LostWinds

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LostWinds

Developer(s)	Frontier Developments
Publisher(s)	Frontier Developments
Platform(s)	Wii (WiiWare)
Release date	^NA May 12, 2008 ^EU May 20, 2008 ^AU May 20, 2008 ^JP TBA 2008
Genre(s)	Platform/Adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player Co-op multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: E PEGI: 7+ OFLC: G
Input methods	Wii Remote and Nunchuk

LostWinds is a platform/adventure video game developed by Frontier Developments for WiiWare. The game was released in North America on May 12, 2008 and in Europe on May 20, 2008, serving as a launch title for WiiWare in both regions. It costs 1000 Wii Points.

1 Plot
2 Gameplay
3 Development
4 Reception
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Plot

The game revolves around a young boy named Toku tasked with saving his homeland from the vengeful elemental Balasar with guidance from the wind elemental Enril.

[edit] Gameplay

The player controls Toku, but simultaneously uses the Wii Remote to draw directional paths on-screen that control the wind. Wind is used to enhance Toku's jumps, defeat or immobilize enemies, and solve puzzles.^[1] A second player can also join in with their Wii Remote controlling a second on-screen wind cursor, allowing Toku to fly further but not higher.

[edit] Development

The genesis of LostWinds stems from a Frontier "Game of the Week" competition to develop a game that took advantage of the Wii Remote.^[2] The idea for the game itself came from Steve Burgess, a designer for Frontier. He was watching the wind blow through some trees and began thinking about a way to have a player become the wind in a game. He began envisioning puzzles and later added a second character to be "moved" and "protected" by the wind, and applied his ideas to the Wii Remote.^[3]

At the end of the game, a short epilogue is played as well as the words "to be continued..." Frontier Developments have already stated that they are working on a sequel for the game.^[4]

[edit] Reception

Reviews
Publication	Score
1UP.com	B^[5]
Edge	8/10
GamePro	5/5^[6]
GameSpot	5.5/10^[7]
IGN	8.2/10^[8]
Compilations of multiple reviews
Compiler	Score
Metacritic	82/100^[9]
Game Rankings	82/100^[10]

LostWinds received a largely positive response from critics.

IGN praised LostWinds' sound and graphics, calling the presentation "remarkable", and felt the gameplay was fresh and fun with clever puzzles and tight controls. However, they had concerns with the short length of the game, which they claimed could be finished in about 3 hours, but felt this was offset by the relatively inexpensive price compared to a retail game.^[8] Eurogamer also praised the presentation, controls and puzzles, claiming the game to be a "mini-masterpiece",^[11] while GamePro gave the game a perfect score, calling it "beautiful and unique".^[6]

1UP.com also thought the game was "charming, beautiful, and loaded with smart, judicious use of the Wii Remote" while voicing minor concerns with its length,^[5] while WiiWare World thought the game was "innovative" but "not be quite as revolutionary in terms of play control as some had hoped", though they stated it was "a step in the right direction" for the platform genre and WiiWare games as a whole.^[12] N-Europe praised Frontier's "astounding attention to detail" in LostWinds and its visuals which make it seem like a "living, breathing fairytale".^[13]

In contrast, GameSpot thought LostWinds was "brimming with potential", but ended up being very disappointed with many aspects of the game, including its short length, and claimed a lack of "energy" and "personality" in the game.^[7]

Addressing the short length of the game, Frontier founder David Braben believes LostWinds stacks up favorably against some recent, full priced retail games which offer as little as between four and seven hours of gameplay.^[2]