Review: Lone Survivor Wii U Edition

In this psychological survival adventure, the masked protagonist must escape from a city ravaged by disease, by any means necessary. Starving and exhausted, he has begun to question how much of what he sees is even real. A new kind of adventure where the choice of how to survive is up to you.

Pros:

• Dark, Detailed graphics that really pop and looks really good on the Wii U gamepad.
• Eery Silent Hill inspired soundtrack that not only adds a chilly atmosphere, But sounds amazing. and when the game doesnt have you jumping, The music will!
• The game overall is very Resident Evil meets Silent Hill with elements borrowed from other games. A 2D side scroller with dollops of atmosphere, exploration with a puzzle element and stealth abilities.
• Controls are simple and even have handy short cuts assigned to the shoulder buttons.
• Best played with headphones.
• Small file size.
• Dark twisted story of survival in every regard. You need to find food and sleep regularly. On your journey you will meet other survivors, monsters, strange beings and even ghosts? The story is told in a way that you feel in control of everything.
• Two starting difficulties: Normal and hard. Normal is for first time players where as hard is for returning players.
• Gamma shortcut button which is the minus button.
• Analogue and d pad support.
• The lighting is at the same level as the rest of the game, Armed with a flashlight, You must choose to use it and attract attention or go in blind. The lighting again gives the game a Silent Hill vibe and that is in no way a bad thing.
• Due to the open ended approach, All players will have a different experience, You have to love games that allow that to happen. I restarted several times to try out different routes.
• Find mirrors for fast travel.
• Has a strong resource management style to it. You have to balance out what food to eat and when, What food to cook or save.
• The screen is mirrored on both the TV and the gampad so offscreen play is easy.
• Very realistic in regards to the constant need to sleep and eat during the day. Every time you sleep you forward time by a day.
• Big easy to read text for the first time ever. (That or my eyes are getting better!)
• Has a high replay ability due to the vast space you have to play in. The desire to find everything the game has to offer is your carrot.
• Can use the touch screen on menu and text boxes.
• Take pills which can cause crazy dreams that can give you an insight to whats going on.

Cons:

• Map is confusing at the best of times.
• Price point may be deemed too high for some.
• Not much guidance, Sign posting for you to follow so you do feel as though you are stumbling in the dark.
• The first hour of the game is when the game is most confusing.

In Summary, This version is every bit as good as the other versions before it. You get the option to play on the big screen or on the game pad. I urge you to play it in the dark with headphones as it is the true way to experience the game. As for the port the only real difference I could see is the text is more legible, Apart from that its bang on the money. Having a gamma button shortcut key really helps change the mood of the game. In other words if you want to wimp out you can just brighten the room up! Worth a look for sure and arrives just in time for Halloween!