861st played so far
Genre: Adventure/Platform
Platform: Wii
Year of Release: 2009
Developer: Frontier Developments
Publisher: Frontier Developments
There was something incredibly charming about LostWinds, an IOS platformer where you controlled the winds that blow a character around, rather than making him jump directly. It felt uniquely suited to touch controls, although I can see how the Wii controls would have worked as well.
The sequel came out on these platforms too, but it doesn’t seem to have been ported to 64-bit IOS, and it’s now a lot more difficult to get Wii games. Instead, I’ve been playing the PC version for the blog, which will have its own pitfalls.
Our Thoughts
LostWinds 2‘s controls feel like they could convert more easily to mouse control than they do – after all, you can point and aim. It uses repeated speedy swipes to be able to move, and while that’s easy with your fingers, keeping your mouse moving in the right direction for repeated swipes is more difficult. It works and is playable perfectly well, but it’s not as much fun as the tablet gameplay and I suspect that while the Wii controls would have worked, the touchscreen is the more natural way to play the series.
With that said, these controls are only part of the game. The world of LostWinds is on display here again, with the sequel exploring, at first, a wintery area as you ascend a mountain. Later in the game, you get the ability to change the seasons between summer and winter, replacing cold, snowy areas with the grassy, sunny versions that are closer to the first games. They look similar, but each has a few different abilites and places where you can or cannot navigate, as water unfreezes, slippery slopes get easier to get up and fire isn’t necessary to keep warm. There’s a lot more going on here, with changes that are introduced gradually and naturally.
Final Thoughts
I didn’t play LostWinds 2 the way it’s best played, but it still had its impact. It’s a gorgeous world still and the differences add a lot of depth to the game. You can explore and expand your world slowly and not only are you able to retrace your steps with new abilities as you go on, the story has you repeatedly crossing the map to do things in different areas. It works incredibly well as a game, with a touch of art piece in there.