Lost in Blue 3 is the latest game in the Lost in Blue series by Konami. In Lost in Blue 3, you take control of either a boy named Sam or a girl named Claire who has washed up on a deserted island. You meet another “castaway” and must set out exploring.
The gameplay in Lost in Blue 3 can get a bit tedious at times. It’s filled with fetch this or travel here and the fact that you have to micromanage the people you meet doesn’t help at all. After gathering different objects, you can create tools which lead to minigames such as starting a fire. While these offer something to do besides gathering food and water, the use of the stylus on some of the games makes it a bit tough to get right.
Exploration is another part of the game that keeps it a bit interesting. There is a multitude of things to explore and discover, like shipwrecks, but the game doesn’t give you any real direction on what to do with these discoveries, so you will spend a lot of time going back and forth between your partners and your discovery until you find just the right part. Your partners aren’t much help either. Sometimes what appears to be a significant event happens, but they refuse to say anything about it until you return to your base. This can be frustrating if you are trying to move the story along.
The most irritating aspect of Lost in Blue 3 is the fact that your companions need constant supervision or they die. You constantly have to keep an eye on your partner’s status gauges and the game slows down as you have to lead your partners 10 feet away to fresh water that they can’t seem to find themselves. Even if they are to the point of dying, your companions will not go looking for food on their own, but would rather sit in the cave and die. This gets frustrating and you feel like more of a babysitter than anything.
The story in Lost in Blue 3 is actually quite interesting. You get stranded on a desert island after your cruise ship sinks and soon you meet other survivors. Through flashbacks, you start to unravel a mystery which involves super powers, teen love, and amnesia. Unfortunately, you have to sit through mindless babysitting and backtracking to get to the story.
Sound in Lost in Blue 3 is what you would expect for a DS game. Minimal dialog and tinny musical scores are the order of the day. One area where the game shines though is the sound effects. The ocean and waterfall sounds, the cooking sounds clue you into when to take care of your food, etc. Overall, while the music and dialog are forgettable, the sound effects really stand out.
The graphics are done well for the kind of game it is. Smooth textures and animation make it easy on the eyes as you hunt that deer for your dinner. A constant bird’s eye view of the island makes foraging for food and items easy enough. While not a spectacular game, Lost in Blue 3 is definitely a very good looking DS game.
Final Verdict
Lost in Blue 3 is an interesting game that’s not without its problems. The constant babysitting and backtracking hold back what could have been a decent game. The story will keep you interested if you can keep yourself and your companions alive long enough to see it to the end. If you are a fan of the series, or enjoy games like Harvest Moon, I would give Lost in Blue 3 a look; all others, a rental may be a better bet.
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