If Found… — Art Above All
If Found… by Dreamfeel is a beautiful story of love, of struggle, and of identity. It is a story that a great many people can feel resonate with them, some more than others. But it is also an art exhibit. A concert. It is hard to define it as a “game,” even though I found it on Steam, but its interactive nature is what makes If Found… such a thing of beauty.
It is a story that is controlled, not by how quickly users can read the text on a screen, but by how quickly (or, rather, when) they use their mouse-icon eraser to alter the images on the screen. Often, to progress, users will “erase” the section of the story that they’ve read to make room for the next. Or it will change the background and font coloring, providing a sense of contrast in progression. Sometimes, it will open up a void to some trippy background, ushering in the next part of the story. The entire mechanic can be viewed tragically or beautifully; is it sad to have to erase or fade the past to progress, or is it a relief to have more space to grow and come into one’s own? As much as If Found… tells a very specific story, the way that it tells that story can mean something different, depending on users’ individual experiences.
The soundtrack as a whole is an auditory trip, swinging from futuristic techno-synth, to lulling trance music, to acoustic rock, but never giving a sense of whiplash. The transition from one style to another is smooth, or otherwise in line with the story beats of that moment. The sound design is just as perfect, in those moments and story-beats where the soundtrack goes quiet. A scene with rain, just rain, stands out above all. It is a simple thing, but made beautiful in the grand scheme of the experience.
If Found… is, at its heart, a Trans story, and it wears that identity on its sleeve. It is not a story exclusively for Trans people. To share even a small part of someone’s experience, someone’s life story, is a privilege. It is, arguably, a greater privilege to have that story told in such a beautiful way, regardless of individual identity.
