“Is she hiding something from me”, questions Elliott, the mysterious addition to the cast of Lost created for this game. He's asking the question of Kate, but truthfully, it'd be just as rhetorical whoever he asked the question to in Lost, because everyone is hiding something, even if there's little discernible reason as to why they should. It doesn't help, of course, that Elliott has amnesia, and thus needs to rebuild his memories of events. Oh, and stay alive in the process.

Faithful to the television programme it's based on, the game picks up just after the fateful crash of Oceanic flight 815. From there you need to piece together elements of your past through flashbacks (which we're coming to in a minute), and by exploring the mysterious island.

Much of the time you'll wander around said island, talking to the people on it - who primarily stand around like statues, as if their sole purpose left in life is to wait for you to go and talk to them - and picking up items. Talking to people allows you to ask plot-driven questions, be a bit chit-chatty, or do some trading for items you're after. The game then breaks down into a series of mini-episodes for you to navigate your way through.

And then there are those flashbacks. Flashbacks, as regular viewers will know, can be the curse of the programme Lost, but they're very much part of its make-up. And they're present and correct here, as you need to work through them to bring back your memories.

The way this works is that Elliott is actually a photographer, and thus in a flashback you need to frame and focus a moment to trigger a memory. After the initial novelty, it's every bit as tedious as it sounds; happy to loop itself until you get the perfect shot.

The main game itself isn't much better, although it is a little above what we were expecting. Yet it's a slow, sedentary adventure on the whole that needs more excitement. Sure, there are puzzles to solve, and the odd bit of action to navigate, but not enough to either intrigue you or get the pulse a-pumping. Throw in some of the stilted dialogue you're supposed to sit through (at one point Claire tells you she can't breathe, and our only available retort was “Do you need our help?”) and Lost soon becomes a bit of a slog.

It has its moments, let's be fair about that, but they are simply in too short supply to justify giving this game much of your time. Or cash.

Verdict
Not a horrible cash-in, as you may have feared, but sadly, it is still quite a tedious game.

Company: UbiSoft

Tags: lost flashbacks kate austen television program television programs memory arts