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If Found...
DeveloperDreamfeel
PublisherAnnapurna Interactive
DesignerLlaura McGee
ProgrammerIris Sabo
Artists
  • Liadh Young
  • Llaura McGee
  • Brianna Chew
Writers
  • Eve Golden Woods
  • Llaura McGee
ReleaseMicrosoft Windows, macOS, iOS
  • WW: May 19, 2020
Nintendo Switch
  • WW: October 22, 2020
GenreVisual novel
ModeSingle-player

If Found... is a visual novel developed by Dreamfeel and published by Annapurna Interactive in May 2020 for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and iOS and October 2020 for the Nintendo Switch. The game has the player advance through two interleaved stories by erasing journal entries or images. One story follows a space explorer named Cassiopeia trying to prevent a black hole from destroying the Earth, while the other follows a young transgender woman named Kasio in a small Irish village in December 1993 as she navigates her relationships with her family and friends. The two stories alternate chapters, connecting metaphorically.

Design for the game by Dreamfeel founder Llaura McGee started in 2016, with the eventual development of the game by a small team taking two years. Elements of the story's emotional arc were taken from McGee's personal experiences, though the game features concepts from several developers and is not autobiographical. The primary goal for the game was to connect players to the emotions of the story, with the mechanics of the game chosen to further that aim. Critics praised the game's artwork and story, especially for its emotional connection to the player via the erasing mechanic. If Found... was nominated for the "Games for Impact Award" at The Game Awards 2020, for "Outstanding Video Game" at the 32nd GLAAD Media Awards, and for "Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game" at the 24th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.

Gameplay

[edit]

If Found... is a visual novel, wherein the player advances through scenes by erasing journal entries or images using their cursor or finger as the eraser. While the player in some scenes chooses the order to erase elements, such as different parts of a journal entry, and decides how quickly to erase, the game progresses linearly through scenes without deviation with the exception of a few choices in an epilogue chapter. The narrative is split between two interleaved stories, with alternating chapters: a science fiction story of a space explorer named Doctor Cassiopeia discovering a black hole that will destroy the Earth, and the journal entries following the story of Kasio, a student in Dublin returning to her hometown in Achill Island, Ireland for December 1993. Both stories take place over the course of four weeks.[1]

Plot

[edit]
Scene of the abandoned house, with the image half-erased to show a nighttime view of the house beneath

The science fiction chapters of the story follow Doctor Cassiopeia as she journeys towards Planet X, only to discover a black hole that is rapidly expanding and will soon destroy the Earth. Cassiopeia investigates the black hole to try to find a way to stop it, assisted by occasional messages from an unknown source who names himself "Control". Cassiopeia discovers that the black hole is creating wormholes that she can use to jump to Earth ahead of the black hole, while Control finds that the black hole was created due to an image in the future sending a signal back in time. Control reveals his name to be McHugh, and tells her that when she makes it to Earth, they will have less than a day to make it to Ireland where the image sends the signal.

The journal chapters follow Kasio, a transgender woman who has just completed her master's degree at a university in Dublin and is returning to her hometown in Achill Island during December 1993. Kasio has a strained relationship with her older brother Fergal and her mother Brid, which she attributes both to the stress on the family after her father's death some years prior as well as her own inability to conform to the social norms of the islanders. After a fight with her mother over Kasio's feminine clothes and appearance, Kasio runs away. She meets a friend, Colum, who invites her to stay with him and the rest of his band in the abandoned, decrepit house that the band is squatting in. Kasio lives with Colum, his boyfriend Jack, and their younger bandmate Shans for several weeks, slowly adjusting to the feeling of being with people who seem to accept her as she is despite their limited resources and tenuous living situation. She begins to grow close to Shans, bonding over their shared difficulties in fitting in with Achill culture—Kasio due to her gender expression, and Shans due to his race and uneasiness with traditional Achill masculinity. They break into Kasio's family's house to get her clothes, but are discovered by her brother, who berates her for upsetting her mother and shaming the family by failing to fit in. After the band's first show, Kasio and Shans take drugs and alcohol and watch the stars through a hole in the abandoned house's roof. The next morning, Shans informs Kasio that she had agreed to run away together to Dublin as a couple. When Kasio declines, Shans leaves the house and the band. Kasio, Colum, and Jack are evicted from the increasingly decrepit house and stay with Colum's aunt Maggy, despite Colum and Jack being upset with Kasio.

Kasio attempts to reconcile with her family for Christmas dinner, but is berated by her brother for living in an abandoned house with social misfits and then moving to stay with the quietly gay Maggy instead of coming home to her family, while her mother continues to express confusion about Kasio's choices. Kasio feels distraught by her estrangement from her family and unworthy to stay with Maggy. She is rejected by Shans, who tells her he wants to be "normal", and Kasio breaks into the abandoned house again. Depressed, she stays there despite the freezing temperatures, not responding to searches by her brother or friends who approach the house but do not enter the now dangerous building. She burns her journal for warmth before succumbing to illness and hypothermia.

