Back in early autumn of 2008, LostWinds was one of the very first indie games we ever played. It was on the Wii and it was just super, dammit!

The sequel launched in 2009 and we were aware about that… but it’s shamefully taken us 12 years to finally play the thing. Disgraceful, we know.

LostWinds 2: Breezy Sequel Steeped in Japanese Lore

From British developer Frontier Developments, LostWinds 2 advances on the original with new concepts and gameplay mechanics.

The plot once again involves the young protagonist Toku, but there are also asides involving a lizard-like boy called Riveren inn Melodia.

But you generally control Toku, with the task of gusting him about the place with your icon and traversing the various areas by solving puzzles.

As you progress, you gain new items—there’s an early Metroidvania element going on as a result. But your main action is using wind to assist Toku in overcoming obstacles.

A major difference to its predecessor is the ability to switch seasons, which you need to master to advance through the game.

It does improve on its predecessor, too, but do remember the game was designed for the Wii and its motion controls.

This does work pretty will on PC (you can get the game on Steam or iOS), but it isn’t quite as natural as on the Wii.

We feel remember this is from 2009 is important.

LostWinds 2 is now feels quite simplistic as an indie game. But its accessibility does make it good fun.

However, it’s a reminder of just how far indie games have gone over the last decade and a bit. Just look at Ori and the Will of the Wisps compared to this.

And yet here’s a history lesson. It’s thanks to titles like LostWinds the groundwork was set for greater things. But we still have to essentially view it as “retro gaming” for the indie era.

This doesn’t mean you won’t have fun with the game as it is charming.

It’s just you can also play more advanced titles out there. But, still, kudos to Frontier for crafting something that’s heading for 15 years old but still has the charm factor.

The LostsWinds Soundtracks

Both of the LostWinds games feature some fantabulous sounds, with the Japanese themes similar to David Wise’s work on Tengami (2014).

It’s an early example of a small indie team proving a fantastic soundtrack could accompany their title.

With its heavy Japanese themes, what we always found ironic is Frontier Developments is a British developer based in Cambridge.

Happily, it’s still making games across PC and consoles. Most recently with Jurassic World Evolution 2.