Lost Smokes is about looking through your grandmother’s house for her missing smokes, rifling through the things in her house to find them. With each item comes a recollection of a long life, though, telling players a story of fading memories, childhood, and the coming end of a loved one.
Lost Smokes tells the player that their grandmother used to smoke constantly, but one day up and forgot that she did until just now. After asking after her cigarettes, the player is left to wander through their grandmother’s home, able to interact with the objects in every room. Each one offers a bit of background on the character and their grandparents, slowly painting a picture of the life they lived.
It’s touching, but likely heart-wrenching for anyone who’s ever helped clean out the home of a loved one that’s passed away or is soon going to. The manner in which even the simplest object holds so much meaning and memory just to look at, from a lamp in their bedroom to the silverware they laid out at dinner, can bring back the most vivid, powerful memories, and Lost Smokes captures this sensation so powerfully.
Lost Smokes is playable for free in your browser on Itch.io. For more information on the game and developer Tartle Games, you can head to the developer’s Twitter.