PixlBit

Can games be considered art? It's a question that was at one point a debate that many had. Various film critics didn't think so, but Roger Ebert conceded his stance after awhile before his passing and said in context they very well could be. With each new generation there comes a game that redefines what many call artistic. Is it artsistic in a graphical sense? Artistic in a story sense? Can you make a game mechanic with art in mind? Some games have tackled this issue to varying results. Okami had fantastic art direction, used art style motion controls to draw various objects, and had fantastic artistic direction trough it's story. Other titles such as Shadow of the Colossus  take an artistic approach in terms of how it conveys it's game with vast abandonment of the fields around you, the climatic fights against the Colossi themselves, or the ending cutscene. Today we have such a game that takes an artistic approach. This week I present Lost in Shadow... a game I bought for $5.

If you see the box cover you'd be more than intrigued. It doesn’t really play anything like it but it looks a bit like the cover of Ico. It’s clearly hoping to convince people it’s just as imaginative and intriguing as Ico too.and it owes a lot to Ico in a lot of ways. Especially in regards to how it approaches a minimal story with it's art presentation. It doesn't play anything like Ico, but there seems to be inspiration taken from it in a way.So let us begin with the introductory story. At the very beginning nothing is explained. A young boy is held captive at the top of a giant tower with an apparent attempt to be executed. This only ends up separating his shadow from his body. The shadow is then thrown to the very bottom of the tower. Although certain memories you reveal and various things you find end up telling you that turning you into a shadow was the plan all along. As the shadow, you spend the rest of the game trying to climb back up again.And you really are shadow too, not some three-dimensional being but a much more fragile reflection of the light.

Although the game is at heart a platformer, it’s not the actual pipes and walkways of the tower you’re platforming over but their shadows. The position of the physical objects onscreen is irrelevant so long as you can traverse the shadows they cast upon the wall or floor.You can interact with the real world though. This ability is due to a fairy spirit named Spangle I believe (It's been a long time since I played it)  by pointing the Wii remote at the screen you can move or rotate certain objects. At this point it becomes a puzzle-platformer. The most imaginative aspect of this game is the ability to change the position of the onscreen light source, either vertically or horizontally. The option isn’t always available, which is a bit of a downer, but when it is suddenly impassable gaps are transformed into easily made jumps. There are quite a few interesting gameplay aspects to this that really made me appreciate this game. And that is definitely a highlight, despite how infrequent it can be.

The level of interaction with the game is frustratingly inconsistent, varying from the unimaginative lever pushing to swinging light bulbs that alter the shadows as you move. There are fantastic concepts though. For instance, you can even step back into the material world at times, although only briefly. Some areas require you to find three ‘Shadow Eyes’ to allow you to pass through to the next one. It isn't  always great however. If you miss one that means backtracking to find it, which is just as frustrating as it sounds.  Later on, there are a lot more abstract puzzle areas that play with the light and shadow mechanic even further. These prove to be the game’s highlight. It's a shame they happen so much later into the game though, almost near the very end. This is especially problematic compared to the inevitable but ultimately unnecessary combat elements in the beginning of the game.

The various shadow creatures that stalk you are portrayed via an impressive array of sinister noises and spidery shapes, but once you get a sword this becomes much easier. The increasingly bizarre designs and the game’s atmosphere never match up to where you feel enemies are too much of a chore to deal with. Again I have to say part of me loves this game. However it's frustratingly inconsistent at times. I love the later half of this game, traversing the dark tower, playing around with the concepts of light and shadow elements, critical thinking mechanics...It's just so fresh and unique. But when I forced to engage in dull combat, fetch questing for eye portal keys, and going through the motions... it disheartens me.

When Lost in Shadow does have the confidence to rely purely on its own ideas it’s a fascinating and hugely evocative experience. And it's one I suspect would benefit more from having those ideas and concepts than saving it for the latter half . I often wonder if it was meant to be a downloadable title and i can’t help thinking it would’ve been a lot more successful as such. As it so happened it became ignored in the oncoming Christmas rush when it was released, which is as shame because even at its least inspired it’s still a much more interesting experience and game than most other Wii titles

Critical Opinion: 6.8/10- It’s inconsistent and never quite fulfils its potential but this is far more inspired than it first appears. The atmosphere is great. The manipulation of light and shadow is exceptionally clever at times. Puzzles and platform sections range from the innovative shadow mechanics and object movement to the painfully boring with backtracking shadow eye segments. The mechanics of combat are pretty dull and frankly quite easy. The game is also quite short. You can beat it in less than 15 hours or so.

Personal Opinion: 7.2/10- I loved a lot of the mechanics in this game. It's got great atmosphere and I hunted all over the place collecting lost memory fragemnts to get into the story. It's really quite fun and has quite a few interesting gameplay elements. Unfortunately, it takes it's sweet time to really introduce the best elements in the game and the lack of checkpoints to where you need to go (especially towards the end when you have to backtrack all the way to the end boss) brings the game down.

Overall Determination: 7.0/10- What a Bargain!