Find Your Words – A Short but Wholesome Family-Friendly Adventure

“Playing a game is the voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles.” – Bernard Suits

Overview

Find Your Words is a charming game about a non-verbal child finding friendship at summer camp. It was created by two dads drawing on personal experience and looking to celebrate their own children.

Narrative

Find Your Words has players take on the role of a non-verbal child bravely attending summer camp for the first time. The short story focuses on their experiences broadening their communication abilities by partaking in different activities and making friends. It is not an overly complex narrative, but it is wonderfully wholesome and shares a message of inclusion and accomplishment.

Gameplay

Near the start of Find Your Words, players are provided with a communication binder. This facilitates non-verbal communication through the use of symbols and is largely based on AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication). To begin, the binder is empty, but the camp leader kicks things off with a few choice symbols that players can use. New symbols can be found through exploration and activities, expanding the protagonist’s vocabulary and, in turn, their ability to communicate.

There are several other children at camp, each with their own favourite activities and interests that the player can help them with or join in. Activities include things such as hide and seek, birdspotting, treasure hunting, and art. Playing with the different characters will eventually lead to them becoming friends. A helpful camp notice board displays available tasks and shows the player’s progress. The camp is not very big, but the size is well suited to a family-friendly game of this length, with the game taking around one hour to complete.

Styling

Find Your Words uses a cute, colourful, 3D art style. It is a simple style with rounded edges and no harsh outlines, making it very easy on the eye and a perfect fit with the style of gameplay and the themes of the game. There are also some delightful character animations, and brief cutscenes play when befriending someone that can be quite adorable, and sometimes a little funny too.

The soundtrack mostly consists of upbeat guitar and piano tracks. The music has a moderate tempo but maintains a relaxing feel throughout. Subtle sound effects such as bird noises give a nice ambience to the small camp environment.

Summary

Find Your Words is a wonderful game that is both accessible and enjoyable to a wide range of ages and player types. It boasts a wholesome and uplifting narrative conveyed beautifully through its fun gameplay, cute visuals, relaxing music, and the best kind of price tag – free! I’d happily recommend this game to anyone; I think most people would enjoy it, and the time and monetary risk for those who don’t is minimal.

Looking for more family-friendly games? You might also enjoy these reviews:
Asfalia: Fear – The Day I Became a Bird – Garden Buddies