Hey, reviews are always a joy to read. 😊 Whether you write one this year or next year, it doesn't matter, but if you'll eventually write one, thank you.
Wolfie, can you refresh my memory... what ending repetition bug? O_o
Lost Isle RELEASED
Alright, I finally got the Death Sword! (After refilling my bomb supply 😞) So far, I'm doing great with getting all the remaining items (after researching all the caves again). I have only 4 HCPs left to get, but that's a problem. I only remember 3 HCPs that I've seen, but haven't gotten yet:
1) Level 4 HCP
2) east of Level 4 (I guess by climbing the vines, but how do you make them grow?)
3) On mountain behind pig-face rock; requires upgraded arrows
I guess I could be missing one in Level 1; not sure if I got one in there or not. I'll check that level later.
Also, I think I found the location of the magical boomerang, but I can't reach it. I made it to one screen away from the chest before I was stopped by cracked rocks in the path. I tried everything I have on them, but nothing happened. Do I need upgraded arrows, or am I missing something obvious?
Petoe: I had that bug where it gets to the end of the raft part and then the ending sequence starts over again.
CaRmAgE: yes did you return to level 1 after getting the Ocarina? There's a HCP in back of the large stone.
Also if you post a screenshot to where you are stuck I can see if I know what you're talking about concerning the magical boomerang (unless someone else knows first)
...and a tip unless you don't want to, you can get the overworld map if you already don't have it. It's on the Lost Isle homepage ... http://koti.welho.com/pranta18/map.htm
Ah, that's right. I remember the stone now. Thanks, Toe-Knee.
I guess I wasn't clear, but I already got inside the cave. I'm just stuck on this screen:
[image removed]
I can't get past those two cracked boulders on the bottom left.
yes that was a bit...unintuitive. Boomerang the skull totem. I originally thought it would be obvious, its the one item in the cave that looks out of place. (to me anyway)
CaRmAgE wrote:
I guess I wasn't clear, but I already got inside the cave. I'm just stuck on this screen:I can't get past those two cracked boulders on the bottom left.
**edit** forget it, DFW beat me to it hehe
Yeah I saw it and I tried arrows, then my boomerang and bingo! It did look out of place so I figured that was it.
I'm replaying this again and I'm glad I gave out so many free shields and potions. I've so far used all but one shield (stupid Grasps) and I still have half my potions left on the island. It really is about managing what you have to work with on the island! lol I'm currently at the start of level 4. Loving it now that I'm not viewing it with a developer's eye.
DarkFlameWolf wrote:yes that was a bit...unintuitive. Boomerang the skull totem. I originally thought it would be obvious, its the one item in the cave that looks out of place. (to me anyway)
Ah, OK. (Man, I always miss the obvious. :sick😊 I'll return for it later once I've finished the master dome.
DarkFlameWolf wrote:I'm replaying this again and I'm glad I gave out so many free shields and potions. I've so far used all but one shield (stupid Grasps) and I still have half my potions left on the island. It really is about managing what you have to work with on the island!
Actually, when I was in the magic boomerang cave, I had lost my second shield. What a convenient place for another shield! 😛 So far, I've used 3 or 4 potions (needed 2 alone on the Lvl 4 miniboss, dang it) and found 9 total. Since I've explored everywhere by now, I'm guessing the last one is in level 5?
I am replaying this incredible game as well but how on earth did you get the regular boomerang? :O I'm kind of stuck because of that.
How do you defeat the dragon for the blue mail?
The normal boomerang is on mount horgrus and requires the candle to access. Furthermore, the dracolich can be burned when he pauses on either side of the room after he swoops.
Also, has anyone ever bothered using the fish bait for anything other than the windmill? Petoe and I went into the enemy editor and with the exception of drones and robotic enemies, almost every type of enemy has some affinity to congregate around the fish, making them easier kills. Namely, those shield stealing grasps LOVE fish and will almost ignore you to go after it. Just food for thought, ha ha!
DarkFlameWolf wrote:Just food for thought, ha ha!
Haha! Clever! 😉
Thanks for pointing out the boomerang location, I remember where it is now. You have to go through a cave on the mountains and then you exit the cave at the snowy part of the mountains and grab the boomerang.
Well, I finished the game and got everything (Bomberang included), so I'll post a review later once I've refreshed myself with the earlier portions of the game. But for now...
😃
you're a real man!
DarkFlameWolf wrote:you're a real man!
