LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias
Encyclopedia
LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias is a platform
/adventure
video game by Frontier Developments
for the WiiWare
platform. It is the sequel to the 2008 platform adventure LostWinds
, and sees the game's protagonist Toku searching for his missing mother while also trying to uncover the fate of the Melodia people who disappeared from Mistralis years before. The story of the game is self-contained, and as such, having played the first LostWinds game is not necessary to enjoy it. According to the developers, they took the length issues of the original LostWinds into consideration while developing the sequel. LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias is on sale via the Wii Shop Channel
for 1,000 Nintendo Points.
, the non-player character
s in LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias were developed to feel more personal than the original title.
The game then moves its attention to LostWinds protagonist, Toku. During the game's tutorial section, Magmok, the final boss from the original title, assists Toku and Enril up to the Summerfalls mountain. Upon their arrival to the village, it is apparent that the village is locked in eternal winter. Many of the locals have been turned to stone, while others are fearful of the 'monsters' that lurk in the winter. The initial challenge is for the ill-dressed Toku to stay close to any forms of heat in the village to protect himself from the lethal cold. Eventually, high up in the mountains, Toku encounters Riveren, who has become malformed and aggressive from the dark magic that consumes him, and is knocked down into the depths of Summerfall. Toku is rescued by an Eskimo tribe, who provide him with a winter coat, and reunite him with his mother, Magdi.
With new directions, Toku and Enril seek out Sonté, the Spirit of Seasons, in order to end the relentless winter. After completing a quest for him, Sonté imbues Toku with the power to alter the season in Summerfall. The hero subsequently traverses the land, unlocking new wind-based powers for Enril, as well as pages from Magdi's journal with further story exposition. Toku reaches the city of the Melodias to find its inhabitants frozen in time.
Finally, Toku discovers the King of the Melodias, who had been hiding in the snow. Toku escorts the King to the uppermost area of the city, where Riveren appears and attacks him. With the help of the King's special abilities, Toku defeats Riveren and expels the dark magic from his body, which is presumed to be the spirit of Balthasar, the primary antagonist of the LostWinds series.
, development was held off due to other company commitments. According to David Braben of Frontier Developments, development for LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias began in April 2009, and took roughly six months to complete. Frontier Developments set aside little over 20 people to work on the project. The goal when developing LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias was to retain the same level of innovation that was evident in the original title, while increasing the play time as a whole, taking length criticism of the original title into consideration. Much like Metroid
games, the game was designed to slowly introduce new powers and abilities to ease the player into the experience.
and 86.5% on GameRankings. IGN UK
awarded the game a score of 9.1 out of 10, praising the title's challenging puzzles and engaging platforming, saying that "LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias represents an essential purchase." Eurogamer
were equally impressed, giving the title 9 out of 10, calling the game a "tightly designed adventure", comparing the experience to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
. Nintendo Life also gave the game 9 out of 10, praising its challenging puzzles and stunning visuals.
Although still impressed, TeleText
gave LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias a lower score of 8 out of 10 when compared to other reviews, stating that while it remains a "perfectly crafted experience" the wind controls can become "slightly imprecise" at times.
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
/adventure
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
video game by Frontier Developments
Frontier Developments
Frontier Developments is a video game developer based in Cambridge, England. It is a private limited company and was incorporated in January 1994. The company is still headed by David Braben, in the position of Chairman....
for the WiiWare
WiiWare
WiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...
platform. It is the sequel to the 2008 platform adventure LostWinds
LostWinds
LostWinds is a platform/adventure video game developed by Frontier Developments, originally for WiiWare. The game was released for WiiWare in North America on May 12, 2008 and in Europe on May 20, 2008, serving as a launch title for WiiWare in both regions. Square Enix published the game in Japan...
, and sees the game's protagonist Toku searching for his missing mother while also trying to uncover the fate of the Melodia people who disappeared from Mistralis years before. The story of the game is self-contained, and as such, having played the first LostWinds game is not necessary to enjoy it. According to the developers, they took the length issues of the original LostWinds into consideration while developing the sequel. LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias is on sale via the Wii Shop Channel
Wii Shop Channel
The Wii Shop Channel is an online shop for the Wii video game console that allows users to download Virtual Console and WiiWare games, and new channels. Downloading may require redeeming Wii Points. The channel launched with Wii on November 19, 2006...
for 1,000 Nintendo Points.
