GENRE
	Platform/Adventure
	DEVELOPER
	Frontier Developments
	PUBLISHER
	Frontier Developments
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1
	WI-FI ENHANCED
	No
	DS COMPATIBLE
	No
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Toku and Enril are back for another adventure in LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias. Nintendojo gave the previous LostWinds an 8.9 because it was outstanding as a launch title that pointed to a bright future for the service. It's been a long wait for the new game, but now it's here, and it was well worth the wait.

One of the things that was praised about the first title was the art style and graphical finesse. It was somewhat astounding that such a beautiful game could be packed into such a small file. Well, developer Frontier has done it once again bringing the same graphical polish to the new game. The big difference? Now the game includes both winter and summer to play around in. Both are jaw-droppingly gorgeous and provide plenty of eye candy. As was mentioned in the review of the predecessor, occasionally the frame rate stutters a bit, but this seems to happen most often when playing while summer is the active season. Small graphical touches are truly what makes this game shine, whether it is Toku's distorted image through an ice flow or the way waterfalls are rendered. Frontier Developments once again shows that a game does not have to be a retail release to look great. The music complements the graphics well, though like the first game a little more variation wouldn't have hurt.

The gameplay is basically a refined version of the previous game. Thankfully, with one minor exception, Toku and Enril keep all of their powers from the first game. There is no contrived reason for them losing the ability to manipulate elements or create a vortex. Instead the game offers a few new power-ups to find throughout the experience, such as winter clothes and the whirlwind ability. The game quickly introduces players to the previous techniques in an area where Toku and Enril are scaling a mountain, heading to Summerfalls. Once in Summerfalls, Toku has to worry about freezing to death. If he strays too far from a heat sources his life force begins to deplete. There are plenty of clever puzzles that require creative uses of Enril's wind powers. A few of the puzzles can be a little difficult, especially to players who have not played the previous title, but most are easily solved yet still give a solid sense of completion.

One very welcome change to the game is the addition of a map. there is never any confusion for players about where to go. Completionists will also be happy to know that the map tells how many Melodia Idols are still in each area. The game also appears to be much more polished with no game-breaking glitches. The biggest problem with the game is its length which is, like its predecessor, a bit on the short side -- three to four hours. This can be forgiven a little thanks to the quality of the graphics which probably took up a lot of the file size, and the game has a sense of completeness when players reach the end, though there is still plenty of room for a sequel.

LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias is definitely a top-tier WiiWare title. It manages to correct most of the flaws with the first game and is an amazing example of why WiiWare is a good idea. The price may be slightly steep for the length of the game, but the charm and style makes the game well worth 1,000 Wii points for players both new to the series and the old hands. Players who download it will not be disappointed.

9.1/10