I'm Lost!

Dogs are wonderful pets, especially since they can be useful in other purposes as well, such as guarding property, herding sheep or hunting. However, most people think of them as friends, which is why it’s pretty sad to see dogs that have lost their owners one way or another. On the other hand, the dogs themselves can be reckless and get lost sometimes.

I'm Lost! is a simple adventure game in which you have to help a dog find its way back to its owner after running away by mistake. The game was designed and coded for a jam competition, which means that it’s short and not very polished, but it can be very uplifting if you give it a chance. Not everyone is going to get a kick out of it, but it might put a smile on your face at the very least.

The story is about as simple as it gets under the circumstance, since it can be explained in just a handful of images. As such, the dog you play as runs away from its owner in order to chase a squirrel, which leads it deeper into the woods than expected. Hence, the goal is to find your way back by navigating a pretty disorienting environment.

Despite how it may sound, the exploration bit is not as tough as you may think, at least not if you are patient enough. As such, every scene usually has multiple exits that lead to other areas, not to mention dead zones. In fact, you can end up going in circles if you don’t pay attention, although it’s pretty simple to figure things out most of the time.

Each background appears to be hand drawn, as are the characters and everything else, which makes the game very authentic and unique. Obviously, you shouldn’t go in expecting to be blown away by the quality of the artwork, but it’s actually quite nice, especially when you consider the fact that it was all done in a pretty short period of time.

All things considered, I'm Lost! may be short and simple, but it can send a powerful message if you are a dog lover. It’s pretty challenging as well, at least in certain regards.