As the science fiction story concludes, Cassiopeia reaches Earth, only to discover that McHugh is an accountant who accidentally managed to talk to her. They take the image, a child's drawing of a space scene previously shown to have been drawn by Kasio as a child, and put it in the letterbox for a woman who looks like Brid to find before waiting for the black hole to hit the Earth. Kasio awakens in the abandoned house on December 31, having been found by her mother. The epilogue covers a series of journal entries constructed by the player covering scattered details of the next years, such as Kasio and her mother growing closer, Maggy learning to live without hiding being a lesbian, and Shans changing their name to Anu and coming out as non-binary. The science fiction story has scenes of Cassiopeia traveling and bringing scattered people together after the destruction of the black hole. The player chooses how Kasio feels about each development from a few options.

Development

[edit]

The game was developed as the first game by Irish developer Dreamfeel. Studio director Llaura McGee was the lead writer and designer.[2] It was published by Annapurna Interactive.[3] Initial development on the game began in 2016. McGee sent a proposed design for "a swashbuckling space opera starring cats" to artist Liadh Young, who responded with concept art, and the two began developing game concepts. McGee wanted to create a game with a team rather than as a small solo project like her previous games, but wanted to keep it focused on the strengths of the people involved, such as Young's comics art background, and began to build a small team.[4] Some early concepts included an "anti-dating sim" or a game set in a "witch's academy" based around completing a diary through different tasks, but McGee and the other developers felt it was better to create a story and then let the game mechanics serve it to create a "complete experience".[5] She was interested at the time with notebooks and marginalia, and the team focused on that idea for the game.[4] McGee and lead writer Eve Golden Woods describe the development process for If Found..., once the design was decided on, as taking two years, with a team of "four or five core people" plus additional help working on it. Ideas were contributed from the whole team; the final credits list nine contributors from Dreamfeel.[5] The team created a demo for the game to demonstrate at events, but found it difficult to finish the project, which McGee says was a consistent pattern for them. They credit publisher Annapurna, who signed on to the project partway through, with pushing them to complete it in a polished fashion.[4]

The first part of the final design for the game was about a diary that the player would erase, and the studio then developed the idea of a woman in her 20s and her difficulties with her relationships. McGee, a trans woman from a coastal village in Ireland, drew heavily on her emotions growing up there in the 90s, though the story itself is not autobiographical. The interleaved science fiction story was intended to add an element of magical realism, as well as express the emotional feeling of a personal world falling apart with as a more direct metaphor.[2] The role of the black hole changed during development; while the final version has been described as "the physical manifestation of the terror, loneliness, shame and self-hatred that she encounters, all-consuming and impossible to outrun", earlier drafts had it as being a dark hole within Kasio preventing her from having relationships, or missing the relationships altogether. McGee felt that the game "missed its emotional gravity" without it, however.[6] McGee has said that the game, which is about two hours long, is intended to be short and not play longer than necessary for the story.[4] The game initially did not have the epilogue; it, along with extra scenes and artwork, were added to all versions of the game for the release for the Switch.[6] McGee stated in an interview that her primary goal for the game was to get players to relate to the feelings of the story, and to recognize that expressing love for people is more important than fully understanding them.[2] The game was released for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and iOS devices on May 19, 2020, and for the Nintendo Switch on October 22, 2020.[1][3][6]

Reception

[edit]

If Found... was nominated for the "Games for Impact Award" at The Game Awards 2020,[15] for "Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game" at the 24th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards,[16] and for "Outstanding Video Game" at the 32nd GLAAD Media Awards.[17] An early short demo was exhibited in several events in 2016, winning awards for best Game Design, emerging talent, and the Grand Prix overall award at the Irish Design Awards in November.[18]

Critics were largely positive towards the game, focusing primarily on the way the writing and artwork, combined with the act of erasing, formed an emotional connection with the player. Michael Higham of GameSpot praised the "stunning yet minimal" art style.[12] Hirun Cryer of USGamer similarly described the art style as "brilliant", while Cameron Bald of Pocket Gamer praised both the art style and sound design for drawing in the player and Ellen Causey of GamesRadar+ said that the artwork and sound effects at times had her "transfixed".[11][13][19] The erasing mechanic was also praised by reviewers, with USGamer's reviewer commenting on the way it allowed for transitions between scenes, while Nicole Carpenter of Polygon focused on how erasing connected the player to Kasio's story and caused the player to decide how fast to advance due to how the story was making them feel.[1][13] CJ Andriessen of Destructoid said that the mechanic had a "profound effect" on them, forcing them to acknowledge that not only could they not change Kasio's past, they also had to erase the good with the bad.[10]

