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* NotHisSled: In contrast to the previous games of Swery65, [[spoiler:F.K.]] turns out to be a purely benevolent, if creepy, being.
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** When JJ is first killed, she screams that she can't die; she has to help Emily. Cue the player using her regeneration ability for the first time. [[spoiler: The entire game is basically her doing this after realising the harm her suicide would do to Emily.]]

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* DoubleMeaningTitle: A three way example, if you allow some loose interpretations of syntax (thanks to the games title originally being GratuitousEnglish). The Missing could refer to: J.J.'s lost memories, Emily being a missing person or [[spoiler: J.J. coming to terms with being trans, and openly living as a woman...in other words, her Ms.-ing]].

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* DoubleMeaningTitle: A three way example, if If you allow some loose interpretations of syntax (thanks to the games title originally being GratuitousEnglish). The Missing could refer to: J.J.'s lost memories, J.J. losing body parts as a central mechanic, Emily being a missing person or [[spoiler: J.J. coming to terms with being trans, and openly living as a woman...in other words, her Ms.-ing]].
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* NoAntagonist: While some characters are mean, the real threat to J.J. is ultimately [[spoiler: transphobia (from no specific individual) and her own suicidal impulses]].

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I'm going to be troping this game for weeks. >_<

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* {{Foreshadowing}}: It manages quite a bit, despite being only a few hours long:
** One of the more obvious examples is the moose headed doctor, who's shouts of "major haemorrhage" and other medical terminology [[spoiler: allude to the fact that J.J. is dying of self inflicted blood loss.]]
** An early puzzle involves burying the corpse of a man to progress [[spoiler: the no-longer used (and typically specifically gendered to their assigned at birth gender) name of a trans person is known as a "deadname".]]
** A note in a shop to someone who's leaving because they're headed off to university is addressed to [[spoiler: "little brother"]].
** Just before reaching [[spoiler: Emily's corpse]], there's a note, however [[spoiler: it's signed by J.J.]]
** Some of J.J.'s friends texts talk about [[spoiler: how she'd rather die than not dress the way she wants]]. Another friend assures J.J. she has attractive hands [[spoiler: hand size is a common tell (and source of dysphoria) for trans women who went through male puberty]].


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* LiteralMetaphor: The exact metaphor isn't said out loud, but the implications of [[spoiler: J.J. limping along like the shadow version of her which became a monster in the beginning while the whole school jeers at her (before also transforming into it for a sort of inverted boss battle)]] is pretty clear; [[spoiler: after being outed, she feels like a monster!]]

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Not A Subversion (her hair colour serving as shorthand is still a straight example; revealing it's not her natural colour doesn't really change it).


* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:The events of the game are a dream J.J. has while in a coma after attempting suicide when her secret is revealed to the whole school]].

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* DoubleMeaningTitle: A three way example, if you allow some loose interpretations of syntax (thanks to the games title originally being GratuitousEnglish). The Missing could refer to: J.J.'s lost memories, Emily being a missing person or [[spoiler: J.J. coming to terms with being trans, and openly living as a woman...in other words, her Ms.-ing]].
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:The events of the game are a dream J.J. has while in a coma after attempting suicide when her secret is revealed to the whole school]].school. The plot is essentially her understanding and rejecting her suicide ideation so she can cling on to life long enough for an ambulance crew to save her]].



* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: J.J. herself. [[spoiler:Subverted, her natural hair color is black.]]

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* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: J.J. herself. [[spoiler:Subverted, herself has long golden hair and is willing to push herself through an immense amount of pain to help her best friend/girlfriend. [[spoiler: Notably, her natural hair color is black.black, meaning this likely represents an idealised version of herself.]]


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* UnknownCharacter: Somebody [[spoiler: created the fake profile of J.J. to out her as trans]], but exactly who did it (or indeed if they were any of the named characters) isn't clear (as is the case with many similar forms of bullying). The events which followed it are far more important to the story.

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* AndYouWereThere: When J.J. wakes up at the end [[spoiler: it turns out that the moose headed doctor was a manifestation of an EMT who was trying to revive her; her stuffed animal F.K. was being used to staunch the wound, and Emily, who was furious and hostile towards J.J. in the dream was waiting nearby with AngerBornOfWorry.]]