Gameplay
Unlike the original title, players are able to switch between seasons, from winter to summer and vice versa, assisting players throughout various puzzles. In addition to this, the game features an in-game map and hint system to prevent players from getting lost. Players are able to swim, break rocks, and use cyclones, amongst other abilities and items obtained throughout the progress of the game, such as a coat. According to Frontier DevelopmentsFrontier Developments
Frontier Developments is a video game developer based in Cambridge, England. It is a private limited company and was incorporated in January 1994. The company is still headed by David Braben, in the position of Chairman....
, the non-player character
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
s in LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias were developed to feel more personal than the original title.
Plot
The game begins with a prologue where the player controls Riveren, a Melodia boy tasked with singing at the King's ceremony. While exploring the city of the Melodias, a bridge breaks under Riveren, plummeting him into a cavern, where he finds a stone that is leaking dark magic. The prologue ends with a text box stating "At last, I have found you."The game then moves its attention to LostWinds protagonist, Toku. During the game's tutorial section, Magmok, the final boss from the original title, assists Toku and Enril up to the Summerfalls mountain. Upon their arrival to the village, it is apparent that the village is locked in eternal winter. Many of the locals have been turned to stone, while others are fearful of the 'monsters' that lurk in the winter. The initial challenge is for the ill-dressed Toku to stay close to any forms of heat in the village to protect himself from the lethal cold. Eventually, high up in the mountains, Toku encounters Riveren, who has become malformed and aggressive from the dark magic that consumes him, and is knocked down into the depths of Summerfall. Toku is rescued by an Eskimo tribe, who provide him with a winter coat, and reunite him with his mother, Magdi.
With new directions, Toku and Enril seek out Sonté, the Spirit of Seasons, in order to end the relentless winter. After completing a quest for him, Sonté imbues Toku with the power to alter the season in Summerfall. The hero subsequently traverses the land, unlocking new wind-based powers for Enril, as well as pages from Magdi's journal with further story exposition. Toku reaches the city of the Melodias to find its inhabitants frozen in time.
Finally, Toku discovers the King of the Melodias, who had been hiding in the snow. Toku escorts the King to the uppermost area of the city, where Riveren appears and attacks him. With the help of the King's special abilities, Toku defeats Riveren and expels the dark magic from his body, which is presumed to be the spirit of Balthasar, the primary antagonist of the LostWinds series.
Development
Despite the sequel unofficially being announced after the credits in the original titleLostWinds
LostWinds is a platform/adventure video game developed by Frontier Developments, originally for WiiWare. The game was released for WiiWare in North America on May 12, 2008 and in Europe on May 20, 2008, serving as a launch title for WiiWare in both regions. Square Enix published the game in Japan...
, development was held off due to other company commitments. According to David Braben of Frontier Developments, development for LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias began in April 2009, and took roughly six months to complete. Frontier Developments set aside little over 20 people to work on the project. The goal when developing LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias was to retain the same level of innovation that was evident in the original title, while increasing the play time as a whole, taking length criticism of the original title into consideration. Much like Metroid
Metroid
is an action-adventure video game, and the first entry in the Metroid series. It was co-developed by Nintendo's Research and Development 1 division and Intelligent Systems, and was released in Japan in August 1986, in North America in August 1987, and in Europe in January 1988...
games, the game was designed to slowly introduce new powers and abilities to ease the player into the experience.
Reception
Upon its release in Europe, LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias received critical acclaim, and currently holds a score of 87% on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and 86.5% on GameRankings. IGN UK
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
awarded the game a score of 9.1 out of 10, praising the title's challenging puzzles and engaging platforming, saying that "LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias represents an essential purchase." Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
were equally impressed, giving the title 9 out of 10, calling the game a "tightly designed adventure", comparing the experience to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, known as in Japan, is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console, and the third installment in The Legend of Zelda series. It was first released in Japan in 1991, and was...
. Nintendo Life also gave the game 9 out of 10, praising its challenging puzzles and stunning visuals.
Although still impressed, TeleText
Teletext Ltd.
Teletext Ltd was the provider of teletext and digital interactive services for ITV, Channel 4 and Five in the United Kingdom.-Origins:Teletext Ltd started providing teletext services for ITV and Channel 4 on 1 January 1993, replacing the previous Oracle service which had lost the franchise...
gave LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias a lower score of 8 out of 10 when compared to other reviews, stating that while it remains a "perfectly crafted experience" the wind controls can become "slightly imprecise" at times.