Sometimes the right game comes along at just the right moment, elevating a good experience into something memorable. It may not necessarily be about what the game actually does, but rather how it makes you feel. Find Your Words was the perfect tonic after a long and busy week at work, and as a father myself it made me feel all warm and fuzzy seeing the cute, kind and deeply personal take on childhood friendship.
You play as one of five pre-set and diverse kids who gets dropped off by your mum at Camp Pals for a day of fun. As she hands you over to Camp Counsellor Ian, she explains that you’re non-verbal and he gives you a new communications binder, explaining there are other non-verbal kids in the camp today and thus this sets you up to start meeting and interacting with the other campgoers. Find Your Words was created by two dads, built on their experiences with their own non-speaking kids, and you can feel the love that’s gone into the game. It lends some authenticity to what could initially be seen as another short, cute adventure game and elevates it above that.
You’ll spend the day running around the small campground, playing with other kids and helping them with errands and jobs. You’ll be helping Penny with a scavenger hunt as they’ve lost their backpack charm, or looking for Melvin as you play hide and seek across Camp Pals. Each of these jobs is usually a multi-step process, which you can keep track of thanks to the bulletin board by the entrance. You’ll be finding 5 birds or taking part in an 8 step treasure hunt, and while it’s never even remotely complicated, it’s undeniably sweet and lovely. When you finish each set of tasks you’re treated to a small cutscene showing you and that particular camp goer becoming friends, accompanied by a bright and colourful pop as “PALS!” appears across the screen, cementing your friendship. Each time this happens is just pure joy, with some of the cutscenes being funny while others are just very sweet.
Interacting with each kid is where the game really shines, as you’ll be using your newly acquired communication binder. It’s separated into tabs for Core, Places, People and Things, and you start with just a few basic symbols to say hi, or ask where something might be. Strolling around camp you’ll quickly find stamps for each area, such as the beach or the fire tower, and then you’ll earn more by talking to kids and becoming friends with them. Using your binder is a case of picking the 1-2 symbols you want and hitting RT to show the binder to the person you’re speaking to. You’ll be solving simple riddles that need you to identify locations around camp, or asking kids to show you their dance moves so you can add them to your repertoire. It’s a really interesting mechanic and one that I’ve never seen before. My only minor gripe is that the controls were slightly fiddly at times, but it may just have been me trying to press buttons quicker than I should have.
Part of why the game resonated with me so much is the visuals. It’s incredibly cute, with bright vibrant colours and huge bug-eyed characters that immediately endeared me to the game. Each campmate is recognisable, from Melvin hiding in his cardboard box like he’s pretending to be Solid Snake, to Penny, who speaks via a computer on their wheelchair which is reflected in the futuristic font for their dialogue. The game sounds great too, with catchy tunes playing throughout the hour it’ll take you to finish and they had me bopping along on the sofa the entire time.
For such a small game, Find Your Words really left a big impression on me. It’s a warm hug for the player, and yes, I played it on a day where I really needed that. But for those in need of a little emotional nourishment, Find Your Words is a short and sweet solution that’ll put a smile on your face.