Lost Winds: A Full Review

I'm going to just add on to my first look.

I recently downloaded one of the launch titles of WiiWare; LostWinds. It is a game is about an ancient spirit and a kid in an old civilization basically save the world. It's a pretty basic plot line, but here's where the good stuff comes in. You move around and pick stuff up with the nunchuck and use the wind with the Wiimote. It actually works very well and it's fun to blow random stuff on the screen around. You can even lift the kid into the air. This is basically how you do difficult jumps. This is a puzzle platformer, so the jump will become vital. The spirit gains more and more abilities over time, and becomes a Zelda/Metroidesque game, because it features a lot of running around to the next treasure and exploring. This is basically the whole game. There are also enemies that you must blow into a wall or the ground, but it's pretty easy and unimportant. The game has a beautiful cartoony look to it, but it's not childish, so it looks like it's able to appeal to any age group. The puzzles are pretty basic and spelled out for you, so don't expect to be challenged. The game has a calm atmosphere and makes you feel comfortable in its world. It's a game that I find really relaxes you. As I got closer to the end of the game, I kept thinking to myself, when is the hard part coming? When am I going to find a boss? And what do you know, there was a boss! A boss who I couldn't figure out how to beat. I admit that I needed to look up how to beat him, but once I found out, it was easy. I assure that a kid would not be able to figure it out, though. After I beat it, there was a cutscene. I thought, "Certainly it must not be over!" It was. They left on a huge cliffhanger and I hungered for more. I thought that the game was a bit short, so I checked the file. It was a 2 hour and 20 minute game. I often play a game for longer than that in a sitting! I hope that this game is episodic on a regular schedule because it feels very natural and flexible. I also hope that each installment brings up the difficulty. The monsters were pushovers and I sometimes lingered on a puzzle, hoping that it wasn't over just yet, that I could still use the extra boulder on some hidden wall. Alas, it was not so.

Visuals: 9/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Sound: 8/10
Replay Value: 6/10
Control: 10/10

Final Verdict: 8.2 (Buy this game. It's only $10, and though it may be short, it'll make you happier than most disc games.)