Lost: Via Domus

Hi everyone!

I just finished Lost: Via Domus about two minutes ago and I thought I would write a review with my fresh impressions of the game.

SYNOPSIS: Lost: Via Domus is a computer game based on the famous tv series Lost. You are crashed on the island with the other Lost survivors. You don't remember who you are and have to find your memories back and find your way home...featuring a lot of the famous cast seen in the series.


GENERAL IMPRESSION:I must admit I really loved this game! It is a true must-have for all fans of the series as you are completely immersed in the island and will visit a lot of famous landmarks. I loved the well-done mix of adventure and action and a very solid plot with a wicked ending. A game done by Lost fans with attention to detail. All in all , a winner for me!

GRAPHICS: The graphics are simply gorgeous and will require a very good and powerful graphic card to be run with full feature. I ran mine with mid/high graphic details and it was really beautiful. The characters are incredibly well done and you will have no trouble recognizing Kate, Sawyer and the Lost gang! The movement of the character is somewhat stiff but all in all nice graphics.

GAMEPLAY: The game is played with mouse and keyboard, but the commands are straightfoward and do not require any crazy key combination as most action games do. The action is there but is somewhat minimal compared to real action games; a few run-for-your-life and very little shooting action. It was nicely blanded and never gratuitous. Also you will use your camera a lot and it was real fun!

PUZZLES: There are not many puzzles in this game and almost all of them are mechanical, mainly in the form of electrical panel and fuse combination. There is also interaction with computers and even IQ tests! The puzzles were not hard and all in all I found them to be entertaining, even if they are minimalistics, but that is in the spirit of the tv series.

SOUND: The music is beautiful! Directly taken from the series. You will recognize many themes, both emotional and action themes. It is never overwhelming and it plays at the right time. I found myself rocking at the music theme in the menu as well! The voices are dead on! I am not sure whether the characters are actually dubbed by the actors in the series but if not, they sure come close to the real thing!

SAVES AND DEATH : There are several times where your character can die, but you are always given a second chance. Saves are automatic but there are a lot of them! I never found myself dragging on to reach the next save.

DURATION: I completed the game fairly quickly but I found the duration to be ok. It is not very long but not incerdibly short either. And it all depends how long you spend on the fuse puzzles too hehe

BEST FEATURE: There are many! The graphics, the gripping storyline, the faithful reproduction of all elements seen in the Lost tv series, the good blanding of adventure and action/exploration and the innovative use of the camera during the flashbacks. I found that very entertaining! The game is always very exciting and at times a bit scary too: it gives a wide range of emotional experiences.

WORST FEATURE The stiff character movement and I guess fuse puzzles could be a bad feature for those who are not so fond of mechanical puzzles. I would have liked to have seen various kind of puzzles instead of only mechanical ones.

YOU WILL LIKE THIS GAME IF...If you are a fan of the Lost series you must not miss this game. It's a true treasure! For those who are not fans or do not know the series, the game is still entertaining if you like a bit of action mixed with a bit of puzzles and exploration, also if you like games set in the wilderness.

MY FINAL GRADE: B+. The game does not have the strongest puzzles and might pale in comparison to other adventure games , BUT it has a gripping storyline and is a true work of love from Lost fans and it features an outstanding ending!

Hi jedi -- thanks for the review! I know many of us are wondering about this game -- whether it is an adventure game or more of an action adventure.

Is there another game you could compare the action elements to? Does Dreamfall, for instance, have more or tougher action elements than Lost? Does Daemonica?

You didn't mention stealth -- are there any stealth elements in the game and, if so, are they difficult?

Hi Becky,

I would consider it an adventure game with more exploration and character interaction than puzzles and with a bit of action. It has more action than Dreamfall, but the action is more like mini-games sort of action than Tomb Raider action. For example , there are some scenes where you are required to run and jump some obstacles and others where you have to cross the jungle and hide from the black smoke. I don't think there is any stealth per se, mostly selected simple action scenes. I died a few times during action scenes but I did not find them particularly challenging. They are there to serve the story and to set the mood, rather than being action for action-sake. A lot of action is also concentrated in operating a camera and in taking good pictures with the right framing and focus and that was quite fun. I would say there is 70% adventure / exploration and 30% action.

Jedi

Do you play action games in addition to adventure games?

Hi looney, no I really don't to be honest. I did play action games such as Tomb Raider and Prince of Persia in the past but not anymore. They are not really my thing..I prefer a good adventure and a good story!

Exception to the rule is Star Wars: Jedi Academy. I did play it a few times simply for the sheer passion I have for star wars and also cuz it's so much fun to play with the lightsaber

Yes I am playing this game now .There are some timed puzzals but they arnt hard .I have been shot ,blown up, and knocked out but the story line is good so far

Yes there are two time puzzles but they are very easy in my opinion. And yes you can certainly die ! But you are always given as many chances as you need. And as the for storyline, you will like the ending

Thanks jedi valius for your very enticing review - I think I'm probably going to give in & get the game!

Thanks Jedi for the review!

Love Maria

I finished this game last week and i must say that it was really nice. But there's only one thing... I didn't understand the ending.... Maybe

Ahh-- I have a thought-- I just finished the game--- I liked it -- but some of the action-- gave me some trouble-- the running and hiding in the woods for one-- took me a few tries for those-- sure got my adrenalin going though ---

Impressive Winfrey... I didn't though of that...