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Lost: Via Domus

EMAIL PRINT xbox360

7.4 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 50 critic reviews
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Based on 38 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Ubisoft

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal

Genre(s): Adventure

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: February 26, 2008

Summary

After Oceanic Air flight 815 tore apart in mid-air and crashed on a seemingly deserted Pacific island, its survivors were forced to find inner strength they never knew they had in order to survive. The band of friends, family, enemies and strangers has become reluctant heroes who must work together against the cruel weather and harsh terrain if they want to stay alive. Danger and mystery loom behind every corner on the island, and those they thought could be trusted may turn against them. Even heroes have secrets. As a passenger of Oceanic flight 815, you survived the crash and find yourself on an uncharted island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. As you begin to unravel mysteries of the island, you begin to discover secrets of your own. You will have to understand your past mistakes in order to survive and find your way home. Confront your dark past, seek your redemption, and ultimately find a way home. Explore familiar locations, unravel mysteries, and interact with the main characters from the show. Survive the challenges that the island throws at you: Solve puzzles, outsmart enemies, battle the smoke monster, and overcome many other challenges to survive the island and come out alive. [Ubisoft]

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Cheat Code Central

A little Lost goes a long way with diehard fans. So, while I wished there were some deeper gameplay moments or a longer adventure (the game clocks in at about seven hours), I couldn't imagine, as a Lost fan, not playing this game and loving what it has to offer.

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Play.tm

We are offered up a compelling story, classically 'Lost' in fact, and fans will be more than titillated by this.

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Pelit (Finland)

Quotation forthcoming. [Apr 2008]

Console Monster

Anyone who hasn't seen Series 1 and 2 needs to watch them before playing to understand it all. Although the game is terribly short, it is good for a quick rent as the whole adventure and Lost aspect is pulled off relatively well.

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MS Xbox World

Lost: Via Domus is above the average movie/show turn video game, it has its faults but does have some very nice touches.

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AtomicGamer

Get it, but only if you're really into the show and don't mind some casual adventuring.

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Eurogamer

It had the incredibly difficult job of creating a new character in the Lost world with an interesting enough side-story, able to exist without disrupting the timeline or feeling like an aberration, and able to expose fans to at least a handful of things with which they would be satisfied, even eager, to tinker. There's no question it achieves that.

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Totally360

Overall it's a decent effort but disappointingly there are only six missions/episodes in the game which can feel like it's all over just as you're just getting into it.

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Cynamite

Excellent for fans of the series. Everybody else: Do not take a look at this gameplay-lacking game.

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XboxAddict

Overall, the game does not really stand out as a fabulous must own title, but if you like puzzle solving quest based games then this one should be right up your alley.

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Game Informer

This game expands the show’s fiction and reveals a few mind-blowing twists, including one that has completely altered all of my theories about the show. As of the time of this writing, it is one of the biggest reveals yet.

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Xbox World Australia

The game is not without its many shortcomings, however, and those easily frustrated by lousy checkpointing or undercooked and simplistic gameplay elements should steer clear.

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TeamXbox

A great story ties together all things Lost, and the flashbacks are unique, but essentially it’s nothing that we haven’t played before.

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GameSpot

This short adventure game nails the feel of both the show and the island on which it's set, but struggles with some of the characters.

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Worth Playing

If you have the choice, check that you're really a huge fan of the show by reciting Hurley's winning lottery numbers, and then either play Via Domus on a PC or rent it.

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ZTGameDomain

The real draw to Via Domus is the sheer amount of fan service poured into this disc. From the subtle nuances to the show to the proverbial flashback in each episode the game does a lot to appease its fanbase. Unfortunately that won't be enough to warrant a sixty dollar price tag for a game that can be completed in roughly 5-6 hours.

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MEGamers

If you are a fan of the show, this is an add-on you do not want to miss.

