Lost Twins 2 found my lost childlike wonder, and then some
It's inevitable for jaded ol' me to lose any kind of curious spark as time goes on, but adventures like Lost Twins 2 remind me that there's always room for childlike wonder even as an adult. I had the same experience with Lost in Play (five out of five stars!), which, coincidentally, also had two siblings accidentally portaling themselves into an unknown dimension and embarking on a quest to head home (what is it with siblings trying to find each other in a lot of games lately?).
With Lost Twins 2, however, there doesn't seem to be any overarching narrative here - at least, not with the demo I played - as you're simply thrust into an enchanted land filled with shifting doors, floating pillars, and a magical phoenix in the midst of it all. I would've appreciated at least some semblance of story here, especially given how lovely the setting is, but I suppose that's not the point. The point is that there are puzzles to solve, rooms to slide around, and twins to reunite - and I guess when the gameplay is this engaging, the narrative can fall by the wayside, and it'll still hold its own.
That said, the mechanics are your standard puzzle affair - you move crates around, climb up ropes, and leap to reach platforms (or fail miserably). The added twist comes in the duality of the gameplay - while one twin does this, the other twin does another. You'll need to have one of them step on a platform to hold a wall up, for instance, while the other leaps through to get to where you need to go.
It's also refreshing for me to see how you can switch entire rooms around to solve each level, and it's all told wordlessly, too, which simply adds to the overall charm. I absolutely adore the visuals and the 2D-meets-3D aesthetic here as well, and with the lovely score playing softly in the background, it's an incredibly relaxing experience. I've talked about how the absence of timers in puzzlers has been therapeutic for me lately, and now, I can happily add Lost Twins 2 to the list alongside a particularly kelptomaniac crustacean.
That said, I don't doubt things will ramp up as the levels progress, and the frustration will inevitably start creeping in eventually. There doesn't seem to be any kind of hint system to hold your hand, either. For now, though, it's all pretty chill, and you can even collect shirt currencies (that's not the official name) that let you unlock cool costumes for the kids. I love how low the stakes are, actually, because at the moment, there doesn't seem to be any kind of sinister force that's out to get me or anything.
And while I've let my scepticism take over my childlike wonder in life, I appreciate how Lost Twins 2 - despite essentially stranding you in the middle of nowhere in nothing but your jammies - encourages exploration to feed your curiosity. And honestly, when you've got your trusty twin (or a loved one IRL) by your side, being lost together doesn't seem so bad.
