LostWinds 2: Winter of the Melodias

Last updated

LostWinds 2:
Winter of the Melodias
LostWinds 2.jpg
LostWinds 2 cover art
Developer(s) Frontier Developments
Publisher(s) Frontier Developments
SeriesLostWinds
Platform(s) iOS, Wii, Microsoft Windows
ReleaseWii
  • EU: October 9, 2009 [1]
  • NA: October 19, 2009 [2]
  • AU: November 6, 2009 [3]
iOS
May 10, 2012 [4]
Windows
March 24, 2016
Genre(s) Platforming, metroidvania [5]
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer [6]

LostWinds 2: Winter of the Melodias is a 2009 platform video game developed by Frontier Developments as a sequel to the 2008 game LostWinds .

Contents

The game sees the 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. [6]

Square Enix published the Wii version in Japan on December 22, 2009. [7]

Gameplay

The game features the ability to switch between seasons. LostWinds2Comparison.jpg
The game features the ability to switch between seasons.

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. [8] 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. [8] According to Frontier Developments, the non-player characters in LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias were developed to feel more personal than the original title. [9]

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 Balasar, the primary antagonist of the LostWinds series. [10]

Development

Despite the sequel unofficially being announced after the credits in LostWinds , 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. [11] Frontier Developments set aside little over 20 people to work on the project. [12] 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 the Metroid series, the game was designed to slowly introduce new powers and abilities to ease the player into the experience.[ citation needed ]

Reception

The Wii and iOS versions received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. [14] [13] IGN UK praised the Wii version's challenging puzzles and engaging platforming, saying that "LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias represents an "essential" purchase. [22] Eurogamer was equally impressed, calling it a "tightly designed adventure", comparing the experience to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past . [17]

Although still impressed, Teletext GameCentral said that while the same console version remains a "perfectly crafted experience" the wind controls can become "slightly imprecise" at times. [14]

Related Research Articles

<i>WarioWare: Twisted!</i> 2004 video game

WarioWare: Twisted! is a video game for the Game Boy Advance, developed by Nintendo SPD with Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. It was released on October 14, 2004 in Japan; May 19, 2005 in Australia; and May 23, 2005 in North America. The second game in the WarioWare series and the seventh in the Wario series overall, Twisted! was the last Wario game to be released on a Game Boy family system.

<i>The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess</i> 2006 video game

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is a 2006 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the GameCube and Wii. Originally planned for release exclusively on the GameCube in November 2005, Twilight Princess was delayed by Nintendo to allow its developers to refine the game, add more content, and port it to the Wii. The Wii version was a launch game in North America in November 2006, and in Japan, Europe, and Australia the following month. The GameCube version was released in December 2006 as the final first-party game for the console.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frontier Developments</span> British video game studio (founded 1994)

Frontier Developments plc. is a British video game developer founded by David Braben in January 1994 and based at the Cambridge Science Park in Cambridge, England. Frontier develops management simulators Planet Coaster and Planet Zoo, and has produced several games in David Braben's Elite series, including Elite Dangerous. The company takes its name from the earliest titles in the Elite series with which it was involved, a port of Frontier: Elite II and development of Frontier: First Encounters. In 2013, the company was listed on the AIM segment of the London Stock Exchange. It published third-party games under the Frontier Foundry label between 2019 and 2022.

<i>LostMagic</i> 2006 video game

LostMagic is a real-time strategy role-playing video game developed by Taito for the Nintendo DS system. It supported the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

<i>Kororinpa</i> 2006 video game

Kororinpa (コロリンパ), known as Kororinpa: Marble Mania in North America, is a video game for Nintendo's Wii video game console. It was released in Japan on December 2, 2006 as a launch title for the Wii, then in Europe on February 23, 2007 and North America on March 20, 2007.

<i>MySims</i> 2007 video game

MySims is a video game developed by EA Redwood Shores and published by Electronic Arts as a spin-off to Maxis' The Sims franchise for the Wii and Nintendo DS in September 2007, re-released for Microsoft Windows and mobile phones in 2008, and for BlackBerry in 2009. The game sold 3.7 million units as of 2008.

<i>Top Spin 3</i> 2008 video game

Top Spin 3 is the third title in the Top Spin series of video games. The game was developed by PAM Development and published by 2K. New game elements include real-time weather effects, more options of professional tennis players, an in-depth character creation tool and new unparalleled gameplay mechanics. It also features impressive advancements in an audio/visual sense with improved Dolby Digital surround sound and "Evolutionary" visuals. Top Spin 4 was released as a sequel about three years later.

