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LostWinds - WiiWare Review

WiiWare | Frontier Developments | Out Now | 1,000 Wii Points (£7.00 / $10.00 Online)
Controller Compatibility: Wii Remote (Pointer) and Nunchuk
Reviewer: Billy White
 
When the launch of WiiWare was dawning upon us, there were several games that already looked good. One of the most underrated ones though, was LostWinds. Launch day arrived and the game was a huge success on the service, and we can clearly see why.
 
    In LostWinds, you play as a young boy called Toku, who must help defeat the evil Balasar , who once placed a curse over the land of Mistralis. Before you can do this though, you must find and open three different chests containing memories, which will eventually reveal where and how you can kill the monster to restore happiness to the old town.
 
    Along the way though, you utilise the help of Enril the wind spirit, who uses the power of wind to kill enemies, allow you to jump up high and blow objects all over the place. This not only adds to the puzzle aspects of the game, but makes the experience completely unique and unlike any other game currently available.
 
    The game plays very well in 2D as you control Toku via the nunchuck and Enril via the pointer, and throughout the story you can also learn new moves and tricks for Enril to perform (such as slowing down time), adding more depth to the otherwise basic gameplay. Your average hardcore gamer may not be totally thrilled by its fairly easy difficulty, but once you add in the 24 hidden collectable scrolls throughout the world, there is more to do in this game than first meets the eye.
 
    The presentation of this game is very good for a WiiWare title, and the colourful graphics and peaceful music add to the calm nature of the game. We would have liked a bit more music, and some of the underground sequences did get slightly repetitive when it came to the backgrounds, but overall this game is still very beautiful throughout.
 
    The only major problem with this game is the short length. On my first run I completed the game in just under three hours, but the brilliant gameplay will keep you going back again and again - providing you can't remember everything from the first run (though this isn't as puzzle based as many other WiiWare titles currently available).
 
    If I could only recommend one solo WiiWare game, this would be it. An extra wind spirit for co-op options, a time trial leaderboard and a longer overall playing time would've made this game damn near perfect, but since they did get all of this done for the launch, we can't really complain.
 
Final Score
27/30
Excellent
Gameplay 10
Near flawless gameplay as the puzzles and platforming combine to make a wonderful experience
Presentation 9
Just like the flash website - simple graphics and music. Points earned for the brilliant array of voice clips
Enjoyment 5
A very relaxing and fun experience at the same time
Other 3
Even if this was just double the length it is now, we'd be more than happy


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