The story of If Found... was largely praised; Destructoid's Andriessen said that "no other game has spoken to my personal experience" as being transgender.[10] GamesRadar+'s Causey said that the writing gave her a "whirlwind of emotions", while Alessandro Baravalle of Eurogamer Italy said that it moved him and caused him to cry.[14][19] Higham of GameSpot praised the writing's "heartening adherence to the game's Irish setting", saying that the use of Irish terms, slang, and culture, along with the footnotes explaining them, helped pull the player into Kasio's experience.[12] The Eurogamer Italy review found the game overall to be a little short and the science fiction story to be unnecessary, though Pocket Gamer said that the erasing felt like Kasio's past being swallowed by the black hole, connecting the two parts.[11][14] USGamer said the game's "true beauty is in examination of life", while Bald of Pocket Gamer claimed that it was its "overwhelming empathy – the game's unconditional love for its people and setting – that carries it towards excellence".[11][13] Bald concluded that the game was "an essential visual novel", and Andriessen of Destructoid said that it was "the most brilliant game I've played this year".[10][11]

References

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If Found...

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from Grokipedia
If Found... is an interactive developed by the independent studio DREAMFEEL and published by . Released on May 19, 2020, for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and , with a Nintendo Switch port following later that year, the game is set on , , on December 31, 1993, and centers on Kasio, a 23-year-old who returns to her family home after time away in . Players progress by erasing handwritten diary entries with their cursor, symbolizing themes of destruction, rebuilding personal identity, and seeking human connection amid isolation and familial tension. The narrative intertwines personal coming-of-age elements with subtle , as Kasio grapples with her identity, relationships with siblings and friends, and broader existential questions, all rendered in a distinctive black-and-white sketchbook aesthetic inspired by Irish landscapes and personal journals. Critically acclaimed for its emotional depth and innovative mechanics despite its brevity—clocking in at around 30-60 minutes of playtime—the game earned an aggregate score of 84 on , praised for evoking empathy through minimalistic interaction and avoiding conventional branching choices in favor of linear yet interpretive storytelling. No major controversies surround the title, though its focus on and trans experiences has drawn attention in niche gaming circles for portraying raw vulnerability without overt .

Gameplay

Core Mechanics

If Found... is an interactive where the primary gameplay mechanic involves erasing hand-drawn illustrations, journal entries, and text to advance the narrative. Players use a cursor shaped like an —or touch input on supported platforms—to rub away elements on the screen, progressively revealing underlying content and propelling the story forward. This erasing action symbolizes the protagonist's process of confronting and overwriting past events, integrating mechanical simplicity with thematic depth without branching choices or complex puzzles. The game interleaves two linear stories: one following Kasio, a young woman returning home after personal turmoil, depicted through her journal; and the other tracking Cassiopeia, whose mission to avert Earth's destruction unfolds in parallel. Erasing occurs across these narratives, with players methodically clearing pages or scenes—such as journal sketches of daily life or cosmic voids—to transition between vignettes, ensuring a runtime of approximately two hours focused on deliberate pacing rather than replayability. The absence of failure states or alternative paths emphasizes narrative immersion, where interaction serves primarily as a rhythmic tool to underscore erasure as both literal and metaphorical progression. Supporting include subtle audio-visual feedback, such as scratching sounds during erasure and a that evolves with story beats, enhancing the tactile feel without introducing additional systems like or trees. Released on May 19, 2020, for Windows, macOS, and , the game later expanded to additional platforms, maintaining core erasing as the universal interaction adaptable to controller or touch inputs where applicable.

Platforms and Accessibility

If Found... was initially released on May 19, 2020, for Microsoft Windows, macOS via , and devices including and . A port for launched on October 22, 2020. No releases have been announced for other consoles such as PlayStation or , or for Android devices.
PlatformRelease DatePublisher
Windows, macOSMay 19, 2020
May 19, 2020
October 22, 2020
The game employs simple input methods tailored to each platform: mouse or keyboard for erasing diary entries on PC and Mac, touch gestures on and Switch in handheld mode, with the Switch version also supporting controllers and tabletop play. Its minimal system requirements—such as 4 GB RAM and integrated on Windows—ensure compatibility with low-end hardware. Accessibility features are limited but include an optional auto-erase mode, where the eraser tool moves independently to reveal content progressively, accommodating players with motor difficulties who might struggle with precise manual swiping. The narrative-driven design lacks timed challenges, combat, or complex puzzles, reducing barriers for cognitive or sensory sensitivities, though it offers no adjustments for text size, , or beyond standard platform capabilities. Multiple language options, including English, French, German, Spanish, and others, support non-English speakers.