Thanks, DFW. 😊
Alright, time for the review. First of all, the scale I use for each of 10 categories:
100(%): Perfect/Flawless
99-80: Excellent
79-60: Good
59-40: Poor
39-20: Garbage
19-0: A Complete Disgrace
Second, I weighted some categories more than others. While all 10 categories are important, some I feel are more important than others. Just a heads up... Oh, and for other readers, be warned that there are spoilers!
Story - 4/5 -> 80%
For those who want a short and summarized version, you (as Link) are sailing the seas and get caught in a storm. Your ship breaks apart, you get washed ashore the Lost Isle, and you have to kill an evil demigod in order to escape.
I'm sorry, but I only give 5/5s to plot lines that are completely innovative throughout. This plot line sounded very similar to LA's "kill the nightmares to escape the island" plot, so -1 for that. Why the other 4, than? DFW took this old plot and gave it a "fresh coat of paint." It's the same, yet different in many ways.
[SPOILER]The escape from the exploding island was especially fascinating and exhilarating.[/SPOILER]So, while it wasn't completely innovative, it was still somewhat innovative, nonetheless.
Graphics - 4.75/5 -> 95%
Excellent. That's pretty much all I can say about the wonderful graphics. They're so well done that some people may not even realize the game uses tiles for graphics! Plus, every dungeon's graphics were different (except for Level 5/Master Dome, but I'll let that slide 😊), so each dungeon was a new visual experience. While there were still a few issues (occasional discolored sword beam impact, rocks falling through trees looked weird, etc.) that prevent this from getting a perfect score, most players will rarely notice these discrepancies.
Sound - 5/5 -> 100%
Every song for every map is appropriate. Every sound effect is a classic. I wouldn't change a thing.
Map Structure - 5/5 -> 100%
Let me split this up between the overworld and the dungeons:
The overworld was well thought out. Almost immediately upon starting the game, you can reach a variety of locations in order to get a feel for the island, and yet, at the same time, you were still restricted from getting all but a few items until later in that game (I explain this in another category). All secrets had visual cues in order to find them which is another plus (an exception is the Master Dome, but it's to be expected from a super secret extra dungeon). Oh, and with the provision of a map, you should rarely get lost.
An important feature I should mention about the overworld is the underground warp system. By using bombs, you can warp to a number of predefined warp points you've previously visited. This was a very thoughtful addition, better than just having the ocarina warps alone.
Dungeons: I'll sum them up in three words: Only 2 keys?!? 😃 Again, well thought out, and bombable walls stand out like the overworld secrets. Each dungeon early in the game has a map to help find your way through them, and near the end, the game stops "holding your hand," and you're on your own. Also, each main dungeon had a theme (water levels, power on/off, etc.) tied to it, making each dungeon a new experience.
Resources - 4.5/5 -> 90%
I'm referring to plentiful sources of hearts, arrows, magic, potions, shields, etc.: do they exist, and are they enough?
The answer: most yes and some no. First of all, the common pickups. Arrows and magic were most definitely plentiful. I can never think of a situation where I ran out of either (except when I bought the Hero's Bow, but that's another story). Hearts, on the other hand, seemed to have a very poor drop rate from plants, pots, etc. I would sometimes go for 5 or more screens of plants under the Heart Beep sound just to find a single heart. Fortunately, fairy drops from enemies, healing flowers, heart tiles, and potions make up for this, so it didn't hurt the score too much.
Now for the new system: limited potions and shields. This may sound intimidating at first, but you're given more than enough for each (only used 1 potion on my last playthrough, btw). Every boss can be beaten without a potion which is good since you have 10 potions to find and that's it. Shields are not as much of worry, though, as you can buy another one at a high price in case you lose the other 6. To top it all off, once you beat the game, you're given 2 extra potions to help with unfinished business which is very generous.
Player Growth - 4.75/5 -> 95%
Does Link's power increase at an appropriate steady rate? Does he become too powerful too quickly?
Link's growth in power throughout the game is gradual. A well thought out plan for which items Link can access when. I think the one discrepancy is well stated in my prior post (about the awesome arrows) where Link becomes unstoppable from halfway on (I had fun killing the Level 3 boss with them 😃), but most players probably won't see this opportunity, so it's only a minor flaw.
Repetition - 4/5 -> 80%
First, the good. Great idea to allow players to see several of the totem pole/skull rock combo early in the game. This allowed players to see that the two interact with each other. This tool was used with other overworld objects as well (Sheikan stones, discolored trees, etc.) which served as a great learning tool.
