When Nintendo announced its new WiiWare downloadable service, most people were left with many questions. How expensive will games be? How large are the games going to be in terms of both storage size and content? If they are large, how will we store them on the small 512MB internal flash drive of the Wii? The questions only increased when Nintendo announced that there would only be bug testing and no real selection process, making WiiWare a possible downloadable Wild West. Does LostWinds propagate the theory that this will lead to more original games at a quicker pace, or that WiiWare will be filled with shovelware derived from free Flash-based games found on the web that no-one else would publish?

The tale of LostWinds is based around an evil elemental named Balasar who has escaped a prison, along with Enril, the wind spirit who was trapped with him. While there is a fair amount of dialog in the short game and it's whimsical enough and gels well with the art style, it's nothing really interesting or deep enough to have any real impact on the game. In fact, it's a story that ends up going nowhere, as nothing really happens outside of the intro sequence, with a slight exception near the end where the hooks are placed for an obvious upcoming sequel. While it would be a lot to ask to have a grandiose story on the level of, say, Final Fantasy or Okami, it wouldn't hurt to have a little more substance to the otherwise flat story.

However, where LostWinds may drop the ball in terms of story, it makes a concerted effort in the style department; the game oozes a distinctively Japanese look, featuring Toku's bulbous head, heavy bloom effects, and a bright, vibrant color pallet not seen in nearly enough games these days. What's more, the game is littered with little touches that further enhances the fanciful feel of the game, such as when you pass your cursor, which represents the wind spirit, over objects in the background, they react accordingly; bushes rustle, grass sways, and clothing ruffles. The effect is purely aesthetic but it really goes a long way in making you feel like you're actually controlling some sort of power and not just using the cursor to solves puzzles and aid the basic platforming.

As one of the best looking titles in the early WiiWare launch lineup, LostWinds does a fine job of showing that great looking titles can be made for the service that aren't prohibitively large in file size; weighing in at 259 Blocks, LostWinds may not be a lightweight, but for the fidelity presented, it's certainly within reason.

The actual gameplay isn't nearly as engaging though. The concept behind the game is, like most downloadable games, fairly simple: you simultaneously control the main character, a young boy named Toku, and the wind spirit Enril who aids him along the way with various wind-based powers by using a pointer onscreen. While the wind mechanics are strong enough, they just aren't varied enough; almost every power is used to either extend your platforming abilities or to solve basic puzzles. While the mechanics don't really have a lot of time to get too tired (seeing as the game only clocks in at about three hours), they are entertaining when you're first exposed to them but they don't really break new ground or create interesting gameplay elements. Instead, LostWinds ends up feeling like a different means to the same end; rather than simply pressing a button to jump, you put a gust of air underneath Toku to bring him onto the next platform. While it's entertaining at first it becomes tedious before the end, especially when the game inexplicably decides not to register your gusts. While this wasn't a constant problem, it cropped up often enough to become a bother, especially when a simple jump button would have been much easier.

The most disappointing aspect of LostWinds is easily the suddenness which with it ends; while the expected finishing time of three hours isn't a terrible value for the 1000 point / $10 asking price, the game ends when the enemies become slightly varied and the story finally begins to gain a bit of momentum. It might be the first episode in the LostWinds tale, but a little more story advancement and some new environments would have made the title more recommendable as a purchase; as it stands it's a nice proof of concept with a great style and an interesting control scheme.

LostWinds isn't the beacon of hope that WiiWare would love to begin with, but it's not a bad game either; it's simply a solid addition to the inaugural batch of WiiWare launch titles that tries a few new things with some uninspiring results. Its gameplay won't blow many people away and it comes in at a rather brief three hours, but it still delivers a satisfactory gaming experience for your $10 while showing how great WiiWare games can look.

Reviewed by Jordan Wasilka for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).