Plot

Main Narrative

The main narrative of If Found... centers on Kasio, a 23-year-old woman who returns to her family home on in the west of in December 1993 after dropping out of university in . The story unfolds through her diary entries, which the player interacts with by erasing content page by page using touch or mouse controls, symbolizing a dual-layered progression that intertwines personal introspection with a cosmic threat. Upon arrival, Kasio encounters familial tensions, particularly with her mother, exacerbated by her recent life changes and identity, leading to a heated confrontation that prompts her to leave home at 2 a.m. Kasio seeks refuge with her childhood friend Colum, who lives with his boyfriend Jack and bandmate Shans, forming a makeshift support network amid her search for belonging and self-understanding. The narrative explores her interactions within this group, reflecting on past relationships, personal struggles, and aspirations, set against the backdrop of rural where amplifies her isolation. Interwoven with Kasio's grounded, introspective journey is a parallel sci-fi thread featuring an named Cassiopeia, who confronts a threatening Earth's destruction, with erasing Kasio's diary serving as a metaphorical mechanism to avert catastrophe. This intertwined structure culminates in explorations of erasure as both destructive and reconstructive, allowing Kasio's story to probe themes of identity reformation while the astronaut's arc provides a fantastical to her earthly conflicts. The diary's content reveals Kasio's evolving relationships, regrets, and hopes, culminating in multiple potential endings influenced by player engagement with the erasure mechanic.

Symbolic Elements and Endings

The core mechanic of erasure in If Found... symbolizes the Kasio's psychological process of discarding her pre-transition life, including memories of living as male and associated familial discord, to forge a new identity as a . This act, repeated throughout the journal, underscores themes of cathartic destruction necessary for rebirth, as players must scrub away text and illustrations to reveal subsequent narrative layers. The black scribbles left behind after erasure evoke incomplete obliteration, hinting at lingering traces of the past that cannot be fully expunged. Interwoven with Kasio's terrestrial struggles is the astronaut Cassiopeia's expedition, where the discovery of a black hole on a collision course with represents an apocalyptic void paralleling Kasio's emotional desolation from rejection and isolation on . Cassiopeia, whose name derives from the constellation, embodies aspirational escape and stellar exploration, contrasting the protagonist's confined rural existence in 1993 , where conservative social norms exacerbate personal crises. Drawings within the journal, including rudimentary space scenes, serve as Kasio's imaginative projections, symbolizing internalized fantasies of transcendence amid real-world alienation. The narrative culminates in a singular primary ending, with Kasio confronting her mother about her identity, leading to eventual and an embrace that signifies familial . Concurrently, Cassiopeia erases the black hole's threat, averting planetary doom through a parallel act of obliteration that mirrors Kasio's personal resolution. The journal's finder, implied to be the player, opts not to abandon Kasio, fulfilling the plea embedded in the and reinforcing themes of discovered connection over erasure-induced solitude. An epilogue, added in the 2022 Nintendo Switch port, expands on post-reconciliation scenes and artwork, providing deeper closure without altering core outcomes.

Development

Conception and Team

Dreamfeel, an Irish independent studio founded by designer and writer Llaura McGee in 2014 following her work on the short game , conceived If Found... through early developed between 2016 and 2017. The initial concept originated in 2015 as a collaborative demo between McGee and artist Liadh Young, initially exploring a "witch’s notebook" mechanic that evolved into the game's core erasing interaction applied to a personal diary, centering on protagonist Kasio's narrative of identity and disconnection. This prototype secured recognition, including three awards and the grand prize at the 2016 Irish Design Awards, validating the experimental approach to reverse-eraser gameplay intertwined with dual storylines. Full production commenced in 2018 after securing funding from publisher , which enabled McGee to leave her studies at and assemble a dedicated team at Dreamfeel's Portobello office in . The expanded group consisted of five full-time developers, allowing refinement of the narrative—drawing from McGee's personal experiences as a woman—and integration of hand-drawn watercolor-style art with procedural dream sequences. Key team members included McGee as lead writer, designer, and director; Young handling primary artwork; and Eve Golden-Woods contributing to writing and design, particularly in shaping the game's innovative mechanics and emotional depth. Additional support came from collaborators on sound, music, and secondary art, emphasizing a small-scale, artisanal process focused on intimate storytelling over commercial scale. The two-year development cycle prioritized thematic authenticity, with the 2018 demo's award wins further influencing expansions like sections added late in production.

