Reviewed: May 17, 2007
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
Konami

Developer
Konami

Released: March 20, 2007
Genre: Adventure
Players: 1-2
ESRB: Everyone

5
7
7
6
6.1

Supported Features

And that is the $30 question you should be asking yourself as you survey the NDS case at your software store trying to pick out a new game for your handheld. If you have already played the original then avoid this shipwreck, but if this is your first time trying to survive on a tropical island then I suppose 2 is always better than 1. Supposedly, there is twice as much to do on this island.

The setup is the same as the first game, your cruise ship sinks in a storm and you find yourself washed up on the shore of an idyllic, yet totally dangerous island. You, Jack, quickly meet up with Amy, the token “female in distress” who requires your protection in exchange for some fancy recipes and good eating…well…at least you won’t starve to death…hopefully.

For those who missed out on the original there is some clever NDS-specific nuances to the gameplay, and by making use of the touch screen and the microphone, Konami has managed to create a unique approach to survival that will keep you amused for a few hours longer than you’d expect.

Indeed, much of the game is wandering around rather plain landscapes of grass, sandy beach, rocky ledges, and the like, but when it comes time to interact with those environments or the objects they possess, the game becomes quite clever. Case in point, creating a campfire.

Creating a campfire is not only essential in keeping warm on those cold nights, but also in preparing meals to keep you alive. Creating fire requires that you find several items including kindling, wood, and some sticks to rub together. Now it gets fun. Using the right and left triggers you can rotate the stick to generate heat and create a spark. Once you start to see smoke you start blowing into the DS microphone to literally turn that glowing ember into a crackling campfire. It’s not as easy as it sounds and requires some slow and rhythmic rotation of the stick (aka alternating taps of the shoulder buttons) combined with an almost CPR-like breathing into the mic.

But long before you are huffing and puffing into your DS you will find yourself exploiting all the tactile uses of the DS touch screen. For instance, you’ll often need to dig through the sand or brush aside grass or underbrush by rubbing the lower screen with your finger or stylus. Need a coconut? Just grab a palm tree and start shaking the trunk from side to side until something falls out.

The game offers a functional interface for managing and manipulating your growing inventory of items. You’ll find Amy, your female companion, to be quite the accomplished cook, thus reinforcing the stereotype that a woman’s place is in the cave. At first food might consist of nothing more than shellfish and the occasional non-poisonous mushroom, (poisonous mushrooms are available upon request), but as you learn to hunt and make traps you can snare yourself some fine vitals.

The top screen serves numerous functions ranging from a top-down map of the island to real-time health meters for both Jack and Amy showing your stamina and nutritional status with some clever iconic meters taken right from a third grade health book. Sadly, keeping these two alive become more of a chore than a challenge as their rate of hunger and dehydration defy the imagination. I am reminded of a South Park episode when the adults are trapped during a blizzard and resort to eating each other to stay alive – even though they are trapped for less than a day.

Jack and Amy will literally wither away and die right before your very eyes unless you are totally proactive in seeking out food and water. This means that you seldom get to enjoy the tropical luxuries of the island. There’ll be no cliff diving or pond swimming today – you have to spear a few thousand fish.

Many of the dreary survival challenges are masked with clever mini-games and DS-exclusive interactions, but they are no less dreary after you have done them a dozen times. Lost in Blue 2 also puts a much greater emphasis on cooking and recipes. This was, in my opinion, one of the worst parts of the original, so by putting more focus on that Konami really ruined this game for me.

What has changed for the better are the hunting and combat elements. These first-person action sequences were pretty rare in the first game but now you get to hunt, fish, and go up against far more dangerous creatures (like a crocodile). I had some issues with the stylus input on the original and things have been cleaned up a bit on this new version. There are still instance where you’ll need to swap your stylus for a fingertip.

Lost in Blue 2 offers a few new game modes including the Serious Survival mode, which eliminates the second character and challenges you to survive on your own for as long as possible – not much of a challenge as it was a relief not to have to baby sit the idiotic AI that only leads your unattended charge to a quick death. Still, the only outcome of Serious Survival is your ultimate demise at which point you are scored on how many days you were able to cheat death - kind of depressing if you ask me. Surprisingly enough, this sequel offers some mini-games for up to four players using single-card download play. If you’ve ever wanted to milk a goat with your DS, you found the right game.

Most of the color and creativity has gone into the interface and menus. Food prep takes place on a traditional checkerboard tablecloth and inventory is managed with a wicker basket background. Exploration includes a top-down 2D map and a 3D view in the lower screen. Occasionally you’ll get a first-person view for hunting and fishing mini-games.

Character design is limited to small models that move around well enough in the 3D screens. They certainly look better during conversations where you can really appreciate the anime-style artwork for Amy and Jack. There are also some nice split-screen, or rather dual screen video segments that are quite stylish.

What you are ultimately left with are the sounds of nature, wind blowing, the surf breaking on the beach, a babbling brook (or raging river), and the occasional seagull. It is here where the sound presentation really shines.

The mini-games are amusing and certainly add to the fun if you have some friends with their own DS’s. I would have enjoyed a cooperative wireless mode where another player could control the second character. If you are interested in this franchise and haven’t already played the first game then this is probably the better of the two.