Pinoy indie game ‘Lost & Found’ gets global spotlight at Steam Festival

The game achieved recognition and praise from players for its nostalgic atmosphere and its blend of 2D, 3D, and pixel art styles.

“Lost & Found,” an upcoming Filipino-developed indie game, will be featured at the inaugural Choices Matter Festival this August.

Hosted by American developer Telltale Games, the digital event highlights narrative-driven games from developers worldwide. The festival will run on Steam, a popular platform for PC games, from Aug. 10 to 17 and will feature more than 40 game demos, interviews, and behind-the-scenes content.

“Lost & Found,” developed by solo creator Shaggybeargames, is an adventure-mystery game set in 2007, where players take on the role of Rico, a struggling artist who returns to his hometown and finds work at a local lost-and-found office.

The game’s setting is inspired by the developer’s hometown of Luisiana, Laguna. Through two free concept art books released for the game, Shaggybeargames shared his vision of creating a place where every location carries its own history.

“Since the game revolves around characters and stories, I want to make the setting feel like it has a story to tell as well,” he wrote in the first volume. “I want to make it feel as if every building in the game can talk; it will tell you the history of the people living in it.”

The concept art books also revealed the game’s inspirations, including Cartoon Network City bumpers and “The Amazing World of Gumball,” alongside designs for its characters and environments.

Since releasing its official trailer last March, “Lost & Found” has gained attention from players, reaching 50,000 Steam wishlists in June.

Players have praised the game’s nostalgic atmosphere and its blend of 2D, 3D, and pixel art styles.

Last May, the game was also selected as a finalist for GameDev.tv’s Indie Game Dev Fund and BlueOceanGames’ Rising Tide #3, standing out among hundreds of submissions.

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