Production Process

Development of If Found... commenced in 2015 with initial prototypes crafted by Llaura McGee and Liadh Young, building on McGee's prior work such as Curtain (2014). These early efforts culminated in a demo that secured the Grand Prix and Emerging Talent awards at the 2016 Irish Design Awards, alongside additional commendations. The project transitioned to full-time production in early 2018 following funding from publisher Annapurna Interactive, secured after McGee's presentation at the 2017 Game Developers Conference; this enabled McGee to leave her lecturing position at Dublin Institute of Technology and establish Dreamfeel's office in Dublin's Portobello district. The core team consisted of approximately nine members, primarily drawn from Ireland's indie development community, with a focus on , trans, and nonbinary individuals selected through collaborative trial periods. Key contributors included McGee as head designer and co-writer, Golden-Woods as co-writer and co-producer, Liadh Young as lead artist, Tim Sabo as , and Brianna Chew as artist and designer. Production emphasized iterative narrative refinement, initially exploring concepts like an anti-dating simulator before evolving into a structured around a reversible journal mechanic implemented via the engine for branching interactivity. By late 2018, the scope simplified from freeform movement to a fixed journal format to enhance clarity and thematic focus on erasure as a for rebuilding personal history. Challenges during production included balancing multiple motifs—such as experiences, familial , and psychological dissociation—without diluting authenticity, with the Kasio's trans identity emerging organically during script iterations rather than as a premeditated element. The team navigated industry expectations favoring conventional mechanics (e.g., those akin to platformers like or ) by prioritizing emotional resonance over gamified progression, resulting in mechanics that allowed players to erase or redraw diary pages in varied styles, from broad strokes to precise alterations. Tight deadlines prompted post-launch patches to refine narrative integration, particularly linking earthly and sci-fi arcs. The sketchbook aesthetic, hand-drawn by Young and Chew, reinforced the game's intimate, diary-like presentation, with the 1993 Achill Island setting finalized for historical accuracy in depicting rural Irish societal constraints.

Funding and Influences

The development of If Found... began as a self-funded prototyping phase by DreamFeel, a small independent studio founded in , , where co-founders Llaura McGee and Liadh Young experimented with concepts from 2016 to 2017, including early versions of the game's interactive narrative mechanics. This initial stage relied on limited resources typical of nascent indie efforts, focusing on low-fidelity prototypes without external investment. In early 2018, publisher provided funding that enabled McGee to leave her studies at and transition to full-time development at DreamFeel's Portobello office, supporting the expansion into a complete with hand-drawn art and erasing-based interaction. , known for backing narrative-driven indie titles, handled both financing and publishing duties, facilitating a release in May 2020 across platforms like and PC. The game's influences stem primarily from McGee's personal experiences as a transgender woman, infusing the Kasio's story of transition, , and self-discovery with autobiographical elements drawn from Irish cultural contexts, particularly life on in the west of during the early 1990s. McGee has described the narrative as rooted in her own encounters with societal marginalization and familial dynamics, eschewing conventional game tropes like dating sims in favor of an "anti-dating sim" structure that emphasizes emotional erasure and reclamation. Additional inspirations include experimental traditions, such as non-linear storytelling and minimalist mechanics from visual novels, blended with motifs like black holes symbolizing existential voids, though McGee prioritized authentic representation over broader genre conventions. No formal grants or campaigns were reported, underscoring Annapurna's role in enabling the project's completion without diluting its personal vision.

Themes and Analysis

Transgender Identity and Transition

In If Found..., the Kasio embodies a of identity realization and social transition amid familial and cultural pressures in 1993 rural . Having accepted her identity as a during her years away from , Kasio returns to her family's house on after dropping out, confronting a lack of understanding from her mother and outright rejection from her older brother, who views her changes as a failure or betrayal. The story unfolds through her diary entries, revealed in reverse chronological order via the game's core erasure mechanic, where players rub away ink and drawings to uncover preceding events, metaphorically evoking the shedding of a prior self and the erasure of painful memories associated with gender incongruence. The portrayal emphasizes psychological dissociation and emotional turmoil preceding social acknowledgment of her identity, with Kasio experiencing numbness and overwhelming thoughts that spiral during conflicts, drawing from developer Llaura McGee's personal insights rather than idealized resolution. Medical aspects of transition are absent, reflecting the era's limited access — was decriminalized only in 1993, and healthcare remained scarce—focusing instead on internal and support as pathways to resilience. Developers intended this from a non-trans character concept to a central trans narrative to capture authentic experiences, prioritizing everyday struggles over trauma porn, though the story culminates in hope through "found family" friendships that affirm Kasio's identity. Reception among gaming critics, often from outlets with pro-LGBTQ leanings such as Gayming Magazine and PC Gamer, lauds the representation as "heartfelt and brutally authentic," highlighting its avoidance of explicit labels like "trans" to mirror 1990s vernacular and its mechanical innovation in depicting identity fluidity. However, the narrative's emphasis on euphoria through affirmation and community, without exploring potential desistance or long-term empirical outcomes of such identities—such as elevated mental health risks documented in longitudinal studies—may reflect developer biases toward optimistic self-narratives over broader causal data on gender dysphoria persistence. Academic analyses, like those examining "trans tissue" and liminality in the game's mechanics, interpret the erasure as a phenomenal articulation of bodily and identity transition, though these works stem from queer theory frameworks prone to interpretive subjectivity rather than falsifiable metrics.

