Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story (2017)

Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story, as was the case for A Normal Lost Phone, will be over in a couple of hours at most, so this one will appeal to, say, fans of visual novels, as well as to, obviously, those of you that played and enjoyed the previous game on Nintendo Switch from Accidental Queens, Plug In Digital and Seaven Studio. It is available on its own for $5.99 on the Nintendo eshop, or you can a bundle with both games, as Lost Phones Stories, for only $9.99.

I really enjoyed my time with Another Lost Phone, which turns your Switch into a giant smartphone to provide a unique puzzle experience.

I'm not thinking about Laura. I don't care about her job or what her friends are doing. While Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story has noble intentions, it doesn't have a heart. The first game was about leaning on others and drawing strength from a community; this one is just about reading someone's texts.

Another Lost Phone continues on the path that the original set, but it doesn’t really break any new ground aside from telling a different person’s story. If you enjoyed the original’s mechanics and would like to explore someone in a very different set of circumstances it’s easy to recommend. If you’re unfamiliar with the original and this sounds interesting I’d say the original, with a story tying to someone in an alternative lifestyle, is probably more compelling but it also more likely to make people feel uncomfortable comparably. Above all, as a commentary about what people can learn about others through only their phone, this series continues to be interesting and scary. How much “fun” you can have with them is likely a matter of wildly different opinions though.

Although not as narratively ambitious as A Normal Lost Phone, Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story nonetheless tells a compelling a tale with a great set of twists that recontextualise the entire experience with a grander scope than its predecessor. The deliberate lack of a traditional control is a bit of an odd one, but the Joy-Con's gyroscopic pointing is serviceable and using the undocked Switch to emulate a proper mobile phone remains the best way to play the game. The interactivity present isn't as extensive as in A Normal Lost Phone, but the puzzles themselves are far more engaging and require deeper levels of analysation to solve. Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story is a strong and consistent sequel that plays to the strengths of its medium, creating an original experience with an important message.