Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story (Nintendo Switch) Review

The less known about Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story before going into it, the better. While it may seem like common sense to fend off spoilers, this is a visual novel best experienced with as little information as possible, especially when taking into account the genuine detective elements at play. Discovering who Laura is, why she lost her phone, and how it happened, is half the fun of the investigation. Having a pre-existing idea of what went down takes away from the natural theory-crafting that would otherwise be at play. That said, Laura's Story is a bit simpler than A Normal Lost Phone in the narrative department.

This isn't a bad thing; far from it. Rather, it allows for the story to feel wholly different from the original's, while still telling a compelling tale. In fact, the simplicity actually works better in the visual novel's favour, as the twists near the end do a better job at recontextualising the experience than the predecessor did. While the original was more ambitious with its storyline, much of its complexity came through a change of perspective in the second half that didn't necessarily alter the actual text in the first half. The new scope meant the story took on a different light, but there is a clear distinction with how the plot is split. With Laura's Story, however, just about every little detail takes on a double meaning in hindsight. The plot doesn't have a clear split, allowing the overall story to flow a bit more naturally. Both are perfectly serviceable ways of storytelling, but it is nice that the sequel takes a different approach.

Just like with A Normal Lost Phone, undocking the Switch and using the tablet to emulate an actual phone remains the best way to tackle the gameplay. As Laura's personal playlist kicks in, it's easy to get immersed into the act of scrolling through her phone and reading her messages. It is possible to play docked, but controller support has been intentionally removed in favour of playing with a single Joy-Con. Gyroscopic aiming is used to point at the screen and emulate the act of using a mobile phone on the TV, but it honestly comes off strange considering it's a blatantly inferior method to just undocking the Switch. That said, the controls are very responsive and don't hinder the gameplay.

If there's one element that Another Lost Phone does definitively improve upon over its predecessor, it's the investigative elements. The first time around, snooping around Sam's phone mainly meant paying attention to a few key details that all fit under a specific quirk. Here, Laura's phone requires far more involved reading. There is no overarching theme to her passwords. In fact, two of her passwords near the end require information from multiple different locations. There are less puzzles overall, especially early on, but the puzzles that are present are significantly more engaging and demanding; as a result, cracking Laura's passwords ends up feeling more rewarding than it did with Sam.

With an emphasis on complex puzzle solving and a simpler, yet still compelling plot, Laura's Story makes for a great spiritual successor and visual novel in its own right. Similarly to A Normal Lost Phone, it builds up to a powerful message that will surely resonate with audiences. It's an important story, and its simpler approach honestly helps to contextualise the final message in a clean, digestible way. It isn't a massive improvement, but it is consistent, which is one of the best things a sequel can be.