Family Dynamics and Social Pressures

In If Found..., Kasio McHugh returns to her family home on , , in December 1993 after completing a abroad, confronting a household marked by tension and unresolved grief following her father's recent death. Her mother, Brid, exhibits disapproval toward Kasio's feminine presentation and lifestyle choices, questioning her decision to pursue science studies and insisting on traditional expectations like local at the . This culminates in a late-night argument over Kasio's clothing and appearance, leading to her expulsion from the home. Kasio's relationship with her older brother, Fergal, is overtly hostile, characterized by accusations of selfishness and familial disruption, often conveyed through misgendering and derogatory labels like "freak." Fergal attributes the family's hardships, including financial strain and emotional fallout from their father's passing, to Kasio's transition and departure for , reflecting a pattern of blame-shifting rooted in . These interactions underscore a dynamic of rejection, where Kasio's identity as a transgender woman clashes with her brother's rigid adherence to prior family roles, exacerbating isolation within the sibling bond. Set against the backdrop of rural , a conservative society with limited acceptance of identities, these family pressures amplify broader social expectations of , including norms and economic stability in a tight-knit community. Kasio's estrangement propels her toward alternative support networks among friends, highlighting how familial intersects with societal stigma to intensify personal alienation, though the narrative avoids portraying the family as wholly irredeemable by including glimpses of Brid's own vulnerabilities like implied .

Psychological and Existential Motifs

The narrative of If Found... explores psychological motifs centered on , depression, and through protagonist Kasio's deteriorating mental state, depicted via interactive diary entries that players can erase, symbolizing self-erasure and emotional unraveling. Kasio's return to her family home in rural after expulsion from university amplifies isolation and familial rejection, manifesting as fragmented memories and interpersonal conflicts that underscore depressive withdrawal and loss of agency. Visual metaphors, such as crumbling structures in the game's hand-drawn art, represent the progressive decline in Kasio's psychological wellbeing and fragmented sense of self, aligning with empirical observations in media portrayals of deterioration where environmental decay mirrors internal collapse. Suicidal themes are rendered implicitly through the mechanics of rubbing out diary pages, which parallel Kasio's contemplation of ending her life amid unresolved trauma, including the death of a close friend and relational breakdowns; this act evokes real-world psychological patterns of involving perceived irretrievability of loss, without resolution via player intervention. The game's refusal to offer escapist triumph—evident in multiple endings where erasure leads to void rather than —highlights the motif of inexorable psychological , drawing from first-hand developer insights into personal experiences of despair without romanticizing recovery. Existentially, the parallel sci-fi subplot of an alien entity's futile attempt to avert a consuming serves as an for Kasio's confrontation with cosmic insignificance and as a path to oblivion, emphasizing mortality's inescapability beyond control or effort. Motifs of vast evoke the overwhelming scale of existential , positioning individual suffering against an indifferent , a realism grounded in the game's non-linear that denies closure and mirrors philosophical reckonings with meaninglessness. This dual layering critiques anthropocentric illusions of mastery over fate, as the 's inexorable pull—tied to and self-abandonment—rejects skill-based overcoming, aligning with causal analyses of as structurally unresolvable in finite terms.

Release

Launch and Ports

If Found... was initially released on May 19, 2020, for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and devices, published by and developed by the Dublin-based studio Dreamfeel. The game launched digitally via for PC platforms and the for iOS, with some availability through . This release followed an announcement trailer in April 2020, building on a 2016 demo shared by Dreamfeel on to gauge interest. A port to the followed on October 22, 2020, expanding accessibility to console players while maintaining the game's core interactive mechanics and hand-drawn art style. The Switch version was optimized for handheld and docked play, with no reported changes to content or narrative. No further ports to other platforms, such as Android or additional consoles, have been released as of the end of 2020, when Dreamfeel completed porting efforts and shifted focus to new projects.

