Gemini Lost is quite unlike any game that I’ve ever played. Being raised solely on consoles, I was never able to experience the god-like glee of Black & White, nor did I spend much time concocting devious methods of destruction for my newly spawned Sims. I did get to play a lot of Gemini Lost however, which is a life-simulation/adventure game that focuses on a group of people that need to collect the twelve zodiac signs hidden around a mysterious land to get themselves home. All of this was so refreshing and different to me, and--to be honest--the game made me feel like a dope for neglecting PC titles for so long.
Gemini Lost is played from a hot air balloon-like perspective, with you overseeing the lives of the unlucky citizens below. You are able to see the entire world from the outset, but can't send your travelers to certain sections thanks to some coincidentally placed obstructions. By clicking on any of the little people, you can see their acquired skills, work preferences, health and marital status, all of which will eventually come into play. Each character will be good at one of the following jobs: scientist, builder, worker or farmer. Your goal as the all-seeing, all-knowing arrow is to drag these people over to the resources, dig sites, laboratories, and obstacles to make them work. Balancing everyone’s abilities and time—while a bit cumbersome in the game’s interface—are the major components of your job, but what does this busy work actually do?
Well, I’m glad you asked! You get a gold star. All of this work ties into the twelve zodiac signs that your travelers need to collect, as they are all carefully hidden around the environment from the get-go. There will be one on an unreachable island, for example. While you aren’t able to swim there for some reason, you can upgrade your ‘building’ skill to craft a boat to reach it. Other zodiac signs are hidden behind locked doors, protected by creatures and stuck in unreachable spots, and you will have to use all of your characters’ skills (as well as most of your cunning) to figure out how to track them all down.
Gemini Lost has a wonderful sense of progression, as the apparent “busy work” early on will lead you to much bigger and better revelations in a few hours time. Hooking up two potential lovers, for example, may seem like a meaningless action, but the babies that they will inevitably sprout become future workers that you can train. Science is another area that pays off immensely, as sending your army of nerds to work will eventually open up new upgrades, items, and abilities for all of your skills. Mmmm…accomplishment!
The only real problem with Gemini Lost is that this accomplishment takes quite a bit of time, at least in regards to the in-game clock. Once you send all of your people to work, you sorta have to wait around for them to finish so that you can reassign them to new jobs. Sure, you can quit and let the game clock pass in real time, but the lack of a ‘fast-forward’ option means that you won’t be able to play through this one in a few long sittings. Another issue comes from managing the survivors, as there isn’t a handy, all-encompassing list for you to check out. Instead, you have to scroll through each individual person on the menu, and since your posse can get as big as thirty near the end of the game, this can be fairly unwieldy.
But these are nitpicky complaints, as Gemini Lost does a fantastic job at offering a fun, worry-free casual gaming experience. Curious clickers should check out the game’s official website, where Gemini Lost and its free demo are available for your adventuring purposes.
Pros: Entertaining quest, non-linear gameplay, plenty to do, light-hearted tone
Cons: No real in-game story to speak of, difficult to manage your peeps, short, no fast-forward option
GamePro Score: 4.0
The Info – PC, Publisher: PlayFirst, Players: 1, ESRB: E, Price: $19.99
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