* {{BFS}}: The hairshrieker, who sometimes shows up to chase J.J. carries a massive utility knife. [[spoiler: As the manifestation of her suicidal impulses, it's only fitting it wields a version of the blade she cut her wrists with.]]



* CureYourGays: [[spoiler: Or rather, cure your transgender child. After J.J.'s outed by her mother reading her diary, she contacts a doctor who can "cure" her, for a hefty price. It's made pretty clear she's trying to lure J.J. back home to be forced into conversion therapy.]]



* GenderBlenderName: [[spoiler:J.J.'s first name, Jackie, can easily be a play on Jack or Jaqueline. Which makes it far easier to hide the big twist, since characters call her this whether they accept her or not.]]

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* EleventhHourSuperpower: During the final boss "battle", J.J.'s resolve causes her regeneration power to work as soon as the button's pressed instead of needing a moment for her to will herself back to life. Shifting the gameplay from puzzle solving, to PlatformHell style launching of J.J. around via sawblades and other hazards that previously blocked progress.
* GenderBlenderName: [[spoiler:J.J.'s first name, Jackie, can easily be a play on nickname for Jack or Jaqueline. Which makes it far easier to hide the big twist, since characters call her this whether they accept her or not. Notably, some characters use the more clearly feminine Jaquie in their texts, while others use the gender neutral to masculine Jackie.]]



* HeteronormativeCrusader: J.J.'s mother sends her text messages about her dislike of LGBTQ+ individuals; pretty awkward considering that she appears to be in a relationship with a girl. [[spoiler: When she discovered she's trans, she wants to send her to what's not too subtly implied to be conversion therapy]].

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* HeteronormativeCrusader: J.J.'s mother sends her text messages about her dislike of LGBTQ+ individuals; pretty awkward considering that she our hero appears to be in a relationship with a girl. [[spoiler: When she discovered she's trans, she wants to send her to what's not too subtly implied to be conversion therapy]].



** Also like ''Deadly Premonition'', the beginning of the endgame takes place in a clock tower. In light of the story of ''The Missing'', it might be relevant that ''Deadly Premonition'''s clock tower segment was a boss fight with [[spoiler:a character revealed to be a trans woman]].

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** Also like ''Deadly Premonition'', the beginning of the endgame takes place in a clock tower. In light of the story of ''The Missing'', it might be relevant that ''Deadly Premonition'''s clock tower segment was a boss fight with [[spoiler:a character revealed to be a trans woman]].woman, who ends up hung from a line]].

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* BaitAndSwitchLesbians: Played with. The game starts off with J.J. and Emily on what appears to be a romantic night out together. The truth is more complicated, as [[spoiler:it is revealed J.J. is hiding a secret only Emily knows. Early phone conversations imply that she's trying to hide the fact that she's in a lesbian relationship with Emily. By the end it's revealed that J.J's actual secret is that she's a trans woman. Since the events of the game are all a dream, it's left ambiguous whether her relationship with Emily in the real world is that of close friends or a couple; some phone conversations have J.J. awkwardly bringing up the concept and dropping it, suggested that it's something she's considered but that they may or may not have actually acted on]].

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* BaitAndSwitchLesbians: Played with. The game starts off with J.J. and Emily on what appears to be a romantic night out together. The truth is more complicated, as [[spoiler:it is revealed J.J. is hiding a secret only Emily knows. Early phone conversations imply that she's trying to hide the fact that she's in a lesbian relationship with Emily. By the end it's revealed that J.J's actual secret is that she's a trans woman. Since the events of the game are all a dream, it's left ambiguous whether her relationship with Emily in the real world is that of close friends or a couple; some phone conversations have J.J. awkwardly bringing up the concept and dropping it, suggested that it's something she's considered but that they may or may not have actually acted on]].on. It's also implied that Emily is a homoromantic asexual, and had her own journey coming to terms with it, further complicating the exact nature of their relationship]].



* GenderBlenderName: [[spoiler:J.J.'s first name, Jackie, can easily be a play on Jack or Jaqueline. Given how she's trans, this is likely intentional.]]

