Accidental Queens Collection

Genre: Compilation / Visual Novel / Simulation / Text Adventure

Players: 1

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Review:

Note: Two of the games in this Compilation are included in another Compilation – A Normal Lost Phone and Another Lost Phone: Laura’s Story are both included in Lost Phone Stories.

Accidental Queens Collection, released on Nintendo Switch in 2020, is a Compilation that includes three games from the titular developer – A Normal Lost Phone and Another Lost Phone: Laura’s Story, both Visual Novels with Simulation elements that were released on mobile devices and PC in 2017 and ported to Nintendo Switch in 2018, and Alt-Frequencies, a Visual Novel/Text Adventure originally released on mobile devices and PC in 2019 and ported to Nintendo Switch in 2020.

Here is what I thought of the games in this collection:

Game	Genre	# of Players	Grade
A Normal Lost Phone	Visual Novel / Simulation	1	B-
tl;dr A Normal Lost Phone is a Visual Novel told in the form of a Simulation of a smartphone that players have found and are trying to look through to uncover the story of what happened to its owner. It’s a good, emotional, well-grounded story told in a clever way, and it’s well worth a look if you’re a fan of Visual Novels. The ideal platform for this game is still undoubtedly the smartphone it’s intended to emulate, but the Nintendo Switch makes for an adequate substitute.
Another Lost Phone: Laura’s Story	Visual Novel / Simulation	1	C
tl;dr Another Lost Phone is a Visual Novel told in the form of a Simulation of a smartphone that players have found and are trying to look through to uncover the story of what happened to its owner. The story here is excellent, but the changes made to the interface and puzzle design this time around make for a much worse experience. If you play this game in handheld mode and don’t mind keeping a walkthrough on hand for the puzzles, you may enjoy this game, but everyone else is better off avoiding it.
Alt-Frequencies	Visual Novel / Text Adventure	1	C
tl;dr Alt-Frequencies is a game that’s a bit like a Visual Novel or Text Adventure, with players influencing a time loop by recording snippets of radio stations and then sending those sound clips to other radio stations as call-in submissions. It’s a clever concept and a promising premise, but the game’s short 1-2 hour length is so limiting that the game never has the time to reach its full potential.

In short, while all three of these games definitely have their positive qualities, Another Lost Phone is bogged down by interface issues and frustrating puzzle design, and Alt-Frequencies is limited by its short length that doesn’t really give it time to explore its great premise. Of the three, only A Normal Lost Phone delivers on its core concept without that concept becoming too compromised by its problems. Although of course then I do need to mention that the Lost Phone games are both clearly intended to be played on… well, a phone, and while the Nintendo Switch works well enough as a substitute, these games naturally aren’t as immersive on a different platform.

In terms of value, this game’s $15 price tag saves you $5 off the cost of buying all three games separately, which is a decent discount if you wanted to get all three games. Be aware that Lost Phone Stories includes both of the Lost Phone games for $5 less, and weigh that $5 difference against how much interest you have in Alt-Frequencies when deciding whether to purchase this collection.

Overall, I enjoyed my time spent with each of the games in Accidental Queens Collection, but only one of the three included games manages to truly succeed in what it’s trying to do, and even then the Nintendo Switch isn’t the best platform to play it on. If you really want to play these games on the Switch, this is a good Compilation full of some great ideas and interesting stories well worth exploring for fans of the Visual Novel genre in particular, but be aware of the issues each of these games have before you decide to get this Compilation.

tl;dr – Accidental Queens Collection is a Compilation of three games from the titular developer – A Normal Lost Phone, Another Lost Phone: Laura’s Story, and Alt-Frequencies. The first two games combine Visual Novel and Simulation elements, while the latter combines Visual Novel and Text Adventure. All of these games have great stories and some interesting gameplay concepts, but only the first Lost Phone game manages to deliver on its concept without being dragged down by its gameplay issues, and both of the Lost Phone games are best played on a smartphone anyway. Overall, while this Compilation has some worthwhile content, it’s hard to give it a full recommendation.

Grade: C

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