<i>The Sims 2: Castaway</i> 2007 video game

The Sims 2: Castaway is the third console spin-off of the life simulation video game The Sims 2 for the Wii, Nintendo DS (NDS), PlayStation 2 (PS2) and PlayStation Portable (PSP). It is also available on mobile phones; Nokia offered Castaway on the Ovi Store. A roughly similar game, The Sims Castaway Stories, is available for personal computers, but is not a direct port of Castaway.

<i>Thrillville: Off the Rails</i> 2007 video game

Thrillville: Off the Rails is a theme park simulation video game developed by Frontier Developments and published by LucasArts. It is the sequel to the 2006 game Thrillville. The game was released worldwide in October 2007. DC Studios developed the Nintendo DS version, which is a completely different game.

<i>Ninja Reflex</i> 2008 video game

Ninja Reflex is a video game developed by Sanzaru Games, and co-published by Nunchuck Games and Electronic Arts. It was released for Wii and Nintendo DS in 2008. It was also released for the Steam service on March 21, 2008.

<i>World of Goo</i> 2008 puzzle video game

World of Goo is a physics-based puzzle video game developed and published by independent game developer 2D Boy. The game was released on Microsoft Windows and Wii on October 13, 2008, with releases on Nintendo Switch, Mac OS X, Linux, and various mobile devices in subsequent years. World of Goo has the player use small balls of goo to create bridges and similar structures over chasms and obstacles to help other goo balls reach a goal point, with the challenge to use as few goo balls as possible to build this structure.

<i>Star Soldier R</i> 2008 video game

Star Soldier R is a futuristic scrolling shooter video game developed by Hudson Soft, and is the seventh installment in the Star Soldier series. The game features classic Star Soldier gameplay combined with 3D graphics.

<i>Lit</i> (video game) 2009 puzzle video game

Lit and also known as School of Darkness in Japan, is a puzzle video game developed and published by WayForward Technologies for WiiWare. The game is directed by Adam Tierney and co-designed by Tierney and Mark Bozon. It was released in North America on February 9, 2009. A remake with a cel-shaded art style was released on Android and iOS on October 29, 2015, and Windows in February 2017.

<i>Bomberman Blast</i> 2008 video game

Bomberman Blast is an action game developed and published by Hudson Soft for the Wii and WiiWare as part of the Bomberman franchise. The game was released as two versions: a fully featured retail release and a WiiWare version known as Wi-Fi 8-Nin Battle Bomberman. The retail version was released in Japan on September 25, 2008, while the WiiWare version was released on September 30, 2008. The WiiWare version was released in Europe on September 12, 2008, and in North America on September 29, 2008.

<i>LostWinds</i> 2008 video game

LostWinds is a 2008 platform video game developed by Frontier Developments and published for the Wii as a launch title for WiiWare. In LostWinds, the player controls a young boy named Toku and the elemental wind spirit Enril as they travel Mistralis in order to rescue it from the antagonist Balasar, a vengeful spirit.

<i>Spyborgs</i> 2009 video game

Spyborgs is a beat 'em up video game for the Wii developed by American studio Bionic Games and published by Capcom. It was released in September 2009.

<i>Wild West Guns</i> 2008 video game

Wild West Guns is an action-adventure shooting video game developed by Gameloft Bucharest and published by Gameloft. It was released in 2011 for button-operated/keypad-based mobile phones, in August 2008 in Japan for the Wii and on February 5, 2009 worldwide for iOS devices via the Apple App Store.

<i>NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits</i> 2009 video game

NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits is a platform game, originally released for WiiWare by Spanish developers Over the Top Games. It was released in 2009 for the PAL regions on June 19, and for North America on August 10. The game was later released in Japan on May 11, 2010. Versions for Windows and Mac OS X were released on September 27, 2010 through the game's official website and Steam. The game was ported to the iOS as NyxQuest on July 6, 2011 and to the Android on March 20, 2019.

<i>Contra ReBirth</i> 2009 video game

Contra ReBirth is a 2D run and gun video game developed by M2 and published by Konami for WiiWare. It is the twelfth original installment in the Contra series. It was released in Japan on May 12, 2009, the PAL region on September 4, 2009, and North America on September 7, 2009.

