Lost and Found: A This Bed We Made Story – Sophie Roy Returns!

“After you’ve worked in a hotel, there’s nothing about human nature you don’t know.” – Jennifer Clement

Overview

Lost and Found: A This Bed We Made Story is a standalone sequel to This Bed We Made, this time following the familiar protagonist Sophie Roy as she works as a stewardess aboard a transatlantic ship sometime during the 1960s.

Narrative

Lost and Found: A This Bed We Made Story is set some years after the original game, and this time Sophie Roy is working as a stewardess on a large boat. Players are allowed to input any major decisions they made in the previous game (or have choices made for them), and this will impact some aspects of the wider narrative, such as Sophie’s love life.

Early in the game, Sophie is approached by her manager and asked to use her position on the crew to allow her to do some undetected snooping, as it is suspected that there is a thief on board. This is highly reminiscent of the first game; however, this time she has permission and the stakes do not feel as high. This is not to the game’s detriment; it merely provides a slightly more casual take on the original experience.

New characters are introduced and, as in the earlier game, they all have distinct personalities and backstories that make for a colourful and believable cast. The narrative is generally told through the gameplay, such as via found items and documents, but also through conversations with the people who reside on the ship.

Gameplay

The game plays like a cross between a walking simulator and a choose-your-own-adventure novel. There are several decisions to be made, often having a distinct impact on the game and story. These include dialogue choices and actions, and a lack of input can also have a noticeable impact.

There are five rooms available to clean and explore, and players must decide how to balance their duties as a stewardess with their investigation; it is easy to miss things that should be tidied away or cleaned when distracted by a juicy find that leads one closer to finding the thief! There is also a selection of puzzles, such as reassembling torn-up notes or deducing key codes. These are minimal but add an extra layer of interaction and are very satisfying to solve.

A key part of the game is exploring and finding items and documents and holding conversations that assist the player in getting to know different characters, their individual situations, and ultimately, piece together the bigger picture regarding the recent events on the ship. A journal of sorts is available to the player, showing progress, details of the different characters they have encountered, as well as all of the clues that have been found. This is very useful in keeping track of all the information, helps inform future decisions and minimises backtracking. The player inventory is also shown on the screen at all times as part of the minimal but functional UI.

Styling

Lost and Found: A This Bed We Made Story utilises a pleasing, realistic art style that makes use of vibrant but slightly muted colours, giving a suitably vintage feel to the visuals, aided by highly atmospheric lighting. There is a good level of detail in the cruise ship environment and objects within it, which really helps bring the world to life and immerse the player in the experience.

The soundtrack consists mostly of piano and strings to create a pleasantly meandering audio backdrop whilst not neglecting dramatic moments of the game. The music could be considered a little sparse, but this helps emphasise the solitude of the protagonist as she works and is actually very effective in subtly creating a mysterious atmosphere. The sound effects are also minimal but help immerse players in their exploration of the ship and their interactions with its guests.

Summary

Lost and Found: A This Bed We Made Story is a wonderful addition to the original game and story. It offers an engaging but somewhat lighter narrative filled with unique and intriguing characters, the same detailed visuals and vintage environments, a relaxing and nostalgic soundtrack, and satisfying gameplay. The game will take a couple of hours to complete; it was a pleasure to spend that time stepping back into the role of Sophie Roy, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store next for this loveable maid cum detective! Whilst it is not necessary to play the first game before Lost and Found, which contains its own standalone story, it does provide some context and pleasant familiarity with the protagonist, so I would wholeheartedly recommend playing both games if possible.

Looking for more detective games? You may also enjoy these reviews:
The Darkside Detective – Karisvale – Kathy Rain 2 – Murder is Game Over: Murder Otaku

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