Lost Winds: Winter of the Melodias review

Ideally you'll want to have played the first game before giving this a try, not because of storyline reasons (although WotM doesn't bother reintroducing Toku or his wind spirit friend Enril) but because it throws you into the deep end somewhat. Before you're given your protective winter garments, you're expected to ascend the frozen mountains, lighting fires and making your way between sources of heat before you expire from the cold. The amount of jumping (gusting, using the pointer to control the wind) and precise movement needed to clear this section within the time limits would be daunting for newcomers. Even we struggled a bit.Of course, you soon find yourself endowed with abilities that make getting around much easier, as is the tradition with these types of games. Think of it as a 2D version of Zelda, only much shorter and more streamlined. Along with protection from the cold, you'll pick up some new wind powers and movement enhancements, and then be able to make your way back to previously inaccessible areas. The 'gimmick' this time is that there is a summer and winter version of every area, which can be switched between at certain points. While frozen, water becomes ice, snow can be used as a weapon and various other changes make for some rather ingenious puzzles. The winter theme also has the advantage of making the environments look extremely pretty.Lost Winds was quite the looker, particularly for a game crammed into WiiWare space limitations, and it's nice to see that the follow-up has actually improved graphically. The summer blossoms and tree leaves again billow about in the wind, and the new winter environments look delightfully chilly. There's such attention to detail here, from the lovely refracted image of Toku as he passes behind icicles, to the character animation which manages to convey emotion with minimal gestures. WotM is not just a showcase for WiiWare but for Wii games full-stop.Frontier Developments has not just made this a simple rescue story, either. There's a lost civilisation (the titular Melodia) at the heart of the story, whose ancient city ruins make up some of the best environments in the game. Dialogue scenes are kept to a minimum, and the mystery of what happened to them is revealed as you play. The playable prologue section is particularly good at setting the scene. In an industry of overblown plots and clumsy narratives, WotM is refreshingly subtle and effective.In addition to the new season-switching dynamic, WotM offers a few general improvements over the original Lost Winds. There is now a map to refer to, which shows you where each area of the game is in relation to the others, and also keeps track of the notes that Toku's mother has left behind (unintrusive extra narrative for those interested). As the game environment is somewhat broader than in the original, the map is a welcome addition. The game is also longer on the whole, but not excessively so. If anything, Lost Winds' quality comes down to how focused everything is. There's barely a second of 'down-time' as you're always en route to the next area, finding a new ability, or working out the solution to a puzzle. The pacing is excellent.If there's one area where it starts to wear a bit thin, it's the control system. We could overlook the original's flaws somewhat, as using the power of the wind to 'gust' Toku up and over jumps was new and original; but with even bigger environments that send you in all directions, the fundamental act of moving around can get tiresome. It doesn't help that some large gaps are only barely within reach, and a slightly misjudged gust of wind can drop you short of reaching the other side. Drawing circles to create cyclones can also be hit-and-miss, and our technique for batting away the gooey enemies that litter the game is little more than fly-swatting motions (they're vulnerable to excessive force, when burning them with a fire trail isn't an option).Our criticism of the summer/winter dynamic would only stretch as far as to say that it isn't used quite enough. There's a sequence towards the end of the game which is not only a thoroughly impressive use of it, but also an intelligent use of backtracking. We wish there was more of it! Otherwise, we generally enjoyed our time with Lost Winds: Winter of the Melodias. It's an ideal sequel that should satisfy your hunger for more of the same, and a genuinely charming game in its own right.