Ureview by: Eraser
Ureview points: 28
Ureviewer since: April 2006
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Reviewed On: Monday June 2, 2008
Price paid: $10.00
| Rating: 9 | Recommends product: Yes
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Introduction
Lost Winds is one of the first 6 games to appear on Nintendo's WiiWare service in Europe. The game places you in control of Toku, a little boy that quickly meets Enril, a wind spirit, that gives him the power to control the winds. This marks the start of an adventure in the world of Mistralis, which has to be saved from an evil creature's bad intentions.
Gameplay
At it's heart, Lost Winds is a 2D platformer game. You can navigate Toku through the world using the Nunchuck's control stick. Toku doesn't have the ability to jump or climb, though, and thus is very restricted in his movement. This is where Enril's wind powers come in handy, which are controlled by drawing gestures on the screen using the Wii remote. As the game progresses, you'll gain access to more wind gestures but you start off with just the gust power. By drawing a vertical line upwards over Toku, a gust of wind will lift Toku up into the air, allowing you to reach higher areas. Using the same technique, you'll quickly find yourself lifting bolders and other objects to solve a few simple puzzles.
As you gain access to more Wind powers, you'll be able to solve more complex puzzles and not only lift Toku or objects into the air, but make them float or even suspend them as well. You'll be able to blow water or fire in all directions which will be necessary to overcome puzzles as well. The wind is even used to defeat enemies. By lifting them into the air and smacking them against the floor or wall. The controls feel very intuitive. Soon you'll feel really at home with the control mechanism.
The game is relatively slow paced, but this is not a bad thing at all. Where many games these days are hyper fast adrenaline rushes, Lost Winds is really relaxing to play. While it's "slow", it never feels restricted or like you want to go faster. This makes it an excellent game to play for half an hour before going to bed to sleep.
Graphics
The game really looks beautiful. It has better graphics than 90% of the Wii games out there, and for a game that costs 1000 Wii points (€10/$10), that's quite impressive. While the game is a 2D platformer, it's all rendered in true 3D. The game really has a lovely atmosphere that looks really cute and friendly but never childish. The amount of detail and interaction is incredible as well. Every bit of scenere moves in the wind your on screen cursor causes as you move it about the screen. A tree drops a few leaves, flowers spray a few seeds and trail of smoke is dispersed by your cursor. The great graphics, the cute look, the whole atmosphere and all the little details really create an impressive experience that really power the game.
Conclusion
The only real downside of this game is that it's really short. Experienced gamers will go through the entire game in about 3 hours, without rushing. Less experienced players might take about four hours, but not much more than that. The result is that this game leaves you craving for more.
At 1000 Wii Points and the easy accessibility (through the WiiWare service) this game should be a no brainer to download. It's excellent and really a top notch game that leaves a lot of retail games behind it when it comes to quality and enjoyability. The 3 hours game time is sad, but a good way to appetize you for a sequel (which I read is under development already). 3 hours brilliant game time for 10 dollar (hell, even euro) is an excellent deal if you ask me.
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| Pros: good graphics, intuitive controls, lovely atmosphere, low price |
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| Cons: tad on the short side |
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