Find Your Words Review – An Hour Of Kindness

Get your blankets, we have a short game about a non-speaking child’s first day at their summer camp to play! Released entirely for free (with a Supporter Pack), this cozy, hour-long adventure found a few ways to surprise me. A lot of that has to do with its main gameplay gimmick—the communications binder—and learning about its benefits, but also limitations.

Your chosen protagonist can communicate via symbols in the binder, which are either given or found around the camp. In a quick introduction to the system, it is explained that two symbols can be combined to string mini-sentences. “Hi” and “Who” will be understood to mean “Hi, who are you?” You go to meet the other kids, and you’re then off to spend the remainder of your time at the camp becoming pals with everyone via a few tasks.

These are pretty straightforward. Walk up to someone and present the “Play” symbol. Sometimes, someone may ask you to go around and present a different symbol to others, so, in a classic A Short Hike fashion, small spaces become familiar thanks to the number of loops you have to do around them. You may have to solve a riddle or listen out for birds as you run from one friend to another.

I was immediately taken by the idyllic atmosphere of Camp Pals. It’s a non-judgmental, encouraging space for all kinds of interests, one that fosters eccentricities and gives the kids proper spaces to express themselves. My one complaint is that I wish Penny, the other non-speaking kid at camp using her wheelchair’s text-to-speech system, would have her task be more about her interests than her requiring help with a lost charm of hers. These simple trivia questions require symbols you get from playing with the others, which would tie the experience together nicely.

At the same time, I think it’s in everything optional where the game starts getting most interesting. With specific combinations, you can ask more complex questions, such as asking someone about their favorite book, and for most of them, there’s an answer. Not all of them, though. Sometimes you’re met with a more general “I hope that’s a good thing” or “Wow, there sure is a lot of stuff around,” especially from the adults. This struggle to communicate may stem from the limit of the game itself, but it also clearly represents the struggle to communicate something deeper. Getting through the game is a breeze. Making deeper connections proves a challenge.

There are symbols that you never have to use, but do open those paths. One that caught my eye immediately was “sad.” You can simply communicate to everyone that you’re not feeling well. A small detail, but I think it’s such an important part of Find Your Words’ identity. Even in a perfect environment, it realizes that not everything is always easy, and that you won’t always feel alright. You may feel uncomfortable for any number of reasons. It lets you express more than it needs to, and finds clever ways of using reactivity, or lack thereof, to communicate something meaningful.

You’d be doing yourself a disservice by not hopping on Find Your Words as soon as possible. It’s a cozy title you’re likely familiar with at this point, yes, but it’s also thoughtful in small ways that I think will really stick with anyone who digs a bit deeper. It’s one of those games that stick with you, not because of any metrics used by people when talking about video games.

It won’t strictly lead you to these conclusions. Instead, Find Your Words is most rewarding when you indulge your own childlike curiosity, finding moments of self-realization, a growing empathy, and the appreciation of all the small, often weird things we’re passionate about. We cherish these kinds of eccentric characters like this group of kids, so remember to let others spread their wings. Be patient, be supportive, be inquisitive, and be kind. Let everyone find their own words.

Mateusz reviewed Find Your Words on PC with his own acquired copy. This review is based on the version of the game available at the time of writing and our score will not be changed.