Tomb Raider writer Rhianna Pratchett's new game is out today, exclusively on Stadia

Lost Words: Beyond the Page is an "emotionally moving, fully-voiced" narrative platformer written by well-known writer Rhianna Pratchett, who's previously written for games including Tomb Raider, BioShock Infinite, Prince of Persia, and Mirror's Edge. It was announced in 2018, and a trailer revealed in January at the New York Videogame Awards said that it would be out this spring on Steam and other platforms.

A month after that trailer was revealed, however, Stadia announced that Lost Words would actually release first on Stadia. No dates were confirmed, but today it arrived on the storefront as a one-year exclusive. A launch on other platforms, including Steam, will now take place in 2021.

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In Lost Words: Beyond the Page, players will become Izzy, a young girl writing a story in her journal about a magical land called Estoria, and a village that's fallen under attack by a dragon. Players will walk on Izzy's words and use them to solve puzzles as they move through a beautiful "watercolor world," collecting fireflies and making decisions that will be reflected in the game world.

It looks lovely, and Pratchett knows a thing or two about telling stories. Unfortunately, Stadia's free "base" offering still isn't available, so the only way to even look at its store page is to sign up for the service at $10 per month. Alternatively, you can find out more and wishlist it on Steam, or check out the website at lostwordsgame.com.

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.