Updates and Maintenance

Following its release on May 19, 2020, If Found... received several minor post-launch patches primarily focused on bug fixes, graphical refinements, and content tweaks rather than major feature additions. These updates addressed non-critical issues to enhance stability and polish across platforms, reflecting the game's status as a self-contained with limited ongoing support needs. A notable early patch, deployed on June 1, 2020, for the Windows version (with macOS following shortly after), resolved various technical glitches, improved graphics in select sections, updated localization files, and made subtle adjustments to the script for narrative flow. Developer Dreamfeel described these changes as refinements to longstanding wishlist items, emphasizing that no game-breaking bugs were present prior to the update. Subsequent smaller patches, announced via community updates, targeted lingering minor fixes, such as interface adjustments and compatibility tweaks, without introducing new mechanics or content. As a single-player title without multiplayer or live-service elements, the game has not required server or frequent hotfixes beyond initial stabilization. Dreamfeel's development communications post-2020 shifted toward new projects, with no evidence of expansive DLC or major revisions to the core experience. In May 2025, coinciding with the game's fifth anniversary, the studio re-uploaded the original 2016 prototype demo to , preserving early development artifacts but not altering the full release. This archival effort underscores a maintenance approach prioritizing preservation over active iteration for the completed product.

Reception

Critical Reviews

If Found... garnered generally favorable critical reception upon its release on May 19, 2020, earning an aggregate score of 84/100 on based on 16 critic reviews for the PC version, with 93% classified as positive. Critics frequently lauded the game's innovative erasing mechanic, which reverses the traditional progression by allowing players to scrub away diary entries to uncover the protagonist Kasio's backstory, facilitating an intimate exploration of themes like identity and familial . The hand-drawn aesthetic by Liadh Young, combined with a haunting ambient soundtrack, was highlighted for evoking a dreamlike atmosphere that amplified emotional resonance without relying on overt melodrama. GameSpot awarded the title a 9/10, describing it as delivering a "powerful, affecting story about and acceptance" through vivid and precise writing that immerses players in Irish cultural nuances and personal vulnerability. Similarly, praised it for establishing a new benchmark in the genre, noting the "exquisite visual flair" and "simple, engaging game mechanics" that convey a moving narrative centered on a young woman's return home and self-revelation. Outlets like TechRaptor (8/10) emphasized its success in crafting a "visually striking, intimately moving" experience that excels in mood and atmosphere, particularly in depicting the protagonist's internal conflicts amid external pressures. While overwhelmingly positive, some reviews acknowledged limitations inherent to the format, such as its brevity—clocking in at around 30-60 minutes—which precludes deeper mechanical , though this concision was often framed as a strength enabling focused emotional impact. The Sixth Axis (8/10) characterized it as a "heart-wrenching story of trying to through and ," appreciating how the avoids simplistic resolutions in favor of nuanced interpersonal dynamics. aggregated 24 reviews to a comparable 84 score, affirming its "" status among indie titles, with commendations centered on artistic innovation over traditional gameplay depth. No major professional critiques dismissed the work outright, though its niche appeal as an experimental piece drew implicit comparisons to broader challenges in .

Commercial Performance

If Found... experienced modest commercial performance typical of niche indie narrative games, with sales concentrated on digital platforms following its May 19, 2020, release for and PC, and subsequent ports to on May 24, 2021. On , estimates indicate approximately 64,000 owners as of recent data, reflecting steady but limited uptake among players interested in visual novels and LGBTQ+-themed stories. The game reached a peak of 43 concurrent players on on May 4, 2022, underscoring its appeal to a dedicated rather than mass audience. Pricing at a standard $12.99 on , with frequent discounts reducing average revenue per unit, contributed to ongoing but incremental sales; for instance, over 1,000 units were sold in September 2025, generating more than $5,000 in gross revenue. Published by , the title benefited from cross-platform availability but lacked widespread marketing pushes or tie-ins that drive blockbuster sales, aligning with its experimental, low-budget development by DREAMFEEL. No official global sales figures have been disclosed by the developer or publisher, and metrics suggest it did not achieve the multimillion-unit thresholds of mainstream releases but sustained viability through positive word-of-mouth and critical endorsements.

Awards and Nominations

If Found... earned recognition in multiple awards ceremonies, primarily for its narrative depth and thematic impact on experiences. The game won Best LGBTQ Narrative and Best LGBTQ Indie Game at the inaugural Gayming Awards in 2021, as selected by an international jury and public vote. It also secured Best Game Narrative at the Imirt Irish Game Awards 2020, honoring excellence among Irish-developed titles. The title received nominations in prominent international awards. At , it was nominated for Games for Impact, which recognizes titles addressing social issues, but lost to Tell Me Why. Similarly, it contended for Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game at the 24th in 2021, with taking the honor. For the 32nd in 2021, If Found... was nominated in the expanded Outstanding Video Game category, focused on inclusive LGBTQ representation. Additional nominations included Excellence in Narrative at the 2021 and Best Writing at the New York Videogame Critics Circle Awards 2021. These accolades highlight the game's strengths in storytelling and emotional resonance, though it did not win in broader mainstream categories.

