"Survival Kids Goes 3-D"

Survival kids returns to the Nintendo DS with a new name, Lost In Blue. In Lost in blue, players are able to take the role of two stranded survivors from a cruise ship. Surviving on a deserted island is not a common type of game, so Lost In Blue is definitely a unique experience. Lost In Blue gives the DS a fun adventure game that is not only fun for fans, but also players new to the series. Now on to the review.

Story-7

Vacation at last! Players take the role of a teenager named Keith who is going on a cruise to relax from his stressful life at school. If Keith though his life was hard then, he will be in for a big surprise. Long story short, something happens to the boat, and Keith falls overboard. Waking up on an Island, Keith soon finds a young girl named Skye. Together you must survive against nature, find a way to be rescued, and solve the mystery behind the ancient ruins scattered throughout the island.

Graphics-7

Lost In Blue has some really nice 3-D graphics. Animals, plants, water, and Island appears to be alive. There are two ways to view things in this game. The first way being an overhead view of your character. The textures on the ground are decent looking. All the plants look very real. Animals prance around the plains with realistic movements. The other view mode is first person. The graphics are especially good in this mode. All food items look like they do in real life. The trees, ocean, river, and ancient ruins come to life in this mode. Some grass textures look grainy.

Sound-7

I really like the music and sound in Lost In Blue. Everything in the world of Lost In Blue makes a realistic noise. The waterfall sounds amazing with the DS's surround sound. When walking around, the noise made by your feet changes depending on the surface you are traveling on. When walking around you hear birds singing, wind whistling, animals grunting, water running, and other noises of nature. The music in your shelter depicts the relationship between you and Skye. The happier the music, the stronger feelings you have for each other. For the most part the music is repetitive, but does a good job to help set the desired mood of the situation.

Game Play-8

Daily tasks in Lost In Blue include searching for materials, hunting, and exploring. Keith explores the island for items such as sticks, rocks, food, and vines. With these materials you can, invent items such as arrows, fishing rods, spears, traps, and more. You can also use these items to make fires, baskets, or furniture.

If you run out of food in Lost In Blue, you die. The player has four parameter which are thirst, hunger, energy, and HP. If you hit points reach zero, your character dies. To prevent this the player can drink water from the stream, rest, and gather food items to cook with. In Keith's story, Skye will cook food automatically. After you complete Keith's story you can play the game as Skye, which lets you play a cooking mini-game.

Exploring is the only way to progress through the story. On the island, you can find many different materials and places. Some of them I'll keep secret. Solving puzzles is fun, and so is scaling a mountain. Though, you can't explore unless your parameters are high.

Control-7

The touchscreen and button control is a bit awkward at first, but soon becomes second nature. Digging for things in the sand is fun and the D-Pad works well for movement. L and R are used to change the image on the top screen which can be a map, player status, or an aerial shot of explored island. Pressing A will let the player search. Keith is able to hold hands with Skye by pressing Y. While holding hands, Keith and Skye can explore together.

Replay Value-6

Lost In Blue has three modes of Play. The Boy's story, the girl's story and a secret mode. I have played about 15 hours so far, and would expect to have completed everything at 23 hours. Once you have beat Lost In Blue, there is not much to go back for. Once you have solved all the puzzles and mystery, the challenge along with the fun is gone.

The Good

First Person Bow Hunting, Using the touchscreen to dig up beached items, Fishing, Exploring, and solving block puzzles

The Bad

Parameters go down to fast, when you are out of energy the player must walk, hard to capture wildlife

Final Opinion

There are a few other games that are a better value than Lost In Blue, though SLiB still provides an overall fun experience. It is unique and a new type of game.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 10/11/05