Now, the bad. Way too many Grasps throughout the game. They weren't hard, but since I first fought them before Level 2, I felt like I was fighting something under-leveled by the time I fought them in the Inner Volcano. I would've hoped for a little more variety.
Difficulty - 19/20 -> 95%
The curve in difficulty as the game progressed was appropriate for the most part. Level 1 was your basic beginner level while Level 5 was your classic "watch where you're going or you'll be royally ticked" level. Even if you grab every item the game has to offer, the last level still feels intense, and yet, at the same time, you can still win with minimal equipment.
Extra dungeons were also appropriately challenging according to the item you were getting . . . with the exception of the Dragonscale Mail. I was so disappointed that it was so much easier to get than the Mythril Mail. I would rather skip the Mythril Mail and go straight to Dragonscale.
Entertainment - 39/40 -> 97.5%
Most important category for obvious reasons. I mean, if the game is no fun, why would I play it?
. . .and this game most certainly delivers the fun. It's not perfect (lighting the two torches in the caves with the wand was absolutely frustrating, plus the already mentioned heart problem), but it's fun for the most part.
Replay value - 4/5 -> 80%
You'd want to play it again just to see the amazing graphics and listen to the amazing soundtrack again (assuming you can get over the frustrations).
Total - 94/100 -> 94%
You guys should replace Miyamoto and his crew. 😉
EDIT: TL;DR - Play it. 😉
Blame Petoe completely for the Grasps. He fell in love with them and used them extensively. If I can recall, that last inner volcano section had little to no Grasps on the initial pass through on enemy placement. Petoe later went through and revamped the enemy line-up. As for the multitude of Grasps everywhere else, I still blame Petoe. :P
Two things before I forget:
DarkFlameWolf wrote:Also, has anyone ever bothered using the fish bait for anything other than the windmill? Petoe and I went into the enemy editor and with the exception of drones and robotic enemies, almost every type of enemy has some affinity to congregate around the fish, making them easier kills. Namely, those shield stealing grasps LOVE fish and will almost ignore you to go after it. Just food for thought, ha ha!
I didn't really think about the bait until I had problems with the two aforementioned distant torches in the caves. I tried to use the bait to lure the keese towards the torches, but they just ignore the bait. :banghead: Is there a reason for this?
Second, I found an interesting bug in Level 4 that I thought would break my chances of getting 100%. Turns out it didn't, but it was so screwed up that I just had to post this:
1) Go to the screen with the HCP (with two torches that require the chip)
2) Light only one of the torches
3) Leave the room and re-enter
4) When you enter the room, both torches will be lit, but the barrier is still up
5) Walk right through the barrier O_o
amazing, you found a cheat! Savor it, there isn't many in the game! :P
It amazes me that "Origin" hasn't received the acclaim it deserves. "Lost Isle" certainly is impressive, but I am finding "Origin" to be very entertaining and creative as well. I checked out the second quest and find myself going back to that and putting "Lost" on hold for a bit ( in level four at the moment)...which brings me to this question.....where in the devil is level four in the second quest of "Origin" located? The Lost Woods shop has the jumping medicine bottle thing going on with the invitation to stick your nose in the wares...but seems to be a red herring. I'm an "old school" guy and a newcomer to ZC and I am in awe of some of the games/puzzles that I've seen in such a short time. Dark and Petoe rock, for sure! I am thankful for your contributions and continue to spend way too may hours trying to solve your brain teasers!! Sooooooo..can I get some help on that level four location of the second quest, please?
check the Lost Hills for anything suspicious.
The creature of Level 3 after the ammunition room is impossible to beat!
nope, you just got to slash the right one. He has a few fake doubles.
Not much you help me !
redak wrote:Not much you help me !
You still haven't figered the boss out?
Not Yet !
um....there really isn't much to him...you simply slash at each of his floating bodies until one of the hits connects. That's really it. There isn't much more help I can give you if you can't understand that.
I don't really feel like scouring through pages of forum, so... Is there a Vista fix with this? I downloaded it and tried to run it, and all it did was make my screen freak out and then display nothing in a tiny little ZC window while playing the sounds.
I also have Vista, and the same thing happened to me. Here's how I fixed it:
Download ZC Launcher and put it in the same directory Lost Isle is located. Run the launcher, click on the "ZC" tab, then change the screen settings to your liking. After that, click "Launch ZC".
OK I did that and now it doesn't load anything. I click Launch ZC and nothing happens, I click the ZC icon in the folder and it doesn't do anything.
Sorry, I didn't give all the steps. You need to extract ZC Launcher from the zip file before running it. Did you do that?