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* GenderBlenderName: [[spoiler:J.J.'s first name, Jackie, can easily be a play on Jack or Jaqueline. Given how she's trans, Which makes it far easier to hide the big twist, since characters call her this is likely intentional.whether they accept her or not.]]



* HeteronormativeCrusader: J.J.'s mother.

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* HeteronormativeCrusader: J.J.'s mother.mother sends her text messages about her dislike of LGBTQ+ individuals; pretty awkward considering that she appears to be in a relationship with a girl. [[spoiler: When she discovered she's trans, she wants to send her to what's not too subtly implied to be conversion therapy]].



* WhamLine: While it's not as unambiguous as any of the Wham Shots below, the fact that J.J.'s mum finds it unusual [[spoiler: that her daughter has girls clothes in her room]] is the first hint to the bait and switch the plot's pulling on the player.



** [[spoiler:The ending shot, revealing J.J.'s true body - and the fact she's [[{{Transgender}} physically male]], finally contextualizing beyond a shadow of a doubt why [[HeteronormativeCrusader her mother]] got concerned about finding a dress in her room.]]

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** [[spoiler:The ending shot, revealing J.J.'s true body - and the fact she's [[{{Transgender}} physically male]], assigned male at birth]], finally contextualizing beyond a shadow of a doubt why [[HeteronormativeCrusader her mother]] got concerned about finding a dress in her room.]]

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* WhamShot: [[spoiler:The ending shot, revealing J.J.'s true body - and the fact she's [[{{Transgender}} physically male]], finally contextualizing why [[HeteronormativeCrusader her mother]] got concerned about finding a dress in her room.]]

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* WhamShot: WhamShot:
**
[[spoiler:The ending shot, revealing fake social media page made to mock J.J. The situation up to that point is pretty ambiguous - one of her classmates calling her "Princess Packing Extra," less so.]]
** [[spoiler:The ending shot, revealing J.J.
's true body - and the fact she's [[{{Transgender}} physically male]], finally contextualizing beyond a shadow of a doubt why [[HeteronormativeCrusader her mother]] got concerned about finding a dress in her room.]]
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Proper term


* WhamShot: [[spoiler:The ending shot, revealing J.J.'s true body - and the fact she's [[{{Transsexual}} physically male]], finally contextualizing why [[HeteronormativeCrusader her mother]] got concerned about finding a dress in her room.]]

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* WhamShot: [[spoiler:The ending shot, revealing J.J.'s true body - and the fact she's [[{{Transsexual}} [[{{Transgender}} physically male]], finally contextualizing why [[HeteronormativeCrusader her mother]] got concerned about finding a dress in her room.]]
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* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: J.J. herself. [[spoiler:Subverted, her natural hair color is black.]]
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* GenderBlenderName: [[spoiler:J.J.'s first name, Jackie, can easily be a play on Jack or Jaqueline. Given how she's trans, this is likely intentional.]]


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* WhamShot: [[spoiler:The ending shot, revealing J.J.'s true body - and the fact she's [[{{Transsexual}} physically male]], finally contextualizing why [[HeteronormativeCrusader her mother]] got concerned about finding a dress in her room.]]
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* SweetTooth: Certain phone conversations reveal that J.J. eats a ''lot'' of sugary food.
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* BackgroundBoss: [[InvertedTrope Inverted.]] [[spoiler:Near the end, you play as J.J. as the giant Hairshrieker in the background, while Emily runs back and forth in the foreground.]]


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* ImplacableMan: The Hairshrieker. [[spoiler:As J.J.'s suicidal impulses made manifest, it can only be defeated when she finally resolves to live on.]]


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* PuzzleBoss: Strangely enough, [[spoiler:fighting Emily as the giant Hairshrieker.]]
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* ManOnFire: Or woman on fire, in this case -- burning is one of the many gruesome experiences that J.J. has to inflict on herself.



* PullingThemselvesTogether: J.J. can restore her body after being mutilated.



* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Doughnuts, for J.J. They can be collected throughout the game to unlock bonus content.

