Platform – Nintendo DS
Developer – Matric Software
Publishers – Konami
Genre – Adventure
Rating – 7+
Release dates – May 2007
Ever wondered to yourself what it’s like to live on a desert island but want none of the hassle of getting shipwrecked, almost drowning in the ocean, surviving against nature and the elements and suffering to the insanity of loneliness? Well you’re in luck as the Nintendo DS has the perfect game for you, Lost in Blue 2.
It all started with Survival Kids, a game fort the Game Boy Colour way back in 1999. The game had a similar gameplay style to this which was to merely stay alive after washing up on a deserted island. A sequel to Lost in Blue and followed by Lost in Blue 3 this adventure survival game was developed by Matric Software and published by Konami in 2007. In this dessert island survival adventure game you must work together with your partner as you climb, run, fish, stab and milk (yes, milk) your way to survival.
So what is this game all about then? Well it involves the main characters Jack and Amy, a pair of young teenagers who have been caught and shipwrecked due to a storm violently turning over their cruise boat. From the start you may select to take something from either the table, closest or suitcase, depending on what you choose can depend on whether you get nothing, an empty bottle to store water or more health/stats when you start off.
Depending whoever you selected to play as (either the boy or girl) you find yourself waking up on the beach of a deserted island and after a while find your partner character (who is the character you did not select). From there you both must search for a way off the island while surviving against the harsh elements, ferocious beasts and pure isolation from civilisation. Similar to Lost in Blue 1 the overall ending when you manage to escape is different depending on how well you got along with your partner.
Same ol’ same ol’.
Speaking of the first game I do have one small criticism about the storyline to this game. To put it simply, the first one was better. I won’t say too much, but after coming out of the ruins I was disappointed by what was out there, what you were up against in the first game was much more severe and life-threatening, and the ways of escape in my opinion were better than being forced to dive for maps and give gifts to a gorilla in hopes of being given a radio in return.
Though unlike Lost in Blue 1 this game does allow the female to travel further than the male and to not be solely dependent upon him, but the overall aspect of this makes the game weaker in my opinion. True, they couldn’t have used the same idea again, but for me it feels like both the male and female storylines are almost identical.
At least with Skype mode from the first instalment there were differences, sure the game was more about sitting there milking and looking after the place while the male went out to explore the island, but it was different. The only difference in gameplay in Lost in Blue 2 between Jack and Amy is the fact that Jack can climb twice as high, is better at cooking food and is stronger at fighting.
Amy on the other hand is a better swimming, can find food much more easily such as spices and when using ranged weapons such as a bow and arrow she has a steadier aim. The girl has more independence but playing the whole game through with the other gender is not overly rewarding and breath-takingly different.
Cast aways!
The game’s storyline advances as you go further through the island, the deeper you go the more the story will unfold. The best thing about this game though is that you cannot simply just rush on out exploring, you must make a plan, think ahead. Have you got enough food for your journey? Got enough water? Packed some energy-packed mushrooms (these mushrooms, the colour of which depends on each playthrough gives you a nice buzz of energy, though you may not be able to sleep well during this status effect it is excellent for exploring)?
And it isn’t just yourself you need to worry about. Does your partner have enough food? Are you making the most out of them, should they be making ropes or baskets while you are away? These are all things you need to think about before you leave on some large exploration. Also some days might not even be spent planning or exploring, but just gathering food and supplies to make your home more comfortable by crafting chairs, shelves, better beds and making sure you have enough firewood for the fire.
Having found food, water and shelter your journeys to find a way off the island will take you across beaches, through jungles and even into dank marshlands, all the while trying to keep yourself alive. Over time you will build furniture, hunt game, develop new tools, come to near-death situations and even build a treehouse and find new homes. With each passing day for survival comes a new problem or danger to face. How do you survive? Easy, by using your wits and the awesome touch screen game mechanics.
Touch and Go!
The game can be played completely with the touch screen and stylus or a mix of using buttons and the touch screen; it all depends on your own preferred gaming style. Personally I use the combination of the two as I find it easier and it’s what I am used to. Though the idea of using purely the touch screen is not a hard task and makes the game equally as enjoyable to play as using a mixture of the two.
The top screen has three different displays which can be toggled by using the shoulder L and R buttons. The first of the three shows stamina, hunger and thirst and over time and by doing certain actions these all decrease; when one or more of them reaches zero then the health gauge which can be seen as a percentage starts to go down.
If your (or your partner’s) health meter reaches zero then it’s game over. This display is a nice feature which was also present in the first Lost in Blue; it is especially useful as it shows both you and your partner. The sun behind them also is a good way for you to know instantly what time of day it is and how much sunlight you actually have. The amount of days and the time is also shown at the bottom of the top screen.
