With WiiWare launching so far behind XBLA and the Playstation Store, it really needed to make a statement and establish itself as soon as possible. Of the six launch titles, I’ve only played one: Lost Winds. From this bite-sized experience, I can already tell you that the challenge has been met, and the bar has been raised.

It’s difficult to find a place to start reviewing a game that instantly pleases all of your gamer-senses. In beginning the game, the player is immediately met with the aesthetic and happy, almost childlike tone reminiscent of Wind Waker. Actually, you can go down the Wind Waker checklist quite thoroughly with this one. Vibrant colours and almost cell-shaded look? Check. Characters with large heads who make one sound when you start a conversation? Check. Story about a peaceful spirit fighting an evil spirit that was shattered into pieces you must collect? Check. Heavy use of wind? Double-check. I’m not trying to peg Lost Winds as a Zelda rip-off here; the fact that it expertly channels the vibe from one of the greatest adventure games of all time should certainly be taken as a compliment. If we take a step past first impressions, the game becomes its own pretty quick.

From the moment the game’s menu starts up, I immediately started to feel more calm, more at peace. The whimsical melodies that echo through the game’s entirety immediately start up with a mellow flute and harp combo, and we see the adorable, big-hatted Toku sleeping under a lush cherry-blossom tree, surrounded by a full greenery and a stream lazily winding by, reflecting the sun’s gentle rays on the boy’s tired head. You start your game, and a rush of wind gently shakes the blossoms and bushes, and it is up to you, using the Wii Remote, to wake Toku from his slumber. This one scene completely captivated me, and I already considered the $10 for this game well spent. The brush-stroke styled backgrounds and terrain epitomize how beautiful games can be. Reminder: this is a Wii title, and a downloadable Wii title at that. Lost Winds is a shining example of how detail and effort from developers who truly care about their final product can go a long way.

Most people are classifying the game as a side-scrolling puzzler, though I think the moniker of side-scroller alone is plenty. The puzzle elements are all peppered with the game’s unique brand of “combat,” pitting the Young Toku against the forces of Balasar with only the aid of the wind spirit Enril to protect him. Enril, the wind, is controlled with the Wii Remote, and Toku is controlled with the Nunchuk, though all he can really do is wander around. The enemies in the game are various species of Glorbs: black gelatinous creatures that latch on to Toku to suck the life out of him. Through gestures with the Wii Remote, they can be manipulated and tossed about. A good slam into a wall is usually enough to take out your garden variety Glorb, but the advanced enemies call for special tactics, such as manipulating nearby elements, or trapping them in a mid-air vortex.

To get back to the puzzles, they are incredibly simple. The game just isn’t long enough to use the components it introduces in any truly complex ways. When Toku is presented with a new obstacle, a quick look around the environment will introduce a new object to interact with, and the puzzling that plays out centers around teaching you how this object can and should be used. Before you know it, you’re done, and it’s off to the next dungeon to learn about a new object. I should note that though the puzzles are all simple, it doesn’t detract from the fun you have whipping boulders and spraying fire all over the gorgeous environments.

The motion controls are the highlight of the gameplay experience, and they don’t disappoint. With only two buttons to worry about, you never use the wrong “move,” and the game is very forgiving with your aim around Toku when moving him with gusts of wind. At some points it seemed as though the strength of the wind wasn’t balanced perfectly, as there were a number of areas where I was required to use a gust to jump Toku up to a ledge, and had to repeatedly hit him with it again and again in mid-air, with each successive gust losing strength. A few frustrating moments aside, the game never left with that “WTF” stare, and so it is forgiven.

The apparent time and detail that went into Lost Winds have me constantly forgetting that this is a $10, just under two-hour game. It truly feels like a unique and polished experience, and after the final climactic boss encounter, I was truly sad to be met with the end credits and another handful of charming storybook-cinematics. However, it finishes with a hopeful “To Be Continued,” and Frontier studios have recently gone on record saying that a sequel is indeed in the works, and it seems it may even be near completion. My hopes are high, as this was a truly blissful gaming experience, and I would expect nothing less from the next chapter.