A Filipino-developed indie game is gaining early attention for its nostalgic storytelling and deeply personal take on memory, identity, and everyday life in the provinces.
Lost & Found, created by Laguna-based solo developer Kurt Reodica, transforms ordinary objects into emotional touchpoints in a narrative-driven experience set in Luisiana, Laguna in the summer of 2007.
The upcoming title follows protagonist Rico, a returning resident working in a struggling lost-and-found office, where each recovered item reveals fragments of people’s lives. But the game introduces moral complexity: not all returned objects lead to positive outcomes, and a player’s choices can shift the narrative in unexpected ways.
Blending 2D, 3D, and pixel art styles, Lost & Found evokes a layered visual aesthetic reminiscent of early 2000s digital culture while grounding its story in a distinctly Filipino provincial setting. According to its developer, the game is designed around the idea that “every object carries a story,” reflecting how memory can be embedded in even the most mundane belongings.
At just 24 years old, Reodica is developing the game independently under his studio ShaggyBear Games, handling all aspects of production including writing, programming, and visual design. He is a graduate of Multimedia Arts from De La Salle Lipa and previously worked with Puppeteer Animation Studios before stepping away from full-time employment to pursue game development.
In Lost & Found, players navigate decisions that go beyond simple retrieval tasks. Returning items to the correct or incorrect recipients can lead to drastically different outcomes, including financial ruin or personal redemption for in-game characters.
The project arrives amid growing international attention toward Southeast Asian indie game development, where small studios and solo developers are increasingly using the medium to explore cultural identity, nostalgia, and social themes rooted in local experience.
Lost & Found is currently targeted for release in the second quarter of 2027. For more information and updates, visit https://shaggybeargames.carrd.co/.