User Review : LostWinds

LostWinds now found on WiiWare

LostWinds is one of the first WiiWare games to come out, and if they all follow suit behind this game then maybe, just maybe Nintendo can pull itself out of the fire. LostWinds is a 3D side scrolling platform/adventure game in which you are essentially controlling 2 characters at the same time. Toku who is controlled with the Nunchuck, and Enril the Wind Spirit who is controlled by the Wiimote. And together the two of them are trying to purge the land of Balasar's evil presence.

One of the first things that I noticed about this game is how interactive it is. Enril's power in this game is that he can control the wind, and the wind manipulates almost everything in the game. Which was very surprising for me, because most games that you pay full retail price for don't add as much detail in their games. The only other developer that I can think of that puts that kind of detail into their games is 3D Realms. Also the Look and feel of the world is just so pleasing that it just captivates me in a certain way that just makes take a step back me say wow. Although the actual game play reminds me a little bit of Zelda, as where you get a new power that then opens up a new pathway. In there you get another power that then opens up a new pathway again, and so on and so forth. This isn't a bad thing, because it's fun and the old powers are always used to some extent.

Controlling Toku isn't hard but it takes some getting used to, because he can't attack or jump at all. It's OK though, because Enril takes care of it. As Toku walks around the world, Enril (who is controlled by pointing the Wiimote at the screen, holding a button and making a gesture) protects Toku with the wind. Either by slamming a monster at something, Solving puzzles, or by using his gusts to propel Toku into the air (otherwise known as jumping). When you do use Enril's power, time slows down so that if a monster is attacking, you still have time to deflect the attack. Or if you find yourself falling you have time to use the wind to do a second or third jump, but there is a limit on how much you can use the wind while you are in the air. So after two or three jumps you need to land because you can't use the wind any more. Most of the time Enril's power is used to solve puzzles, like to guide fire to a vine that is blocking the way, or to water a plant that is needed to further yourself, and once you get to the final boss you have to use every power that you have acquired throughout the game to beat him.

As much as I praise this game, it's not without its faults, and there are many faults to this game. For starters there is no map, which takes me back to my childhood when I was playing Metroid 2 (Yeah its that bad). Although you can zoom out a little bit while holding down on the D-pad, or you can get a hint from Enril to tell you where to go, it's just not enough to justify not having a map. Also the world doesn't always make logical sense when traversing though it. Like at one point, I didn't go through a door because it should of led to another door, but instead it led to a completely different place, which pissed me off because I spent 20 minuets trying to find where to go. Which brings me to another annoyance which is the directions in the game, and Oh My God they are horrid. That door I was looking for was supposed to be East of The Great Waterfall, but The Great Waterfall was almost all the way to the West. Leaving over 75% of the map to hold the door that I was looking for. So poor Toku, without a map, had to deal with me looking around for a door that should of led to some place completely different. Besides the major faults, the other ones are small. Like sometimes shadows are on the ceilings, and the eating animation takes way to long.

Even though this game isn't as good as it could of been, you still have to look at the price tag. With it being only $10, I can forgive the exclusion of the map and the other annoyances, because I had fun playing the game. It's long enough at 2-5 hours for me to justify spending $10 on it. There are collectible vases in the game as well, which can extend the game play a bit longer. But in the end It all comes down to the fun factor, which makes it a buy, and I even look forward to the sequel, in which hopefully they fix the map problem.