Lost in Blue 2

Lost in Blue 2 seems like it'd be a thrilling experience: marooned on a seemingly deserted island, you must survive off the land by finding food, water, and shelter.

However, while the game's concept is strong, the tedious gameplay never allows you a moments rest from the game's harsh concept of "survival," and it proves that securing the bare necessities doesn't necessarily make for a great game.

Lost in Translation

In fact, keeping an eye on your three basic stats--fatigue, hunger, and thirst--comprise the main part of the game. You'll engage in a host of repetitive tasks to keep your levels up, but it's no easy feat--you can't seem to go half a day without starving, drowning, or collapsing out of exhaustion. And if you think keeping yourself alive is hard work, it's nothing compared to the monumental task of keeping your brain-dead AI companion going. You quite literally have to hold their hand and drag them to the river to make them drink. Similarly, they won't rest or eat unless you prompt them to. It's like being handcuffed to an infant.

Exploring the island offers a nice break from the everyday grind, as there are all sorts of interesting nooks and crannies to discover, but it's a shame that your digital avatars are so frail. You can't stray too far away from your cave without their suicidal companion collapsing, or succumbing to their own unending desire to move into the light. There are some interesting mini-games that break up the endless quest for sustenance--starting fires, cooking food, shaking trees to get coconuts to fall down--and you gain access to some genuinely fun activities such as hunting, but that's assuming you can stand to play through the early sections of the game, which is no easy task.

If it weren't for the torrid pace at which you're required to gather edibles, Lost in Blue 2 would be an enjoyable game. The developers obviously wanted to instill a sense of urgency, but really, all they did was rob the game of its fun. Who knew that being in a life and death situation could be so boring?

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