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X360 Magazine UK

It conveys the atmosphere and mystery of the show and gives you plenty to think about. [Issue#31, p.91]

Da Gameboyz

Despite the solid visuals and the slick flashback sequences there is just not enough content to give a solid recommendation to purchase a copy of Lost: Via Domus as the gameplay has far too many annoyances.

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VideoGamer

Despite the fairly clunky gameplay mechanics, the so-so acting and the new character, you're still wandering around an island that you've spent hours watching on TV, doing things that you've seen characters do, which makes up for many of these problems.

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Gamervision

Via Domus is really light on any actual action; as Elliott, you’ll mostly be solving puzzles and trying (and failing) not to get lost and frustrated while wandering around the jungle, in between conversing with other plane crash survivors and trying to figure out who you are and what’s going on.

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Total Video Games

Not exactly a mess of plane wreck proportions, but it is nonetheless thoroughly unremarkable and only worth the interest to see what happens.

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PALGN

While the story is certainly entertaining, the gameplay is too linear to be taken seriously. The game can be completed in an evening, but it's undoubtedly cool being able to explore the island and its characters first hand if you watch the show.

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AceGamez

While the atmosphere and character of the island and its locales are faithfully represented, sadly, the characters lack the same recognisable identity.

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Gameplanet

Not the step forward for TV-to-game titles that we'd hoped. Only really dedicated fans of the show need apply.

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Planet Xbox 360

The game is incredibly short, clocking in at five to six hours, and focuses too much on the things fans of the series do not want to do (random puzzles and hating your favorite characters) rather than the things they want, like exploring the island or being rewarded an answer or two.

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Games Master UK

This tip-toes around the TV series rather than turning out a quality gaming experience. [Apr 2008, p.56]

DailyGame

Ubisoft captured the visual spirit of the show, but the actual gameplay in the first LOST game is not worth the three-season wait.

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Xbox360Achievements

I can’t deny that it captures the look of the show but it certainly doesn’t inspire me to go out and watch it.

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IGN

At least it only takes five hours to reach the conclusion.

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PTGamers

As a Lost fan, I enjoyed exploring the island and interacting with survivors from the Oceanic Flight 815; as a videogames player, Via Domus feels like a wasted opportunity.

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Maxi Consolas (Portugal)

There’s a lot of detail on the scenery and the characters really look like the actors. And it follows the same structure as the show, mixing sections from the island with some flashbacks. But the gameplay is comprised of out of date mechanics and it doesn’t have what is basically the essence of Lost – a plot that really catches your attention. It doesn’t even tie well with the events of the show. [Apr 2008]

GameTrailers

Lost Via Domus will be tempting to fans obsessed with the show, but the story—as good as it is--has no bearing whatsoever on the overall canon. It’s short, much of the gameplay amounts to a hurdle to get to the next cutscene, and at just over five hours long, under no circumstances can we recommend it for a purchase.

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GameDaily

While it successfully captures the atmosphere of the series thanks to its episodic nature, excellent environmental visuals and use of the show's soundtrack, it suffers from spotty voice acting, repetitive and bland puzzles, a bad ending and being painfully short.

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Thunderbolt

If you’re not a fan of Lost in any way, there is just no way I can possibly recommended this game to you.

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Gaming Age

A decent digital recreation of the show, with mediocre story and adventure gameplay, counterbalanced by oodles of Lost fan-service.

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Just Adventure

Still, it is fun exploring the island and piecing together the story, I just wish I had been ‘lost’ a little longer.

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1UP

Via Domus is fan service through and through, and does deliver one genuinely amazing moment via its ending.

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GameShark

Folks who have been watching the show from the first episode won’t find any new answers about the island, and those used to a more robust adventure game experience will be put off by the boring, simplistic game play.

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Jolt Online Gaming UK

As a rental, Lost: The Video Game might entertain a handful of die-hard fans for four or five hours, but it has no replay value.

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Official Xbox Magazine

But it’s not the mythology that brings Via Domus down — it’s the boring and uninspired gameplay, which consists of a bevy of puzzles using fuse panels, a few rudimentary action sequences, and some weak games of hide-and-seek.

