Frontier Developments puts an elemental twist on traditional side-scrolling platform games by letting players harness the power of wind in LostWinds, one of six games released for the North American launch of Nintendo's WiiWare digital distribution service. Gamers enter the world of Mistralis, a land of peace and beauty that has nevertheless been cursed by Balasar, the megalomaniacal spirit of the Sun and Moon. Only the Wind Spirit Enril was brave enough to stand up to Balasar, but in her struggle to save Mistralis she was imprisoned in the Spirit Stone, which was then shattered and strewn about the world.

Gamers step into this conflict as Toku, a young boy who offers the only hope of rescuing Enril and Mistralis. LostWinds strays from traditional "run & jump" platformers by relying on gamers to manipulate gusts of wind to maneuver Toku around objects. Gamers can use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to create simple breezes, string together gusts, form slipstreams to execute guided movements, and conjure up vortices to trap enemies. Traversing the levels also requires puzzle solving, often involving the use of the slipstream to transport fire or water. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide