Lost: The Game
XBox 360
M15+
Ubisoft


The review you're about to read is something of an oddity, a review from a perspective that you're - dare I say it- unlikely to find elsewhere. After a thorough check, I couldn't find a single review from any major review source by anyone unfamiliar with 'Lost'. I, on the other hand, had never seen the show before playing the game - I had no idea who Jack, Kate or Sayid were before I booted up the XBox 360, and although I knew the game's main character doesn't appear in the series, it didn't affect me in the slightest. It seemed I might have been foolhardy to play the game at first, but as I went on, I made a discovery- not only was I able to enjoy the game, but I felt as though the game's atmosphere wouldn't have the same effect on me if I was familiar with the show.

The game is called 'Lost', and I can't think of a single word that better describes my experience. But it wasn't the bad kind of lost, as the game progressed in a linear, logical manner. I was surrounded by strangers, suspicious of everyone, and totally unaware of the secrets the island held. It felt removed from the series' infamous sources of confusion, a sense of great immersion brought on by unfamiliarity. Having said that, there were a lot of references to the series that the game made absolutely no attempt to explain, and although it's not too hard to piece together the meaning behind these instances it's still a bit jarring. In essence, though, the game did a really great job of actually making me feel like I was lost on an island.

The game plays like an adventure game, probably most comparable to 'Broken Sword 3', only nowhere near as varied. It's also incredibly easy for pretty much the entire game, with the exception of a few of the 'circuit board' puzzles that pop up. It's disappointing that the same style of puzzle pops up so often, but these circuit boards, which require the player to control the flow and power of electricity on a board using different shaped plugs, are much more fun than they sound. There are hints of variation, but they rarely pay off - the game's trading system, especially, is ridiculously underutilized and NPCs are a bit useless. There's also one infuriatingly stupid level where running causes the dynamite you're holding to explode, but it only lasts for a few minutes. The game is also way too short - taking my time to get Achievement Points, I finished in under 5 hours.

The greatest praise I can give of this game is that, upon finishing it, I instantly went out and rented the first season of the television show. It's a compelling, atmospheric piece of software that provided satisfactory entertainment for an unsatisfactory length of time. If there was ever a game to recommend renting over a rainy weekend, it's this one, but the length is a real problem and replaying it just further highlights gameplay issues.

James O'Connor