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Official Xbox Magazine UK

While Lost tries to encapsulate the spirit of the series, it ends up smothered by it, restricted from being anything more than a shiny tourist guide to the set and characters. [Apr 2008, p.84]

Giant Bomb

Instead of making excuses for Lost: Via Domus, I would just recommend that everyone but the most die-hard of Lost fans take a pass on this one.

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G4 TV

But there's nothing in the game that you haven't already heard blabbed around the water cooler. Besides, if you play the modest mess that is Lost: Via Domus you'll never again wonder if the TV series has jumped the shark. It can't possibly get this muddled.

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GameTap

A disappointment. As a Lost fan, I’m annoyed by the inconsistencies in character actions; if I were not a Lost fan, I’d be confused about who all these people are and what they’re up to. As a game player, I’m frustrated by clunky mechanics, and if I were a non-game player, I’d probably feel justified in thinking that videogames were still the realm of nerds and their ilk.

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GameSpy

One gets the feeling that the show's creators are trying to wash their hands of Via Domus, awkwardly placed as it is in the series' now-sprawling legendarium. But above and beyond that, fans should approach it as a lark; it's not very accomplished as a game.

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Xbox World 360 Magazine UK

Expensive at half the price, this is boring for Lost fans and baffling for the rest. [May 2008, p.72]

Edge Magazine

Lost feels truncated to the extreme, a grand tutorial to island living violently cut off when the credits roll after four hours. [Apr 2008, p.93]

360 Gamer Magazine UK

Unoriginal, unexciting and uninspired: a cheap collection of poorly conceived mini-games and show references, held together by a script resembling bad fan fiction. If a good use of a license appeals to fans while spinning its successful elements into a game, then Lost: Via Domus is the opposite of this.

Gamestyle

It’s all pointless though because the writers of the TV show have since said that this game doesn’t even take part in the official chronology, making this nothing more than glorified fan fiction.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 7.4 (out of 10) based on 38 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Cory M. gave it a6:
Without a tie-in to a popular show, this would be an incredibly slow and boring game. Writing far exceeds the actual implementation of the game though, making the story a real part of the Lost universe. Slow pace of the game makes it accessible to casual or young gamers, in particular female fans of the show.

M W gave it a6:
Decent Game if your a fan of the show....plays similar to CSI and other related games. Graphics are decent, especially the characters, but do not make the slow and sometimes painful gameplay disappear. This could have really been an A1 title being such a popular show.....it's worth the play and a p[urchase at a price point lower than 60 bucks.

Alvin L. gave it a10:
Play a new character! Introducing a brand new character to the series, and that character is YOU! Play as a person who went down on that flight and somehow got missed by the tv series? Well, I guess you have to take it on faith that the character was there all along, but they seamlessly blend the character into the mythos so well that it’s easy to immerse yourself in this one. Bang up game!

Merrill L. gave it a3:
I'm a huge fan of Lost (watched every episode to date) and was really hoping that Ubisoft would create AAA hit. Well, they failed miserably. The visuals are good enough where it's not too painful to watch but definitely not next-gen. The dialogue is short and bland, the character's seem rather lifeless, and the missions are extremely linear. Theres no freedome to explore or roam the island as you can only travel on pre-determined paths and only one objective is available at a time. I'm glad I only rented this because I couldn't justify spending any time on this crappy title. Lost:Via Domus = FAIL.

Peter H. gave it a9:
This is much better than I thought it would be. The story is great and it is actually a lot of fun just going around talking to people and exploring the different areas. I only wish it was longer. If I wasn't a Lost fan, I don't think I would like it nearly as much, but I am. I would give it a 8.5 if I could.

Nick R gave it a6:
WAY too short. I am a fanatical fan of the show, but the game just didn't do it for me. Not enough interaction with the characters and features an extremely and utterly pointless trading system. I only traded like, twice and that was all I needed.

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Lost: Via Domus

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