Lost In Shadow - Wii

What We Already Know:

Ever see that experimental indie game Shadow Physics, where you manipulated lights to create solid platforms out of shadows? Lost in Shadow is basically a simplified Wii version of that idea. You control a boy who’s stuck as a shadow, and manipulate light sources and shadow-casting objects to give him a path forward.

What We're Seeing Now:

My first thought was that Lost in Shadow’s color scheme and hero reminded me of ICO. Gameplay didn’t bear this initial impression out, however.

The game is split into stages, with three items to collect in each before you can move on. In addition to the platforming there is rudimentary sword combat versus the occasional foe, and a few chase stages have you fleeing from a shadowy entity. Apparently the full game will be quite long, possibly 20 hours.

From what I played at E3, Lost in Shadow sounded better on paper.

There’s not much to the combat or platforming, so it falls back on its shadow-casting mechanic. Problem is, this doesn’t seem to deliver much satisfaction, either. You’re very limited in where you can manipulate shadows, and by how much. Early shadows simply toggle between a handful of states. Later ones let you drag light sources in real-time, but only on a very short track. There doesn’t seem to be much room for experimentation or surprise, which is a bummer.

Lost in Shadow is due this fall, exclusively for Wii. Hopefully it’ll have more depth than was apparent at E3.