Our daily review of WiiWare launch titles finally comes to a close with LostWinds. Developed by Rollercoaster Tycoon creators Frontier Developments, LostWinds is a 2D puzzle-solving adventure that utilizes the Wiimote to control both a young boy and his spirit companion, using the power of wind to proceed through several obstacles, solving puzzles and fending off dangerous foes.
The story of LostWinds centers on a young boy named Toku, who has been summoned by a mysterious spirit named Enril, a wind deity that once helped to contain an evil spirit named Balasar, who tried to take over the world of Mistralis many years ago. With Balasar now released and Enril’s power weakened, Toku has been tasked with assisting the wind spirit in regaining her lost power and sealing Balasar once again. Together, the two must journey across deep mines and abandoned villages to collect the shards of Enril’s power, strengthening her dominion of the wind to defend against the looming threat of Balasar.
Both Toku and Enril can be controlled together using the Wiimote and Nunchuck, with the former’s movements strictly mapped to the Nunchuck’s control stick, while the latter is a targeting icon that can be waved around the screen with the Wiimote. Since Toku can only move left or right, pick up certain items, and cross over ledges within his reach, it remains up to Enril and her mastery of the wind to guide the young adventurer in his path to heroism. With a mere flicker of the Wiimote, Enril can blow a strong gust of wind across the screen in any direction, beginning with simple tasks such as propelling Toku upwards to unreachable ledges, cushioning his descent from a large drop, or fending off against small slime-like minions of Balasar, called Glorbs. The power of wind must be harnessed to solve many of the game’s puzzles as well, such as directing a line of fire from a torch in order to burn down a wooden barricade, or to splash water from a nearby waterfall in order to help a sapling grow into a Poyak, a large plant that can propel Toku high into the air.
It does not take long, however, to unlock additional wind-based abilities. Upgrades uses for wind include tracing a line with the Wiimote, then allowing an item, element or even Toku himself to follow that pre-drawn path, or drawing a circle around a boulder or even a piece of fruit, building power around it and then propelling it like a bullet to open up new areas. New powers are added with each new area, and knowing when to use each of them to solve the game’s puzzles is crucial to finishing the game.
Many recent titles have tried to rely on the Wiimote as a gimmick to make their games stand out, but LostWinds is one of the few titles to truly innovate the motion sensing capabilities of the Wii. Every gesture and stroke with the Wiimote is implemented perfectly, and as long as players can map out the correct path in their heads, using wind to carry over the necessary tools to clear the way forward for Toku will become a breeze, no pun intended.
But controls are not the only impressive element of LostWinds, as the graphics and music are an absolute delight; The visuals convey a cartoonish yet intricately detailed world that resembles ancient eastern architecture and clothing, as well as sweeping melodies to further cement the illusion. The world is also highly interactive, as trees, flowers, windmills, water, and many other elements of the background will react to the strong gusts performed by the Wiimote. Even the many inhabitants of Mistralis will amusingly react to the strong bursts of wind surrounding them, followed by a look of confusion. There are also a few villagers that can be interacted with, such as Deo, Toku’s wise mentor, who later assists Toku and Enril in sealing Balasar once again.
As a WiiWare title, LostWinds contains a level of presentation and polish that is rarely tapped by even retail games, but it is not without its faults; The lack of an onscreen map can prove frustrating during a fetch quest that materializes later on, and with all puzzles and opened paths resetting to their default positions the moment players switch screens, they may end up revisiting the same area multiple times wondering if the puzzles have been solved before. The length of the game is also rather brief, lasting around three hours, with replays likely finishing even sooner. There are 24 totem statues, called Melodia Statues, scattered throughout the areas, although it has yet to be discovered what reward collecting all 24 will provide. With the cliffhanger ending and work on the sequel already underway, the purpose of the Melodia Statues may not be revealed until the second entry will surface.
But until that time, LostWinds stands out as a quality title with wonderful innovations and a gorgeous presentation. It may be short, but like a passing wind, it fills the soul with a brief yet soothing embrace, and makes up the best WiiWare title to date.
Primotech Rating: 
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it looks pretty but 3 hours? hmm…
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