The Nintendo Wii was definitely the stand-out console of 2010 when you look back at the exclusive titles released for the system, this has continued into 2011 with the release of "Lost In Shadow" an inventive and unique platformer that follows the shadow of a boy and it's journey up a tower to be reunited with it's master. If you have played ICO and Limbo, think of what a mixture of those two games would produce and that's what to expect here.
The simple, yet genius idea of how light and shadow interact is the concept that makes Lost in Shadow such a unique platforming experience. Sometimes the complex level design and difficulty can get in the way of what is truly a wonderful game, however the solid gameplay and fantastic art direction make this one of the games not to miss out on in 2011.
Lost In Shadow takes full advantage of it's simplistic approach and this works for and against it at times. It doesn't try to be fancy or go over-the-top, from the music, to the gameplay, to the story, the developers have just created something which is fun and most importantly, something that works. Players won't be overwhelmed with excessive details, crazy plot lines, or gameplay that takes weeks to master. The story does still contain a few twists and turns, however this is merely to help enhance the mood and tone of the world around you. The game is singular in it's focus, this may seem strange to modern gamers but focus is not a bad thing.
Lost In Shadow takes full advantage of it's simplistic approach and this works for and against it at times. It doesn't try to be fancy or go over-the-top, from the music, to the gameplay, to the story, the developers have just created something which is fun and most importantly, something that works. Players won't be overwhelmed with excessive details, crazy plot lines, or gameplay that takes weeks to master. The story does still contain a few twists and turns, however this is merely to help enhance the mood and tone of the world around you. The game is singular in it's focus, this may seem strange to modern gamers but focus is not a bad thing.
The same balance between focus and complexity applies to the gameplay as well. Shadow is a platformer at heart, players will move their nameless character through each floor of the tower, leaping over and manoeuvring the many obstacles that lay ahead. There are also a variety of various creatures that lurk in the darkness, players will have to deal with them as well as the traps. The unique thing about Lost In Shadow is that, while the world contains many objects and places, the whole game takes place on the shadows that these objects and the world create. I've never seen anything quite like it and it felt extremely refreshing. For example, if there is a bridge in the world, you will be controlling the shadow of a boy on the shadow of the bridge, rather than platforming on the bridge itself. I'm very rarely impressed by such a simple concept, but i just thought this was a brilliant idea. The foreground and background are kept quite close together and the developers have managed to really capture an excellent atmosphere which feels claustrophobic, isolated, and extremely lonely.
Each floor in this giant tower seems to operate with a similar set of conditions, players start at point A and must reach point B, while collecting three Monitor Eyes (Keys) in order to progress to the next stage. The majority of the 60 stages stick to this formula, however each stage manages to feel new and fresh, preventing the game from feeling repetitive. Collecting the three Eyes can become a bit tedious, but some of the games best puzzles are constructed around forcing the player to acquire a certain object. So the inclusion of these Eyes really is required to make this feel like a complete package.
Back to the unique interaction between the shadows and the light. The game doesn't just ask players to platform along the shadows in the background, players will need to manipulate or find ways to move objects in the foreground in order to make the shadowed path take them to their goal. Some 2D stages (shadow corridors) will allow players to rotate the entire world like a cube, changing the entire perspective of the level's shadows. This can sometimes be quite confusing and difficult, but ultimately the creative and innovative puzzles will leave you with a feeling satisfaction on completion. These puzzles combined with the phenomenal atmosphere really bring this world to life in it's own impressive way.
Graphically and audibly, Lost In Shadow is not setting any new standards, but it does look absolutely great. The developers have went for a particular style and mood here and they have perfected it. The animations look great but the textures and framerate has a few issues. Don't let any of that put you off this fantastic and extremely fresh experience though.
Overall i thought Lost In Shadow is just a great game filled with fantastic platforming sections and puzzles. The games concept is brilliant and i haven't been this blown away by an idea for a game since Mirror's Edge. The graphics and sound are good but nothing ground-breaking, however with 60 levels to play through, players will have a blast with this game.
Lost In Shadow is another fantastic Nintendo Wii Exclusive 8.5/10
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