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Lost In Blue 3 Review for the Nintendo DS (NDS)

Lost In Blue 3 Review for the Nintendo DS (NDS)

Teenage Wasteland

I find it very difficult to believe that Lost in Blue is a series. Sure, the first game was pretty interesting, but it suffered from being a little too short. The second entry, creatively titled Lost in Blue 2, traded the brevity for tedious gameplay and a pretty useless partner system. Lost in Blue 3 makes the partner system a little bit more useful this time, and they also made some minor gameplay improvements, but realistically Lost in Blue 3 is pretty much the same game that you have been playing since 2005.

Lost In Blue 3 screenshot

The game begins with a quick background of your main character. You can choose to play as a girl or a boy, but the story does not hinge upon your gender. Essentially, the story revolves around an aspiring teen singer and her amnesic ex-boyfriend who forgot he was ever with her. And somehow, through the powers of fate, these two ex-lovers, who hadn’t seen each other in TWO years (an eternity to a teen), somehow end up on the same sinking ship and then miraculously end up on the same stranded island. Coincidence? Of course.

So after you find out about this heartwarming story of teen love, you are thrust right into the gameplay. If you are a Lost in Blue fan, you’ll know the drill. Find food, find cave, make a firestarter, find water, sleep. The first day is always the most intense in Lost in Blue games because if you’re not 100% about what you’re doing; then it is pretty easy to die because there is absolutely no tutorial. In fact, if you’re planning on starting Lost in Blue 3 with no previous Lost in Blue experience, I would take a look at a strategy guide for Lost in Blue 2 for the first day just so you can get everything done and not die immediately. Of course I realize it is pretty sad I’m telling you to use a strategy guide for a previous game, but the games really do start off almost identically,

Lost In Blue 3 screenshot

But there are some small differences that actually make this title an improvement over previous Lost in Blue titles. First of all, as I mentioned before, your partner is not completely useless this time around. One of my biggest problems with Lost in Blue 2 was that your partner character could not do anything for his/herself. You had to bring them everywhere you went, and your only real goal with regard to your partner was to keep them alive. I’m not saying that your partner character is going to make surviving any less challenging this time around, but now they can perform mundane tasks like getting firewood and cooking. Of course you still have to lead them to fresh water before they’ll drink (they outright refuse to go get water by themselves) , and they’ll refuse to eat or leave the shelter if it gets cold. But at least if you take care of them regularly they’ll serve some sort of purpose in the game, which is a definite upgrade from this series’ previous entry.

Another area where this entry has improved somewhat is in the visual section. While the last entry looked pretty good, Lost and Blue 3 looks even better and features smoother textures and better animation. The camera control works the same and gives you a consistent bird’s eye view of the island, which make foraging and exploring simple enough. While Lost in Blue 3 is certainly not the best looking game on the DS, it definitely falls into the top-tier of DS visuals

Lost In Blue 3 screenshot

However, one thing that has not improved since the last game is the sound. The music last time around was abysmal, and unfortunately I think the exact same music was used in this title. The minimalist voice acting also leaves a lot to be desired, and only consists of the occasional one or two word remark from your partner character. The only facet that saves this title from being categorized as a complete failure on the sound front is the sound effects, which are surprisingly instrumental to the game. For instance, the sound of the ocean or the sound of a waterfall may help you get your bearings if you are lost in unfamiliar territory. There are also various cooking sounds that can help you decipher when you should turn your food. It is really unfortunate that the music is not so good, because it could have made the game’s overall quality quite good.

Lost In Blue 3 screenshot

As far as control is concerned, you use the d-pad to move around, and use your stylus to dig for clam shells, spear fish, and shake trees. You’ll also be able to explore and examine different things using the A button, and you’ll use the shoulder buttons and the microphone to make campfires. Control is fairly simple, and most of the stylus-based control is what gives this game its charm. I have to say that cooking is by far my favorite part of the game, and I think watching it and turning it via stylus at just the right time is definitely why it is so fun.

Lost in Blue 3 is a fun game, especially if you fall into one of two categories: if you’ve never played a Lost in Blue game, or if you have played a Lost in Blue game and can’t get enough of the same gameplay. If this title was the first entry in a series, I would be really impressed. But the trouble with the Lost in Blue series is that it has remained essentially unchanged over the span of its three entries, and that is a big problem. When I was playing this game, I saw no real tangible difference in the gameplay, and I was just not as excited as I was when I first started playing Lost in Blue. If there is a Lost in Blue 4, I would hope that they do something drastically different with the series to make up for the static formula that gamers were subjected to over the course of the first three games. But until then Lost in Blue 3 remains only a slight improvement over Lost in Blue 2, (no comma) and brings nothing fresh to the table in terms of gameplay. So you might want to think twice before getting lost on this island…again.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.0 Graphics
Looks very good on the DS. Not perfect graphics, but they get the job done, and do it with enough tropical flair to impress. 3.5 Control
Very simplistic controls have you moving around using the d-pad and stylus. 3.0 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Music and voice over aren’t that good, but sound effects are enough to give this title some redeeming value in the audio department. 3.0

Play Value
Very fun to play if you don’t mind the fact that nothing substantial about the game has changed since Lost in Blue 2. I can only seriously recommend this title to big fans or those who have never played a Lost in Blue game. If you have played a Lost in Blue game and just thought it was fun or slightly above average, steer clear of Lost in Blue 3.

3.1 Overall Rating – Fair
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Four playable unique characters.
  • Multiple storylines and flashback episodes.
  • Over 20 mini-games for further fun.
  • Realistic weather systems.

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