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* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Doughnuts, for J.J. They can be collected throughout the game to unlock bonus content.content.
* WhoNeedsTheirWholeBody: This is part of the core mechanic of the game. J.J. is made immortal early on, so no amount of mutilation can kill her, and several puzzles actually require her to lose some of her body parts (or even to be reduced to just her head!) in order to proceed. Could be considered a DeconstructedTrope, as the whole process is extremely painful for J.J., and the game pulls absolutely no punches in conveying this to the player.
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** Also like ''Deadly Premonition'', the beginning of the endgame takes place in a clock tower. In light of ''The Missing'''s story, it might be relevant that ''Deadly Premonition'''s clock tower segment was a boss fight with [[spoiler:a character revealed to be a trans woman]].

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** Also like ''Deadly Premonition'', the beginning of the endgame takes place in a clock tower. In light of the story of ''The Missing'''s story, Missing'', it might be relevant that ''Deadly Premonition'''s clock tower segment was a boss fight with [[spoiler:a character revealed to be a trans woman]].
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* DyingDream: [[spoiler:The events of the game, except J.J. manages to recover from it. For a short time, though, she actually believes herself to be dead]].


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** Also like ''Deadly Premonition'', the beginning of the endgame takes place in a clock tower. In light of ''The Missing'''s story, it might be relevant that ''Deadly Premonition'''s clock tower segment was a boss fight with [[spoiler:a character revealed to be a trans woman]].
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* BaitAndSwitchLesbians: Played with. The game starts off with J.J. and Emily on what appears to be a romantic night out together. The truth is more complicated, as [[spoiler:it is revealed J.J. is hiding a secret only Emily knows. Early phone conversations imply that she's trying to hide the fact that she's in a lesbian relationship with Emily. By the end it's revealed that J.J's actual secret is that she's a trans woman. Since the events of the game are all a dream, it's left ambiguous whether her relationship with Emily in the real world is that of close friends or a couple, in which case since J.J. identifies as female the two of them would be a same-gender romance]].

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* BaitAndSwitchLesbians: Played with. The game starts off with J.J. and Emily on what appears to be a romantic night out together. The truth is more complicated, as [[spoiler:it is revealed J.J. is hiding a secret only Emily knows. Early phone conversations imply that she's trying to hide the fact that she's in a lesbian relationship with Emily. By the end it's revealed that J.J's actual secret is that she's a trans woman. Since the events of the game are all a dream, it's left ambiguous whether her relationship with Emily in the real world is that of close friends or a couple, in which case since couple; some phone conversations have J.J. identifies as female awkwardly bringing up the two of them would be a same-gender romance]].concept and dropping it, suggested that it's something she's considered but that they may or may not have actually acted on]].
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[[caption-width-right:350:This game was made with the belief that nobody is wrong for being what they are.]]

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[[caption-width-right:350:This game was made with the belief that nobody is wrong for being what they are.]]
[[note]]Foreground: J.J.Macfield and F.K., Background: Emily Thompson[[/note]]]]
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jpn_web_tc5x_0.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:This game was made with the belief that nobody is wrong for being what they are.]]

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* BaitAndSwitchLesbians: Played with. The game starts off with J.J. and Emily on what appears to be a romantic night out together. The truth is more complicated, as [[spoiler:it is revealed J.J. is hiding a secret only Emily knows. Early phone conversations imply that she's trying to hide the fact that she's in a lesbian relationship with Emily. By the end it's revealed that J.J's actual secret is that she's a trans woman. Since the events of the game are all a dream, it's left ambiguous whether her relationship with Emily in the real world is that of close friends or a couple, in which case since J.J. identifies as female the two of them would be a same-gender romance]].



* PaletteSwap: J.J's alternate costumes are this. [[spoiler: With the exception of one.]]