<i>MotoHeroz</i> 2011 video game

MotoHeroz is a platform-racing video game developed and self-published by Ubisoft RedLynx. It was released as a digital download on September 15, 2011 for the Nintendo Wii via its WiiWare service, March 15, 2012 for iOS devices, and September 26, 2013 for Android.

References

  1. ↑ Jones, Ashley (September 16, 2009). "News: WiiWare & DSiWare Release Dates". N-Europe. Archived from the original on February 11, 2010. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Discover New LostWinds, Numerous Domo Games and a True Arcade Classic". Nintendo . October 19, 2009. Archived from the original on October 3, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  3. ↑ Sparks, Tim (November 6, 2009). "Nintendo Download: LostWinds 2 released". Vooks. Archived from the original on November 9, 2009. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  4. ↑ Dutton, Fred (May 9, 2012). "LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias on iOS tomorrow". Eurogamer . Gamer Network . Retrieved June 29, 2012.
  5. ↑ PCGamesN staff (March 31, 2016). "LostWinds: The Blossom Edition giveaway! Win one of 20 copies of this colourful metroidvania, worth $14.99!". PCGamesN . Network N. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  6. 1 2 Beaton, Connor (September 8, 2009). "LostWinds Interview With Frontier's David Braben". zConnection. Retrieved September 9, 2009.
  7. ↑ "ロストウィンズ ウィンター オブ メロディアス（Wiiウェア ダウンロード版）[Wii]". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain . Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  8. 1 2 Whincup, Nathan (August 29, 2009). "News: LostWinds: Winter Of The Melodias Confirmed". N-Europe. Archived from the original on September 2, 2009. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  9. ↑ Miller, Tony (August 29, 2009). "Winter of Melodias Announced". Nintendo Okie. Archived from the original on September 16, 2009. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  10. ↑ Reed, Kristan (September 16, 2009). "LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias First Look [author mislabeled as "Marc Nix"]". IGN . Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  11. ↑ Jones, Ashley (October 4, 2009). "Interview: LostWind's [sic] David Braben". N-Europe. Archived from the original on October 9, 2009. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  12. ↑ Langley, Ryan (September 22, 2009). "Interview: Frontier's Braben On LostWinds' Return To WiiWare". Gamasutra . UBM plc . Retrieved October 15, 2009.
  13. 1 2 "LostWinds2: Winter of the Melodias for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  14. 1 2 3 4 "LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias Critic Reviews for Wii". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  15. ↑ Razak, Matthew (November 2, 2009). "Lost Winds: The Winter of the Melodias [sic] (Wii)". Destructoid . Enthusiast Gaming. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  16. ↑ Edge staff (December 2009). "LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias (Wii)". Edge . No. 208. Future plc. p. 101.
  17. 1 2 Donlan, Christian (October 9, 2009). "LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias (Wii)". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  18. ↑ Terrones, Terry (October 26, 2009). "LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias (Wii)". GamePro . GamePro Media. Archived from the original on October 29, 2009. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  19. ↑ Reboucas, Eduardo (November 25, 2009). "LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias Review (Wii)". Game Revolution . CraveOnline. Archived from the original on October 1, 2015. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  20. ↑ Walton, Mark (October 19, 2009). "LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias Review (Wii) [date mislabeled as "October 20, 2009"]". GameSpot . CBS Interactive . Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  21. ↑ Cymet, Eli (May 13, 2012). "LostWinds2: Winter of the Melodias Review (iOS)". Gamezebo . Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  22. 1 2 Reed, Kristan (October 8, 2009). "LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias UK Review (Wii)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  23. ↑ Casamassina, Matt (October 20, 2009). "LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias Review (Wii)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  24. ↑ Scullion, Chris (November 8, 2009). "LostWinds: Winter Of Melodias Review". Official Nintendo Magazine . Future plc. Archived from the original on October 10, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  25. ↑ Brown, Mark (May 10, 2012). "LostWinds 2: Winter of the Melodias". Pocket Gamer . Steel Media Ltd. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  26. ↑ Khaw, Cassandra (May 16, 2012). "'LostWinds2: Winters of The Melodias' [sic] Review – A Gorgeous Wind-powered Adventure". TouchArcade. MacRumors.com, LLC . Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  27. ↑ Teti, John; Nelson, Samantha; Robinson, Tasha; Dahlen, Chris; Wolinsky, David; Heisler, Steve; Fischer, Russ; Alexander, Leigh (October 26, 2009). "October 26, 2009". The A.V. Club . The Onion . Retrieved October 21, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.