The biggest reason this game will only appeal to watchers is that Via Domus is more of a fan-service than a standalone product; if you don't know the story thus far (or at least the first two seasons) the game barely fills you in on the details you've missed. So all the rapport and curiosity that the show has built up to this point is completely lost (pardon the pun) if you haven't watched it. Without the curiosity, Via Domus is little more than a mediocre (at best) adventure game that has you running errands for people you don't know or care about. On the flip side, the ability to traverse the island, talk to the characters of the show, and get any additional shreds of information make Via Domus a treat, despite its problems.

If you're still reading this review it's safe to assume you're a fan of Lost and being an aficionado means that one of the peeves you'll instantly notice with Via Domus is how most of the main characters sound weird. Unfortunately not all of the cast members lent their voice talent to the production. The result is uncanny-valley-esque type, close-but-not-close-enough imitations that are (for me anyway) bothersome. That said, it isn't a deal breaker and can be overlooked simply because you are in fact interacting with all of the show's main characters, which is pretty cool.

Speaking of characters, you actually play the game as a series unknown named Elliott who conveniently has amnesia. While I think a lot of people would have preferred to play as Sawyer or Jack, being a completely new persona (with an unknown past) allows for a completely different perspective of life on the island (cool!) The game's completely new adventure is cut into seven chapters produced as episodes of the show.

Each episode is split up further with flashbacks of Elliott's past, which you have to uncover since Elliott has amnesia. It's kind of hard to explain, but using a camera, you must recreate these scenes/pictures from your past in order to reveal a portion of your memory. It's a pretty neat gameplay element, yet it doesn't feel as that impactful as it could have from a story/Lost-fan perspective because Elliott is a newly introduced character (and not one of the show's established regulars).

The game doesn't last long, but its brevity might be a blessing rather than a bane. You spend a lot of time just exploring the island looking for items, talking to people, and doing remedial tasks, so if it were artificially lengthened it would have ended up feeling bloated and boring.

While there are a few action segments, the game is not an action game by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, the only real threat you'll experience is when you're being chased by the 'Black Smoke', but avoiding detection is easy enough so it isn't exactly anxiety inducing. That is precisely why, when coupled with the mundane tasks you're asked to complete, you need to be a fan of the show to want to play through the game. Elliott's story-arch alone isn't enough to make the game worth playing; it's the fact that his story involves you meeting the cast of characters that makes it appealing.

The visuals department is a mixed bag. The island itself (which is its own character, really) looks pretty awesome with lush vegetation, bright sun, and turquoise water. The character models are a little on the weak side. It's not that they don't look like their characters (they do… sorta), it's that they don't hold up to the look of the rest of the game. It's a minor quibble as it doesn't affect the gameplay or the game's playability, but, as mentioned, the characters of Lost are one of the biggest draws of the game.

Audio also has its own set of pros and cons. Actually the only con is the voice acting, which isn't bad when compared to other games it's just horrible when compared to the voices their based off of. For the most part, all of the music and effects are great. This is, admittedly, due to the fact that all of the shows audio (except the actors' voices) were taken advantage of. Between both the decent island graphics and original music, the game does an awesome job of capturing the shows image and auditory aesthetic.

So what you have with Lost Via Domus is a decent digital recreation of the show, with mediocre story and adventure gameplay, counterbalanced by oodles of Lost fan-service. It may not win any awards, but for it is, Via Domus could have been a lot worse... I mean the game could have had you typing in numbers into a computer terminal for 7 hours straight.