Genre : Platform
Publisher: Frontier
Players: 1
Retail Price: 1000 Wii Points
Availability: WiiWare
When the the original LostWinds released as a WiiWare launch title it was one of the most complete offerings on the service. Its polish was second to none and some believed it could have stood as a retail release, if only the game were longer. The brevity made sense, however, as Frontier’s strategy was to deliver an episodic experience. Winter of the Melodias, the second installment in the LostWinds series, is a sequel that delivers on some of the promises left behind by its forebearer while validating Frontier’s vision at the same time.
The story continues a short-yet-indeterminate amount of time after the conclusion of the first title. The game’s protagonist, Toku, sets out on a quest to find and rescue his mother, whose expedition has gone amiss. He ventures forth with Enril, the wind spirit and source of his abilities, into the wild. The lush green environments of the first game give way to a treacherous and wintry mountainscape. Frontier cleverly establishes several things right away in the first few minutes of the game through the setting alone. There are items frozen in and areas blocked off by ice, and a village with still-inhabited houses. It’s evident that the mountain was not always in perpetual winter, and that you won’t be playing the entire game in it as well.
Those familiar with the original game will feel right at home, as the basic gameplay hasn’t changed. Moving Toku is done with the analog stick and you use the remote to direct the wind beneath him if you want to jump. Players can also interact with the environment in different ways with the wind. Some are useful, like the ability to draw a vortex to create a projectile snowball to attack enemies while some are purely aesthetic, like gusting through tree branches and watching them blow about. The manipulation of fire also makes its return, allowing you to break through thick barriers of ice which would otherwise remain in your way.
What Winter of the Melodias does best over its four hour quest is mix things up. The game never strays from platforming, but the elements involved change several times to open the world in substantial ways. For example, the cold is your biggest adversary as the game starts. If your warmth meter empties and you aren’t near a source of heat, like fire, you’ll begin to lose health. Predictably, this is nullified early in the game and you’re able to venture freely into the cold, but the subtle way it guides you to your objective proves a lot of thought went into the pacing and level design. Much like Nintendo’s Metroid series, a lot of what you’ll eventually be able to do is visible but kept slightly out of reach until you get the proper ability. Most players will remember what ledges were previously inaccessible and their curiosity will sent them scurrying back to explore what’s just out of view because of this.
The main hook here is the ability to change the environment from winter to summer, and it provides the basis for many of the game’s puzzles. While they’re cleverly designed and require a bit of thought, it’s disappointing to note none truly test the player. One of the game’s unadvertised additions, the ability to transport bodies of water from one area to another is also well-designed mechanic, but falls short of realizing its potential as well. Still, there’s still something satisfying about running past a door that took you five minutes to open and into the unknown expanse beyond. It’s a feeling LostWinds produces in spades.
WiiWare, like any download service, is comprised of titles that vary in quality and composition. Winter of the Melodias may not be the longest or most challenging title, but its cleverly designed and well-thought out challenges provide more than enough enjoyment for the price of admission. While the series may no longer be the exclusive purveyor of this style of platformer on the Wii, it still ranks among the best available on the system, retail or download. The best part is we should expect a sequel. The hardest part will be waiting for it.
