Lost Global Q&A

Answered by:

• Gadi Pollack - Producer
• Nicolas Eypert - Creative Director
• Kevin Shortt - Writer

We begin our story with the plane crash of Oceanic Flight 815, the same plane crash that brought Jack, Kate and the castaways to the island. From there, our game takes its own unique journey. But along the way, players will experience many of the memorable moments from the TV show.

It was important to us that fans be able to play the game and figure out where they are in relation to the storyline of the TV series. It won't always be immediately apparent, but then part of the fun is putting the pieces together to determine exactly where the game fits with the television series.

2. Tell us about the sort of gameplay we can expect - is it first-person, third-person, point-and-click...?

LOST is a 3rd person adventure/survival game featuring a first person observation camera. We wanted to make sure that the character can be controlled easily in 3rd person, and also that when you want check details and look for clues you can do it easily using the first person view.

You, the player, must use your flashbacks to help you on the island. You search for clue that will help you find a way off the island. All the while, you have to confront the many threats on the island such as the Black Smoke and the 'Others'.

3. Who are you playing in the game?

You are playing a castaway from Oceanic Flight 815. You've crashed with the other Lost castaways. Rather than go the usual route of playing the characters of the show way, we introduced a new character with his own mysterious past. We did that so that while playing the game you get the feeling of discovering your character like you did when watching the TV show when you discovered the characters from the cast.

You soon realize that you seem to be on this island for a reason. But what is that reason? Just like other characters on the show, the player will need to explore his past (in the form of flashbacks) to understand why he's on the island and what he must do if he's to survive the island and maybe find a way home.

4. Please give us some examples of some tasks players can expect to perform in Lost. How will they unfold for the character? What will the gameplay element be like?

The game content is similar to the TV Show, there is interaction with the Losties in dialogues, there is intense action and of course mysteries and puzzles.

Discussing with the Losties (and Others!) will be your primary way of discovering clues and making things happen. In the game, the Losties won't always be kind to you; sometimes they will be suspicious, threatening and possibly even violent. You'll have to convince them and yourself that your actions are honourable.

The action of the game often comes from the Island itself. Your tracking skills will be put to the test as you cross jungle, exploring your surroundings and discovering locations. But remember this is LOST so there are threats around every yucca tree.

Interior locations on the Island will offer you some cover but it doesn't mean the player won't be challenged. You'll be faced with puzzles, some timed, like repairing gear under pressure and accessing computers...

5. What can you tell us about the player's character and his journey (assuming it has to be a "he")? Why did you choose this path?

Flashbacks are a signature of the LOST TV series. So it was important to us to include flashbacks in the game. Like the TV show, we wanted flashbacks to reveal layers of the character's flawed past, glimpses that offer insights into who he was before the island and why he is on this island now.

If Elliott, our main character, hopes to find a way off the island, he must first understand his past and what brought him to the island. He must learn from his past mistakes and apply what's learned to events on the island.

In LOST, the creators of the show and our development team decided to make our hero amnesiac when he first crash lands. We've seen this before in video games and at first we were hesitant to go this route. But we realized it was a particularly good fit for LOST.

On the TV show, flashbacks reveal events from the characters' past. It's new information to the viewers, but it's not new information to the characters. They are simply remembering a moment from their past.

But for the game, we wanted players to experience events alongside Elliott, to discover things as our main character does. He acts one way on the island, but we see a different side to him when we meet him in flashbacks -- a side he's forgotten.

We wanted the player and Elliott to have the same journey through the game.