Controversies and Critiques

Representation of Gender Dysphoria

The If Found... portrays through the experiences of its , Kasio, a 23-year-old trans returning to her family home in rural in 1993 after time away in . Kasio's manifests as dissociation, emotional numbness, and overwhelming stress triggered by family misgendering, rejection, and the pressure of concealing her identity, culminating in a depicted and spirals of uncontrolled negative thoughts. Developers drew from personal episodes of mental dissociation—not solely attributed to trans identity—to depict these states, noting that such numbness often precedes transition and alleviates afterward, while framing Kasio's relative composure about her gender as realistic amid broader life stressors. Central to the representation is the game's erasing mechanic, where players rub out diary entries to progress the narrative, serving as a metaphor for Kasio's desire to obliterate painful past associations with her pre-transition self and rebuild forward. This process highlights dysphoria's ties to memory and identity congruence, with erasure enabling moments of relief but also risking total disconnection, as failing to erase appropriately leads to a catastrophic cosmic outcome symbolizing unresolved . While indie and queer-focused outlets have lauded the portrayal as "brutally authentic" and a benchmark for trans narratives in games, attributing its nuance to the queer-led development team's personal insights, broader queer games argues that such works warrant scrutiny beyond acclaim, examining how individual stories interface with collective trans experiences without defaulting to uncritical endorsement. Developers themselves reflected on potential underemphasis of Kasio's relative to supporting characters, considering adjustments for deeper emotional layering, though no major post-release controversies emerged specifically targeting the depiction. Gaming media's uniform positivity may reflect institutional tendencies toward affirming trans-themed content, potentially sidelining first-principles questions about dysphoria's causal roots, such as biological sex incongruence versus social or comorbid factors like trauma, which empirical studies link to variable transition outcomes but receive scant exploration here.

Ideological Debates on Trans Narratives

The narrative of If Found... centers on Kasio, a transgender woman experiencing severe , familial rejection, and amid 1990s rural Irish society. Through the mechanic of erasing entries to uncover backstory, the game depicts as an intrinsic conflict between Kasio's affirmed female identity and her male biology, resolved primarily via supportive relationships that validate her transition and . This portrayal emphasizes emotional and anti-shame messaging, with the developer's trans background informing an autobiographical lens on isolation and . Within queer games scholarship, the game's trans narrative has sparked discourse on representation, praised for its non-linear structure that mirrors the "dehiscence and " of , eschewing simplistic progress models of transition for messier erasure and reconstruction. Critics in this vein, including manifestos for trans-specific games analysis, argue it exemplifies indie works that prioritize marginalized authorship over commercial polish, fostering "" mechanics that subvert hegemonic . However, such analyses often operate within ideological frameworks assuming identity's primacy, with limited engagement from outlets critiquing biological constraints on self-perception. Broader ideological tensions arise from the game's alignment with primacy, which posits as a fixed, identity-driven mismatch resolvable by affirmation, contrasting empirical data on its . Studies indicate frequently co-occurs with autism spectrum disorder at rates of 11-24%, far exceeding general population prevalence of 1-2%, suggesting neurodevelopmental factors may amplify body incongruence perceptions independent of innate "gender essence." The 2024 Cass Review, commissioned by the UK's NHS, concluded that evidence for gender-affirming interventions remains "remarkably weak," with low-quality studies failing to demonstrate sustained benefits for or relief, and highlighted risks like loss from puberty blockers. Gaming media coverage of If Found..., dominated by progressive-leaning publications, has sidestepped these causal complexities, prioritizing representational "authenticity" amid systemic biases in cultural institutions that undervalue biological realism in favor of subjective narratives.

Criticisms of Emotional Manipulation

Some users have critiqued the game's emotional narrative for relying on contrived elements to evoke sympathy, resulting in a sense of manipulation rather than genuine engagement. A Metacritic user review described the plot as "boring, bland, uninteresting," noting that the exposition was "SO absurd" that it prevented any emotional connection with the protagonist, implying the story's attempts to elicit tears felt forced and unearned. Negative Steam reviews similarly highlight dissatisfaction with the emotional focus amid minimal interactivity, with one user expressing reluctance to criticize harshly ("I feel bad dumping on this game because I respect") while pointing out that the experience lacks substantive , suggesting the heavy emphasis on serves more as a vehicle for sentiment than balanced . This perspective aligns with broader user sentiments that the game's , such as erasing diary entries to progress, compel emotional investment without earning it through deeper nuance or player agency. These criticisms, though from a minority amid overwhelmingly positive reception, argue that the intertwining of personal with apocalyptic stakes amplifies , potentially prioritizing affective response over causal exploration of the protagonist's struggles.

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