Lost: Via Domus - The Video Game

The Good
Via Domus has 7 episodes, that play just like an episode off TV. The main character has lost his memory and relies on flashback at the beginning of each episode to remember. Being a journalist, you carry a camera that helps you remember. Taking the right picture in a flashback lets you remember more.

On the island your character can interact with almost everything and everyone from the Lost television series. Travel to locations that you know from the TV show. Talking to survivors will bring up many things from the TV show.

Collecting fruits, water bottles, rations, and other items allow you to trade with other survivors.

Traveling trough the jungle with no compass is hard, but thankfully 'the A-team' (Jack, John, and Kate) have set markers to travel by. After traveling through the jungle once allows you to warp to your destination without having to navigate back.

The puzzles may take some time, but take up most of the game. Fixing fuse boxes, solving number riddles, and sprinting through the woods dodging trees are puzzles encountered in the episodes.

Using your camera to take pictures of things may unlock achievements. Taking pictures of things that relate to Lost characters and the Lost TV show will unlock secrets linked to the TV show.

Your log book keeps good track of what you need to do. It is real easy to stay on track.

The game is pretty short, but, this is not a bad thing. So many achievements, so many things you might have missed the first time. Why not keep playing until you get all the achievements, its not hard.

The Bad
The trade system was pretty useless. Not all survivors traded, and there wasn't much needed. Torches, lanterns, oil, a gun, and some bullets are the most useful items, but I haven't found the need to restock. You could be rich with all the items you find, but can't carry. For $110 worth of goods you could buy a gun. It is needed for your quest, but doesn't shed much blood.

The Bottom Line
This game is just another episode for the TV series. Someone just needs to play it. What you would expect from an episode on TV, you will play in Via Domus. There is nothing Resident Evil about this. Not even the puzzles. Fixing fuse boxes, sprinting through the woods, and IQ tests allow you to advance. Its a fairly simple game. Follow the story and nothing can go wrong.

The Good
The cut scenes in Lost Via Domus were entertaining and the flashback's to previous missions worked well in theme with the way JJ Abrams directs the series. Some of the actors voice act the characters and the depiction of the characters in the game are very realistic. Gameplay wise there are some nice elements, like photographing certain key elements from the series.

The Bad
Lost Via Domus is uninspiring, it was marketed by Ubisoft and ABC and hyped beyond belief and failed at the first hurdle. Lost Via Domus is more of a frustration to play rather than a joy and its generic gameplay elements and frustrating retries and countless journey's through the jungle dodging the black smoke gets tiring, in the end this game feels like a chore than a fanboy's dream.

The Bottom Line
Lost isn't as shameless as movie tie-in games at grabbing your cash and delivering a substandard product. It tries to be allot more mature and have elements of puzzle, action and narrative, unfortunately it's all very static and boring and fails to take the player through the story and wanting to know what happens next.