Lost In Shadow (Wii) - Review by Chris

Introduction

We've witnessed quite a boom in platform titles on the Wii in recent months with several developers having pulled out their big guns for release on the console. The likes of Mario, Donkey Kong, Kirby (at least for those in North America and Japan) as well as Sonic have provided some stellar experiences to show that the genre is alive and kicking. But while old favourites have taken the spotlight, Konami have been trying their hand at a new and unique IP for the genre exclusively for the Wii, titled Lost in Shadow, where the focus is squarely on light manipulation and shadows, creating one of the most interesting titles on the Wii. Can this one step out from the shadows of the bigger titles and vie for top honours?

Gameplay

Starting with an opening cutscene which shows a young boy held captive at the top of a tower and having his shadow ripped and tossed from the top of the tower, Lost in Shadow chronicles the journey you'll make as the shadow, with shadow fairy Spangle in tow, trying to find your way back to your body all the while trying to understand what happened to you and why. Aside from the opening cutscene, much of the story is told through the memories you'll find scattered around the 60 or so floors of the tower as well as static cutscenes after completing certain sections in the tower but it never forces it upon you, rather it sparingly reveals more and more as you progress, leading to some twists as you approach the end.

Lost in Shadow is a side scrolling platforming with a difference. Whereas before you'd go through each level climbing on physical objects and defeating physically real enemies, here you'll be doing all of that in shadows. You'll have to climb the shadows of objects, jump between gaps in shadows, fight off shadow enemies with various swords you'll gain in some awkwardly implemented combat and generally interact with shadows throughout your adventure to ascend the tower and pass dangerous traps and puzzles. It's a confusing game initially, as you train yourself to focus less on the foreground imagery which is casting the shadows and focus more on the actual shadows themselves but once it clicks, it feels as natural as any other platforming game on the market. And although it is confusing, the foreground items are there for a reason, as you have the ability, thanks largely to Spangle, to manipulate and move objects in the real world so that you can utilise the shadows to clear a passage or defeat enemies.

As you progress through each floor, you'll encounter Shadow Barriers which block access to subsequent floors. To pass these, the game asks you to search high and low through each floor for 3 Monitor Eyes which act as keys. Only once you have collected all three of these will you be able to progress further. It starts out fun but can become tedious. Afterall, you'll be climbing 60 floors to reach the top but it acts as a way of allowing the gamers to see and make use of all of the creative ideas that the developers have included in the game. As mentioned, manipulating foregrounds objects to changes shadows is one such idea but another will have you purposefully manipulating light sources to create and change shadows so that you can cross gaps, defeat enemies or simply complete puzzles and it's a fantastic idea that is great fun to utilise.

Yet things do begin to feel very familiar and repetitive as the game goes on. Although there are the aforementioned ideas which are great, along with a fantastic atmosphere, the game essentially gives you most of its gameplay mechanics off of the bat and is happy to leave you playing through them. The inclusion of Shadow Corridors, hidden on many floors, helps to alleviate some of the tedium by having you play through confined levels where you can rotate the level to get to the exit door, but it's not until near the end and the inclusion of a specific mechanic which allows you to interact physically with the foreground objects that the game picks itself up again for the finish. It's therefore slightly awkwardly paced given the game's lengthy run time, with a bit of backtracking included which may ruffle some feathers.

Controls

Controlling the shadow around the floors of the tower is done by way of the Wii-mote and Nunchuk, with the analogue stick taking care of movement and the A and B buttons being for jumping and attacking respectively. It's not an overly difficult setup to master but due to a slight sluggishness in the movement and attacking, things are made a tad more difficult than they should be as you don't really have the responsiveness in the controls that the game asks for at times. Similarly, in the Shadow Corridors, the d-pad is put to use to rotate the level but at times it's difficult to keep track of which button press manipulates the level in which direction. It's something you'll get used to the more you play but it can be ever so slightly frustrating. The IR functionality of the Wii-mote is put to good use throughout the game, and it's the only implementation of motion control within the game, and while it's not pixel perfect for movement, it easily gets the job done when it comes to manipulating the light sources in specific areas.

Graphics

Although far from pushing the capabilities of the Wii, Lost in Shadow is a heavily atmospheric looking title which exudes personality and will draw many comparisons visually with the likes of Ico. Simple textures and some rough edges to the level design give way to sepia and blue toned environments, bathed in light and shadows which really set a tense tone that perfectly complements your gruelling journey up the tower. All of the 2D work for the shadows is well done, with some fantastic and imaginative designs for the enemies, although occasionally they do look a little pixelated at times.

Even though the discrepancies in the quality of the visuals, primarily the foreground imagery but also the backgrounds, are always on show, you'll rarely take notice of them and they hold no real bearing on the game as most it does take place in the shadows, and even the puzzles set in light still manage to look great, with your character taking on a 3D model which again looks a little basic but still looks great in the overall context of the tone and atmosphere of the game. It's a shame, though, that a cloud filter effect is placed over the entirety of the visuals as it looks and feels a little odd and out of place.

Sound

The music may not be the most prominent thing in the game, and this is clearly a deliberate action on the developer's behalf, but is certainly doesn't fail to leave its mark on the game, with some hugely atmospheric tracks played, although quietly, which really do help to set the tone and atmosphere. Sound effects aren't quite as effective in creating tension, more often than not becoming irritating through prolonged hearing of the repetitive sounds the further you climb up the tower. It's a shame that they often over shadow the music but you can and will learn to block them out and fully soak up the atmosphere that the game exudes.

Final comments

Lost in Shadow is a simple yet beautifully crafted title which exudes character and personality to create a wonderfully unique gaming experience. The presentation, while not being the best the console is capable of, sets the tone early on and allows you to revel in one of the most beautifully crafted atmospheres in a game on the Wii. The gameplay doesn't quite live up to that level of quality, becoming a little repetitive until a late gameplay mechanic introduction tries to lift the game, revealing some awkward pacing. They're flaws which can't be overlooked but ultimately, Lost in Shadow is an experience unlike anything else on the Wii and the plethora of fantastic ideas coupled with the superbly atmospheric world make this worthy of your time.

Pro: One of the most captivating worlds in a game, presentation really sets the tone well, some nice gameplay ideas, it's pretty lengthy
Con: Pacing isn't quite right and it can get a little repetitive, visuals aren't as tidy as they should be, controls needed to be more responsive
Final score: 8

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