Video Game Vintage Title: Lost: Via Domus

Lost: Via Domus

Lost: Via Domus is a video game based on the ABC television series Lost. The game was released for the Microsoft Windows operating system, and the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 video game consoles in February 2008, after the third season of the series. In Via Domus, players control Elliott Maslow, a survivor of the plane crash that Lost revolves around. Although Elliott is not featured on the series, the game contains many characters from the show, as well as many locations from Lost's mysterious island. Some of the original cast of the series provided the voices for their characters, and the Lost composer Michael Giacchino created the score for the game.

A Lost game was released for mobile phones on January 16, 2007 and fifth-generation iPod on May 23, 2007. It is not related to Via Domus, nor created by the same developer.

Lost: Via Domus Plot

The game is split up into seven "episodes". Each episode was plotted by the show's executive producers, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. The game's timeline coincides with the first 70 days portrayed in the television series.

Lost: Via Domus Gameplay

The player is cast as a previously unseen survivor, Elliott Maslow, a photojournalist with amnesia. Gameplay involves Resident Evil-style fetch quests and puzzle solving. The use of flashbacks as a storytelling device, which are integral to the television show, is part of the game play. Also, owing to the main character's amnesia, they are often just as revealing to the character as they are to the player. The player explores locations seen in the show, such as the beach camp, the dark territory, The Pearl Station, The Hydra Station, the Flame station, the Black Rock and the Swan Station. The player also interacts with some of the major characters of the television show; Sawyer, Jack, Sun, Kate, Ben, Juliet and Locke, among others. Elliott must also avoid the "Black Smoke" monster. Trading with other survivors and taking photos with a camera are also part of the gameplay.

Reception
Lost: Via Domus received mixed reviews from critics. Based on 47 reviews, the Xbox 360 version currently holds a percentage of 58.88% at GameRankings, and a score of 55 out of 100 at Metacritic, based on 50 reviews.

Critics believed the game is most enjoyable to die-hard Lost fans, with 1UP.com commenting that "Via Domus is fan service through and through". They also believed that the game was short, with IGN citing completion in 4 to 6 hours, and GameSpot claiming that it is too short to justify full price. Several reviews also criticized the stand-in voice actors. For example, IGN claimed Locke was played like an "old timey prospector", while Sawyer sounded like "Huckleberry Hound".

However, Eurogamer believed that the game did a good job of "creating a new character able to exist without disrupting the timeline or feeling like an aberration", and the game's graphics and presentation received praise. Ultimately, IGN summarized that Via Domus "is a game for the fans, which only fans can appreciate. But at the same time - in a strange bit of paradox - this is a game that will disappoint almost every Lost fan." Nonetheless, the game fared better with fans, receiving from users a B- on 1UP.com, and a 3/5 on Amazon.com.