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* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:The events of the game are a dream J.J. has while in a coma after attempting suicide when her secret is revealed to the whole school]].
* HeteronormativeCrusader: J.J.'s mother.
* MythologyGag:
** Once again the initials F.K. (usually short for Forrest Kaysen) appear for a character in the game, this time as a stuffed doll of J.J.'s.
** Before the final boss J.J. quotes a certain memetic line from ''VideoGame/DeadlyPremonition''.
--->'''J.J.:''' [[spoiler:Clear as a crisp spring morning!]]
* PaletteSwap: J.J's alternate costumes are this. [[spoiler: With this with the exception of one.]]one, [[spoiler:her appearance in the "real" world]].
* SdrawkcabSpeech: A lot of the moose doctor's and Emily's dialogue is rendered like this.
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* BodyHorror: The central game mechanic is purposefully disfiguring yourself to solve puzzles, and none of the animations for this are meant to be pleasant. And once you've gotten used to it by the end of the game, [[spoiler: J.J. makes sure to describe in detail what it feels like to have an arm ripped off, just to remind you of what you've been doing to her.]]

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* BodyHorror: The central game mechanic is purposefully disfiguring yourself to solve puzzles, and none of the animations for this animations, sound effects and grunts as J.J. is being mutilate are meant to be pleasant. And once you've gotten used to it by the end of the game, [[spoiler: J.J. makes sure to describe in detail what it feels like to have an arm ripped off, just to remind you of what you've been doing to her.]]
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* PaletteSwap: J.J's alternate costumes are this. [[spoiler: With the exception of one.]]

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* PaletteSwap: J.J's alternate costumes are this. [[spoiler: With the exception of one.]]]]
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Doughnuts, for J.J. They can be collected throughout the game to unlock bonus content.
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* BodyHorror: The central game mechanic is purposefully disfiguring yourself to solve puzzles, and none of the animations for this are meant to be pleasant. And once you've gotten used to it by the end of the game, [[spoiler: J.J. makes sure to describe in detail what it feels like to have an arm ripped off, just to remind you of what you've been doing to her.]]
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The central mechanic is that J.J. must mutilate herself to solve puzzles in the environment.

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The central mechanic is that J.J. must mutilate herself to solve puzzles in the environment.environment.

While the game is fairly short, keep in mind that Swery has quite a few tricks up his sleeves. Beware of spoilers!

!!Tropes in ''The Missing: J.J Macfield and the Island of Memories'' include...
* AllJustADream: [[spoiler: At the end of the game, it's revealed that J.J dreamed the events.]]
* PaletteSwap: J.J's alternate costumes are this. [[spoiler: With the exception of one.]]

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One peaceful afternoon, J.J. Macfield and her friend Emily go on a camping trip to Memoria Island, Maine. Things go well, until Emily goes missing during the night. J.J. sets off into the dangerous island to find her, and perhaps something more...

''The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories'' is a horror puzzle-platformer by White Owls, directed by Creator/Swery65. The central mechanic is self-mutilation- As in, the titular J.J. can use the obstacles and hazards to cut off her limbs to solve puzzles. Thankfully, she can regenerate them, but it does take some time.

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One peaceful afternoon, J.J. Macfield and her friend Emily go on a camping trip to Memoria Island, Maine. Things go well, until Emily goes missing during the night. J.J. sets off into the dangerous island to find her, and perhaps though finds herself unable to die. Even if all of her limbs are chopped off, J.J. will still stay alive for the sake of Emily. What is going on in Memoria Island? Perhaps there's something more...

''The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories'' is a horror puzzle-platformer by White Owls, directed by Creator/Swery65. Creator/Swery65, and published by Arc System Works. It was released on October 12th for the PC, Nintendo Switch, and various other platforms.

The central mechanic is self-mutilation- As in, the titular that J.J. can use the obstacles and hazards to cut off her limbs must mutilate herself to solve puzzles. Thankfully, she can regenerate them, but it does take some time.puzzles in the environment.
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''The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories'' is a horror puzzle-platformer by White Owls, directed by Creator/Swery65.

to:

''The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories'' is a horror puzzle-platformer by White Owls, directed by Creator/Swery65. The central mechanic is self-mutilation- As in, the titular J.J. can use the obstacles and hazards to cut off her limbs to solve puzzles. Thankfully, she can regenerate them, but it does take some time.
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None

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One peaceful afternoon, J.J. Macfield and her friend Emily go on a camping trip to Memoria Island, Maine. Things go well, until Emily goes missing during the night. J.J. sets off into the dangerous island to find her, and perhaps something more...

''The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories'' is a horror puzzle-platformer by White Owls, directed by Creator/Swery65.

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