REVIEW : Lost At Sea (PC)
When I think of developers Studio Fizbin launching a new title, I expect them to offer a high-quality product. Their reputation is for crafting deliciously strange yet amusing point-and-click adventures, such as those found in The Inner World series. But the moment has come for Studio Fizbin to branch out, with the first-person narrative adventure Lost At Sea pondering the meaning of existence as a whole. Will this transition in genres and mood be smooth sailing, culminating in Lost At Sea is an unmissable adventure, or will the experience eventually fall short of enthralling?
It’s hit-or-miss, but Lost At Sea just about pulls off the most significant component of what is a perplexing and fairly profound narrative experience. But be warned: tissues may be required.
Lost At Sea thrusts you into an unusual predicament, with you taking on the role of Anna, a lady shipwrecked alone on a remote island. It becomes clear that this island must be explored in the first person, using only a compass as a guide. The island features four different biomes to discover, each representing a different period of Anna’s life. There are memories to put together within each biome, and you’ll have to solve several puzzles to collect the parts you need to complete them. But, all the while, evil lurks, threatening to derail your ‘trip.’
Fear manifests itself as darkness, as mentioned earlier.
Although you are generally safe within the biomes, as you venture out in search of memory fragments, a cloud of darkness with what appears to be an eye at its centre is attempting to impede your progress at every opportunity. If terror overcomes you, you will be knocked unconscious and awaken near a safe location. The notion is ingenious since the key to conquering it is to stare it down, which represents addressing your anxieties. I have no objections to the concept; however, it quickly gets repetitive and annoying because the darkness appears so frequently.
Regardless, the purpose you’re walking about the island is to unearth and process Anna’s memories.
When you identify a biome and the void where the fragments are missing, the compass will direct you to certain locations where you can participate in puzzles and acquire the missing parts. There is no in-between, and they are not all very well-designed. Puzzles are either reasonably simple chores or perplexing problems that aren’t difficult once the overall idea is understood.
An issue to complete that involves no inputs upon starting the puzzle is one example of the straightforward nature, while another is simply a little of basic platforming. On the other hand, others imagine you protecting an orb on its journeys and moving in sync with an invisible avatar. A musical chairs game and a juggling mini-game are also included, emphasizing the diversity of activities available to you. It has to be stated that these aren’t exactly mind-boggling riddles.
It’s not about the riddles, though, because the meanings behind them are far more essential and help you understand what Anna has been through. The storey of Lost At Sea unfolds little by bit, with the pain she’s endured constantly tugging at your heartstrings. The narration for Anna is excellent, and as a result, you quickly comprehend her anguish. She is a mother, a wife, and a daughter; all three elements of her life have resulted in difficulties, and even one of them would be enough to break someone, so you can see how three times the trauma would be detrimental to anyone’s mental health.
This isn’t a cheerful storey, but it’s a little uplifting one about how life can change in an instant and coming to grips with the hand you’re given. I like how it deals with Anna’s guilt about the circumstance because it does a wonderful job of normalizing those sentiments and emphasizing that individuals can overcome difficulties. The storey, on the whole, is profound and gloomy, and it brilliantly conveys the experience of losing someone, among other things. The only disadvantage is that you can complete the biomes in any order, which can cause some confusion while also spoiling stuff you wouldn’t have known about if the story was told in chronological order.
My major complaint is that the graphics have been completely ruined. What should be a scenic voyage around the island is unfortunately marred by the sun’s constant glare. It’s difficult to see where you’re going in most places of the island, and it’s like having a torch flashing in your eyes all the time. Fortunately, the images used to recall recollections of a bygone era do not suffer the same fate — they are great works of art.
My major complaint is that the graphics have been completely ruined. What should be a scenic voyage around the island is unfortunately marred by the sun’s constant glare. It’s difficult to see where you’re going in most places of the island, and it’s like having a torch flashing in your eyes all the time. Fortunately, the images used to recall recollections of a bygone era do not suffer the same fate — they are great works of art.
