It’s not uncommon for any movie to be turned in to a video game. What is uncommon is a television show to be created in extension to the series. Lost: Via Domus does just that, and while you a play part in the award-winning ABC show, is it worth getting Lost?
In Lost: Via Domus, players take control of Elliot Maslow, an amnesiac photojournalist and another survivor of Oceanic Flight 815, who remembers very little about his past before the crash. In LOST fashion, you begin amidst the chaos of the crash site. With little to no information of who you are, players must set out to find answers by interacting with familiar faces from the show, such as Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hurley, to get to the bottom of the past and the strange mysteries, creatures and people that inhabit the island, as well as delve deeper into Elliot’s flashbacks to reveal his reason and purpose on the island.
The story in Via Domus is really weaved together well and doesn’t cause any inconsistencies as it overlaps the narrative from the show perfectly to make you fall a part of the whole adventure. The current and back-story is also very interesting and will keep players intrigued right until the end. So if you enjoy the whole ‘more-questions-than-answers’ Lost technique, you’ll love this, along with a great ending.
Lost Via Domus is essentially an adventure/puzzle game. This is different in a good way, as not many titles have taken on the genre in such an ambitious way. The adventuring aspect involves the player searching the islands famous locations from the show (such as the beach, hatch and the Black Rock) and interacting with other survivors in order to obtain information or items required to progress or complete a challenge. This is where the puzzle element takes place as you first need ask the right questions to gain the right answers, which is a bit misleading as regardless what you ask, you’ll get your answers. Then with information given, you must travel to that location or meet the specific character to initiate a new quest which will lead you closer to finding out about your past.
The main portion of the puzzles is completing electrical circuits, in order to open doors or activate switches. You need to acquire fuses by either searching the island or bartering with other survivors. The bartering plays a big role as you’ll need to collect items in order to trade for assets you may need to complete tasks, such as acquiring a lighters or gun at a later stage. Some fuse puzzles can become slightly repetitive and vary in difficulty greatly. It essentially results in a great combination of exploration and puzzle solving adds some intellectuality to the gameplay (wow, my head hurts).
There is however, sections of action and tension as you may find yourself in a brief gunfight with members of the ‘others’ or running to escape the ‘black smoke’. Avoiding the black smoke involves the player running away from it by using well timed jumps and slides to dodge fallen or overhanging trees and rocks. These do seem a little off, but they add a good sense of pace and adrenaline to the usual slower gameplay of exploration.
Flashbacks also make up a fair share of gamplay and play an important role to the unraveling of the story. During certain character interactions, flashbacks may be initiated, where you play out a scene prior to the crash on the island,then you are required to take a specifically framed and focused photograph in order to activate and remember the scene sequence which will follow. These are really interesting and unique ideas to pull the story together as you really feel you are playing a role in piecing the story together.
Graphically, Lost: Via Domus is really good. The jungles look lush, lighting is awesome and character detail is lifelike and uncanny to the real like counterparts (except for Charlie, who looks like demented hobo) which is great for LOST fans. What’s the real treat is the level design, which is impeccable as the locales from the show have been recreated beautifully. The Black Rock ship looks amazing and being inside the uber-detailed hatch is absolutely awesome, yet the jungle creates the best atmosphere for the game making you feel as if you really are a survivor, with its creepy noises and thick plant life.
The voice acting is essentially really good. You don’t get the cast from the show, but you do however get some really great sound-a-like filling in. Except for the few obscurities, all the characters sound decent and lines are short and to-the-point, but remain true to the story and universe of LOST. The music is comprised of the original LOST soundtrack which works wonders for the feel of the game and other audio elements such as the sound of the ‘monster’ are authentic and chilling.
At the end of the day, Lost: Via Domus is for fans of the show, as they will really get the best out of the game interacting with their favourite characters and visiting the famous spots on the island. There are some really great elements like the exploration, inventory system and puzzle solving which will appeal to anyone looking for something different to many titles these days. Whether it is inputting the dreaded numbers into the hatch’s computer, or trying to understand Locke’s riddles or evading the ‘black smoke’, there is something every LOST fan (including myself) will squeal in delight to.
[starreviewmulti id=1 tpl=20]
