indie offering from our Southeast Asian neighbours up north. It’s detailed and full of life and colour, telling its low-stakes story (in feels, at least) with glee and features a delightful cast of characters and miscreants. There’s a lot of charm and easy-going aesthetic to warm even the most jaded of hearts and cool down the sweatiest of try-hards.

Don’t expect super-tense gameplay out of this purposefully designed title that lets you take your own pace and time, because the objects you have to find to progress are hidden in the trickiest of places and require some brain power and observation skills. Definitely one for all ages, be it with your non-gaming buddies, your family, and your kids/younger cousins who like their grey matter tickled every now and then.

Final Score: 90/100

Review copy provided by publisher.