There was just something
so delightfully endearing about the first Lost in Blue game for the
Nintendo DS. Konami brought us an original and involving game about two lost
souls on a deserted tropical island just trying to survive while awaiting
rescue. Perhaps it’s how the other character (you can play as a girl or a boy)
depends on the other to live or how sweet it was to explore unknown territory
hand-in-hand. Well, the first game was a breath of fresh air while the second
just seemed like a repeat with different characters. Now, with Lost in Blue 3,
we are returning for a third helping of the same tiring formula with very little
new features.
Survival is once again the
name of the game and this time there are more shipwrecked survivors you’ll meet
on the tropical paradise. Once again, you are given a choice between playing a
boy or a girl but playing as a boy you will see how clear the game has given
advantage to the male character while the girl in the story is just good at,
well, cooking. The two do get their own storylines, though. If you pick Claire,
you find out that she was onboard the luxury liner to sing during a dinner show
and to see her old flame named Sam who she still loves so deeply. If you pick
Sam, on the other hand, you get a mystery. You see Sam might be connected with
the events that led up to the ship sinking but he is struck with amnesia. With
no memory of who he is or what happened, he is reunited with Claire who holds
just some of the answers.
“You can’t remember me but you remember who won the
past five Super Bowls? Ugh, men!”
As I mentioned, though,
Claire and Sam are not the only ones lost on the island. We meet James, a
headstrong survivor who is good at fighting. Then there’s Kumiko, a bookish tech
geek who is – surprise – also good at cooking. Really, though, how Claire and
Kumiko can whip up lemonade and a tasty salad out of seaweed and coconuts is
indeed a wonder but why can’t they also be good at hunting and starting fires
too? How utterly sexist! Konami could have at least made the girls good at
packing things. Why does James, a martial artist, have to be the one who is a
professional at packing items?
Sam is certainly no slouch
when it comes to hunting and gathering but, like in the first game, he still
requires all the necessary requirements such as nourishment (food and water) and
energy. Your daily chore is to make sure that you have food, water and get
plenty of rest or else your HP meter will drop dramatically and you will die.
This means you must regularly gather food, lead the others to water as well as
start the fire that will keep you all warm in the cold, dank cave. You must do
this daily so be prepared to go through the same chores often. After awhile even
spear fishing becomes tedious and how many times must we shake that coconut tree
to get more than one coconut per day?
“Next, on Fox
Sports, Bare-knuckle Butler Boxing!”
Unfortunately, the
mini-games that once seemed so innovative and charming are just repetitive and
played out in this third game. Constantly having to blow on the microphone to
build a fire does get old after a short while. At least this time around there
are even more mini-games to accompany the old ones (like building tools or
cooking). You’ll be performing rhythm mini-games as Claire as well as
communicate with chips by repeating whatever they say into the handheld’s
microphone. You can also dive underwater as well as go river rafting (in
first-person view, no less). You’ll also fight off bats at one point but the
real treat is exploring the huge island that has plenty to see.
The problem – aside from
the fact that we’ve been doing the same things since the original and its sequel
was released – is that your three companions can often be a burden rather than a
blessing. Sure, you’ll have some flunkies to help you out but in the long run
they all blindly depend on you to survive. I’ve had to reload a game a few dozen
times after Kumiko or Claire died of poisoning or hunger. There’s also a
multiplayer mode for up to four gamers but it’s really disappointing that
multiplayer doesn’t mean you get to explore the island with your friends taking
up the role of the other survivors. Instead there are a few competitive
mini-games to play.
The game’s graphics aren’t
bad at all but, then again, the Nintendo DS has done better. Still, gamers will
love the fact that the anime-styled characters look good and are represented
well in-game. There are also some very decent visual effects that make the
flames from your campfire flicker. Still, there are some flat textures that are
too hard to ignore and the 2D trees look really out of place in this game.
“See, Claire, it
was Ok to cross the bridge in high heels. Claire? Claire?”
There’s a soundtrack in
Lost in Blue 3 and you’ll hear it in all the right moments but the biggest
flaw happens to the fact that the environmental noise is kept at a minimal.
This, of course, is understandable but there are DS games available with a nice
amount of sound effects. There’s also voice work in the game that sounds a tad
muffled through the DS speakers so you’re best left with using headphones.
Lost in Blue 3
for the Nintendo DS seems to recycle all
the interesting features that made the first game so delightfully original and,
in the end, it just doesn’t give returning gamers much of a reason to be swept
away on a lost island again. With new mini-games and three other characters to
aid you, everything seen here is just leftovers from the original. Sorry,
Konami, but this is one franchise in need of a rescue.
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#Review |
Gameplay: 5.5
The survival tactics in this game
means you’ll have to go through some tedious and repetitive tasks and the fact
that you have to baby sit three other characters will make your job harder.
Still, this island feels less empty and there are some mini-games … like monkey
training. Still, we’ve seen this and done this all before.
Graphics: 7.0
The anime-styled character models
actually look good in-game as well as in cut scenes. Despite the washed out
textures, the environment looks good and there are some decent visual effects to
boot. Even the body of water in the game looks good on the DS.
Sound: 6.0
There are some voices this time
around and it is limited to a few phrases but it’s impressive nonetheless. The
rest of the game’s sound is made up of minimal sound effects and there’s a
soundtrack that offers some variety.
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
What was is it that Jack from the
television show Lost says about “living together” and “dying alone?” Each
character has his or her own strengths and weaknesses but mainly just weaknesses
that will have you working your character to the bone just to help out. Trust me
when I say that you will be dying alone a lot in this game.
Concept: 5.9
While the first game wasn’t exactly
the Blue Lagoon, it was charming to see the male and female protagonists
connecting in such a deep level that isn‘t often seen in handheld games. In this
third game, however, the three other characters are more a burdensome lot. At
least there’s an Ok storyline and did I mention there’s monkey training?
Multiplayer: 5.5
Wouldn’t it have been cool to have
four friends take up the role of the other characters to help the chores and
storyline move along more smoothly? The game’s multiplayer mode does offer
head-to-head mini-games and a cooking contest. The mini-games (like Bat Wipe
Out) are fun while the others not so much (like Diving).
Overall: 5.9
The third outing of the Lost in
Blue games just feels like our first trip to the deserted island even with
three more people on it. Sadly, Lost in Blue 3 has lost it’s charm or
sense of adventure that made the first game so refreshingly appealing to
Nintendo DS owners. Sorry but if you’re a returning fan then this island won’t
hold anything new. If you’re new to the series, this is not a bad game to pick
up.
