Freelance Review: Lost: Via Domus
Today's freelance review comes from Weekly Geek community member and all around-awesome guy Thousandneedles. Want to send in your own freelance review of a game we haven't covered yet? Drop us a line.
Lost. A word that either causes hearts to flutter, or eyes to be rolled. For some, the mysteries and suspense have gripped their very souls and leave them scouring the works of forgotten philosophers and Stephen King novels, for others the ever-hanging questions and holding back of information has them tearing their hair out. So when it was announced that there'd be a Lost game with a look into the mythos behind the stories everyone should be happy, right? Here's our chance to explore the island for ourselves and see what's really going on! Well, yes and no. Let's flash back.
For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past four years or so, Lost follows the adventures of a group of plane-wreck survivors who find themselves on a seemingly deserted island with little to no chance of rescue. The game sees you playing one of these survivors, but with a slight twist – amnesia! Yes, this soap opera staple has the main character discovering his past along with the player which actually adds to the experience, helping to fit the show's signature flashback style. In fact, the game is broken up into several "episodes", complete with "Previously on Lost" v/o and titles. It's a decision that can initially grate, as playing 10 minutes of the game only to have it repeated back to you seems unnecessary. However, treating the game as episodes of the show helps to build a little dramatic tension, and really ties the game to the show. But let's face it, people won't be getting this game to learn more about their character, they'll want to know the secrets the island holds. And I have to admit the game delivers. A little.
The game plays as a very casual survival-adventure, with your character pursuing his own agenda which tangentially crosses with the show at certain points. Need a laptop battery? Go find Locke at the hatch. Need some dynamite? Head to the Black Rock. And it's in showing these locations that the game performs well. The locations are spot on from the show, and it's definitely interesting to be able to explore the Swan station for yourself. Some locations even give more information than in the show, which is a huge plus for fans of the show wanting to squeeze as much as they can from the game. The story is interesting, with several twists, and Lost fans are going to find a lot to enjoy from the added history. The gameplay however, has several flaws.
For whatever reason, most of the characters are not voiced by the cast of the show. Some (Jack, Kate) are more tolerable than others, some (Hurley, Michael) are wrong enough to snap you out of the game a little. It's a problem that's made all the more noticeable when you encounter one of the few (Sun, Claire, Ben – thank goodness) voiced by one of the cast. After listening to Charlie's bizarre Oliver-Twist-esque accent however, players will end up happy that interactions with the cast are kept to a minimum.
Getting by on the island requires trading items with select members of the cast to gain vital supplies, except that you don't really need half the objects you're given. You don't need to talk to most of the cast outside of quest-related conversation (the entire "inventory" category in the dialogue is completely unnecessary for every character you meet). Even when you get a gun there's barely any situations where you need to use it. The problem is, this game is just too easy. There's little challenge in either figuring out where to go or what to do when you get there, and while Lost fans will appreciate more about the locations and take their time exploring there's not enough to hold anyone looking for a real puzzle. If you're playing on the Xbox 360 (as I was) it's also possible to get every achievement easily on your first time through the game, and still finish in one 7-8 hour sitting.
Score: 3/5. Fans of the show will no doubt want to pick this up. It's not a bad game by any means and the story is interesting, with little backstory not seen in the show. It's great to see the locations from the show, and conspiracy theorists will no doubt be scratching their heads again. It lacks any kind of replay value, however, and is almost painfully short. Good for a rental.
What say you?!