Rub them twigs!   Any game that lets you start fires has to be good.   Here, fishy, fishy, fishy!   Yeah, we're screwed.

First Look Preview 08/02/05 Damian Thomas

One of the biggest complaints of gamers has always been a lack of innovative titles. People tend to get sick of the same old same old and crave novelty. Of course, creating new titles is not easy, and most companies go about the task by adding elements of one genre to another.

However, every now and then there appears a title that introduces a really new idea. Take for example, Konami’s newest DS title, Lost in Blue. This game isn’t quite your standard RPG or RPG hybrid. This is actually a game that introduces something quite new to the canon; it’s a survival RPG. Interested yet? Read on.

The story is simple. You play a teenage boy who, thanks to a convenient shipwreck, has washed up on the shore of a tropical island. Not exactly being Mr. Survival Skills, you/he have to learn how to make a fire, cook, hunt, and find shelter all from scratch. Fortunately, you soon meet a 17-year-old girl in the same situation as you are. Together, the two of you will have to learn how to survive long enough to make your escape from the island.

Though the story is pretty straightforward, the gameplay is multifaceted, consisting of a mixture of dating-sim and mini-game elements. You say you want to build a fire? Better learn how to rub two sticks together fast enough. Got milk? Not until you learn how to squeeze those bovine udders the right way. There are also hidden items to find throughout the game which you can locate by using the DS’s touch screen feature, adding a higher level of interaction between player and game. And you’ll be totally lost unless you work together with your female companion, so make sure to be nice to her by saying the right things.

Of course, what would a game with a dating–sim be without multiple endings? Depending on how your treat your companion, you will receive one of several endings, and employing what Konami is calling the Dual Phase system. You could even get the chance to play through the game as the girl, opening up a new gameplay experience.

Graphically, Lost in Blue seems to be using rather hi-resolution (for the DS) polygon models as well as anime stills to represent the characters during dialogue. The game is full of tropical island imagery, such as palm trees, white sand beaches, mountain trails, and rolling surf, all in an attempt to pull the gamer into the world. From what was on display at E3, Konami seems to be doing a good job at it.

With a new twist on the RPG genre, Lost in Blue could prove to be just what gamers have been looking for. We’ll find out when the game comes to the Nintendo DS this September.