Lost In Play is a lovely point and click adventure with a dash of Professor Layton Rock Paper Shotgun Support us Join our newsletter Visit our store Sign in / Create account If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Lost In Play is a lovely point and click adventure with a dash of Professor Layton Its Steam Next Fest demo feels like a proper interactive Saturday morning cartoon News by Katharine Castle Editor-in-chief Published on Feb. 23, 2022 5 comments Lots of games purport to feel like playable cartoons, but I really do mean it when I say that Happy Juice Games' delightful point and click adventure Lost In Play feels like a playable cartoon. While the full game isn't due out until the summer, I can confirm that its 30-minute Steam Next Fest demo is an absolute joy from start to finish. If you're after a kid-friendly adventure in the vein of Röki but with an extra smidge of Professor Layton-style logic puzzles thrown in, this is the Next Fest demo for you. You play as brother and sister Toto and Gal, whose vivid imaginations set the scene for some fantastical point and click puzzling. One minute you're roaming a field fetching teacups (and a strange, very blue liquid) for a bespeckled rabbit, a very large crowned frog and a toothy gnome; the next, you're tracking down pieces of a broken alarm clock to wake up your sleepy brother. Did I also mention you turn into a big bear monster at one point? It's super charming stuff, and all exquisitely animated to boot. See what I mean in the trailer below: Watch on YouTube My favourite thing about Lost In Play is that it isn't all 'Try object A with object B' ad infinitum until you've found the right item combo. There is a bit of that in the demo, to be sure, but I also liked how certain solutions also prompted you to solve another, more traditional puzzle immediately afterwards. In fixing that aforementioned alarm clock, for example, you not only have to twist the little screws out with your screwdriver and rotate the battery the right way round, but you also have to solve a little sliding tile puzzle to make sure the gears all line up correctly. Shortly afterwards, you also need to wake your dog up with a bell, the sound of which makes your pooch dream of sheep bells. Cue another logic puzzle in which you flex your sheepdog muscles and herd the little critters into specific pens on a grid. It reminded me a lot of the type of puzzles I used to enjoy in Professor Layton games, which is always a good thing in my book. They're not quite as abstract as Layton puzzles, either, making them feel more relevant to the task at hand. Mostly, though, I just love the look of it all, and the way the kids' imaginations feed into their everyday reality. I finished the demo with a big warm grin on my face last night, and I can't wait to play the rest of it. Alas, we'll have to wait a little longer before we can truly get lost in Lost In Play, as the full game isn't due until sometime this summer. However, I'd strongly recommend giving its Steam Next Fest demo a go before it disappears on February 28th, which you can download straight from its Steam page. More News Jack King-Spooner's next handcrafted game has a teaser demo out Judero brings chat and action in the Scottish Borders Alice O'Connor 17 hours ago 1 If you were hoping for any Overwatch 2 balance changes then you'll have to wait until season two The next season begins in December CJ Wheeler 18 hours ago 3 The Dead Space remake will chuck random Necromorphs at you as you wander the Ishimura In space, no one can hear you proper bricking it CJ Wheeler 18 hours ago 8 Valve register mysterious new Neon Prime trademark in the US It doesn’t seem to be for a particularly colourful Steam Deck CJ Wheeler 20 hours ago 11 Latest Articles What are we all playing this weekend? Well? Alice O'Connor an hour ago 22 Past Wordle answers Here's an archive of previous Wordle words Ollie Toms 2 hours ago 1 Wordle answer today (Saturday 15 October) Hints and the answer to today's Wordle word Rebecca Jones 9 hours ago Overwatch 2 hero tier list Which are the best heroes in Overwatch 2? Ollie Toms 16 hours ago Supporters Only You're probably better than me at One Many Nobody You go on without… uh, you? Sin Vega 17 hours ago Supporter podcast - The Nate Files episode 13: dry bones Bad science is also FUN science! Alice Bell 18 hours ago Japanese dating show Love Wagon has surprising parallels with Yakuza and Persona My new obsession Ed Thorn 2 days ago If you're hankering after Bayonetta 3, Valkyrie Elysium might be a good substitute It's not out on PC until next month, but the console demo has been a surprise charmer Katharine Castle 1 week ago 4 We've been talking, and we think that you should wear clothes Total coincidence, but we sell some clothes Buy RPS stuff here