Nico Adventures: The Lost Keys

***Nico Adventures: The Lost Keys*** is an action-adventure video game developed and published by J-Games for their third console, the J-Exo. The game released internationally in October 2013. It is the eighth main entry in the *Nico Adventures* series and the successor to *Nico Adventures: Origins*. It has since been released on every subsequent J-Games console.

*Nico Adventures: The Lost Keys* follows Nico, Pico, Michael, Arch and Alistair as they split up and travel to different time periods in order to retrieve keys that activate a time machine, created and used by an evil scientist called Dr. Krakof who wants to change the outcome of the Second World War. Following on from the Pico-centric previous game, the game has a similar format to *Nico Adventures: Perilous Diamonds* in that the two playable characters are each paired up with somebody from their team but in this game both parties remain separate from each other for the majority of the time. Pico and Michael are sent back in time to Ancient Egypt whilst Nico and Arch are sent into the future to a city called Nervac. Alistair is taken to the Second World War along with Dr. Krakof. Gameplay shifts between the past and the future and sees the player take control of either Nico or Pico, and for the first time, occasionally Michael, Arch or Alistair, as they explore large, open world levels, completing story quests, finding hidden collectibles, fighting enemies and solving puzzles. The game continues the series' trend of incorporating role-playing elements, as each level contains a variety of non-playable characters that the player can spend time and form bonds with.

Development of the game began in Spring of 2012. Jay Stevenson, creator of the game, wanted to take a more fantastical approach to the series. The choice to pair up the characters was to make the title a more character-driven experience as supposed to one focused on plot. The game's development team took journeys to Egypt to study the pyramids and cited historians in order to make the Egypt environment as realistic as possible. The game's soundtrack is composed by Remi Gazel, and the game's main theme is performed by Joss Stone.

Upon release, *Nico Adventures: The Lost Keys* received mostly positive reviews. Critics praised the level design, visuals, soundtrack, characters and gameplay, whilst criticism was drawn towards the plot and worldbuilding. Most agreed that the Ancient Egypt segments with Pico and Michael were the highlights of the game, as reviewers felt the characters had great chemistry, and the world was the most interesting to explore. In contrast, some noted that the futuristic city of Nervac seemed uninspired and bland, and that Nico and Arch didn't have the same friendly dynamic as they had done in previous games. The choice to include references to the Second World War and the Nazi regime was highly controversial. The game's controls were praised as being fluid and versatile, and the soundtrack was praised as memorable and atmospheric. Alistair's segments of the game received negative reviews for their repetitive and outdated gameplay style, and the story was noted to have multiple plot holes throughout. The game's villain was also received with lukewarm reception. The choice to have a far more fantastical approach to the series was, and still is, a divisive choice amongst critics and fans. Some appreciated the ambition of the series, whilst others felt the characters worked better in more realistic environments.

Commercially, *Nico Adventures: The Lost Keys* became the best-selling *Nico Adventures* game on the J-Exo, selling nearly 25 million copies. It found success in later years as well, and as of 2025, has sold 55 million copies across all platforms. It was nominated for a variety of awards at the 2013 Video Game Awards, including Game of the Year, and won for Best Soundtrack, Best Character (Pico) and Best Graphics. A feature film was released in 2014, as was the game's successor, *Nico Adventures: Paradigm*.