The other two screens are for navigations; one being a map of the surrounding area you are in and the other being the view of the entire island, with fog covering parts of the island you have wet to discover.
Using the microphone and the shoulder buttons you can create a fire to keep you and your partner warm.
The bottom (touch) screen shows a looking-down view of the player as well as the surrounding area which changes as the player moves around. Being the touch screen this is the screen which you can control your character using the stylus as well as how you complete minigames.
Now the touch screen, as I’m sure you know, is not the only new feature to be introduced to the DS. The microphone is another one. Using this piece of equipment you can start a fire with clever usage to the consoles features. By blowing into the microphone you get the fire going from a mere ember up to a roaring fire to keep you and your partner warm. This along with the use of the touch screen to spear fish, make lures and hunt animals shows how much the game has put the DS features to good use.
Like most games there are in fact bosses in this game. You encounter certain creatures which act like guardians to certain areas and by killing them do you progress in the storyline. Beasts such as a crocodile and a tiger are some of the natural predators you will be up against. Usually these animal bosses are only fought once and can never be found again, wolves are an exception though.
The two main characters, Jack and Amy, seem okay, though in my opinion have quite shallow personalities in the fact of you do not get to know too much about them, you don’t feel any sort of emotional attachment to them. Sure there are the odd moments when you feel some sorrow for the loss of a dead chicken and the girl is genuinely upset, but the character development for this game overall just seems poor. The interactions they have together seems fair enough and I suppose the fact they are just two kids who happened to get lost on an island together is the point of the game, but something just seems off.
More modes then you can handle?
Now this mode where you try to survive alongside your partner, aptly named Survive Together, is not the only mode you can play in this game, no. There are two other modes you may play; Multi-Survival and Serious Survival.
Now, as you could possibly guess Multi-Survival is the multiplayer mode for the game and on the whole isn’t that bad. Being a single-card multiplayer mode it allows you to challenge up to three friends at some of the minigames which are present in the main storyline. A nice competitive change from the survival seriousness.
The other mode is Serious Survival and as you can tell by the name is a much more hardcore survival challenge then the Survive Together. In this mode you are alone, no partner to help you in any way (though in some ways this is a bonus as babysitting your partner can be a really pain in the coconut) and the ending always results in death. You cannot escape in this mode, the pure reason is to try and see just how long you can survive; the rank you get depends on how long you last on your own.
A rather fun, little challenge mode which can get quite boring and monotonous after a while. The plus side is that you can use this mode to try and add more additions to the picturebook without your partner needing constant care as you unlock everything in Serious Survival from the start (including lures which I found a pain to unlock).
What’s the picturebook? Well this is the thing which I think adds to the replay value of the game, though the only thing which would have been better would have been more rewards for gaining certain things. The picturebook is a menu you can select from the main menu when in game; it contains all the animals you have discovered, plants, recipes for cooking, tools and so on.
A personal goal for some is to try and complete the picturebook completely, though it would have been nice for some sort of achievement or feature to be unlocked after certain parts in the picturebook are complete. The ability to just try to survive for as long as possible is also another aspect which allows replay value to be quite high in this game.
The music used is very island-like, it creates the correct atmosphere for the areas of the game, and the fact that little jingles/music starts when going into different areas, leaving your home and so on; it creates a nice, warm, pleasant touch to the game. The sound effects of the animals, the ocean, even the sound of footsteps on grass or sand are all very well done, it adds to the exotic, desert island feel. The random birds chirping and animals grunting when you get close to them is a nice feature. All these sounds do not sound stupid or out of place and work well with the nicely designed environments.
Though one of the best sounds is that extremely intense night-time music; as you run across the grasslands and jungles you risk your life by trying to evade the hungry predators eager for some fresh meat.
Now finding this game is not as simple as others, in some areas it may be more expensive, but going to CEX would ensure you find it for an alright price of £8 (though spending the £5 and getting the first Lost in Blue is a better deal in my opinion). You can also find it at the usualy places; ebay and Amazon for a pretty decent price too.
On the whole I feel sequels should usually bring something new to the table, even if it’s just a small tweak here and there, and while this game has some slight positives over the its predecessor I feel like this is purely a worse repeat. There isn’t much difference between this and the first instalment of the series; sure there are slightly better graphics and the top screen has been styled with the characters whole features showing not just a blue or pink blob, but that’s about it. There are a few more mini-games that have been added in and though the idea behind the game is good if you want to play a desert island survival game, play the first game instead.
6 rupees out of 10
Green Rupee Gaming 