Reviewed: April 10, 2007
Reviewed by: Mark Smith
Publisher
MumboJumbo
Developer
MumboJumbo
Released: April 4, 2007
Genre: Puzzle
Players: 1
ESRB: Everyone
9
10
8
9
9.1
Supported Features:
Screenshots (Click Image for Gallery)
Luxor 2 is the latest action-puzzle title to come from veteran puzzle-game designer MumboJumbo. Chances are you may have already played or at least seen this game or one like it, especially if you own a cell phone, PC, or have already plaued, Zuma, another XBLA title that has been around nearly as long as the Xbox Live Arcade.
A few months ago I reviewed a version of Luxor for the PSP, and while the game looked and played well enough it just didn’t strike that magical chord with me, at least not as much as this totally new and re-envisioned version for the Xbox 360 did. Generally, these “arcade” games are more of a diversion, when I neither have the time or patience to play something more substantial, but Luxor 2 is a major release that narrows the gap between the Xbox Live Arcade and a retail-quality title, especially when THQ can put Tetris in a box and sell it for $30.
Luxor 2 is a unique hybrid of shooter and puzzle game where you get to play through more than 100 challenging levels as multi-colored strings of spheres roll onto the playing field. You control a Space Invader-style paddle along the bottom of the screen that can fire your own colored sphere into the string trying to create a series of three or more matching adjacent colors. If successful, those spheres vanish and the string compresses to fill the gap, quite possibly creating a secondary or ongoing string of combos.
It sounds easy and it is easy…at first, but then things start to get really wicked as the speed of the advancing spheres increases and multiple strings start to invade from opposite sides of the screen forcing you to peck away at two or more strings. As you clear away matching spheres any one of 13 clever power-ups are released that float to the bottom of the screen. If you can pass your paddle through these you will gain some cool abilities like the Lightning Storm or the Pharaoh’s Dagger. You’ll also want to collect as many falling coins and treasure as possible.
There is a clever post-level bonus that rewards you for keeping the string of spheres as far from its goal as possible. When the level is clear a beetle exits the pyramid and follows the path of the string back to the furthest location it was able to reach releasing bonus coins, gems and jewelery along the way. By keeping the string from advancing too far into the level will net you huge bonuses at the end.
You can choose to play Luxor 2 in the standard Adventure mode, which strings the levels together in the form of a pop-up map screen that you travel across. You can also play the Practice mode as well as Survival and Pharaoh’s Challenge. There are also four levels of difficulty you can choose from including Easy for kids and Challenge of Horus for those truly gifted by Isis.
While graphics are generally superficial to gameplay, the stunning visuals of Luxor 2 really impact the way you play this game. Each of the levels is superbly designed and some even have little animations that bring them to life. There are some levels that are nearly photo-realistic, and each new screen is more magical than the last. This is one of those titles that you keep playing just to see the next screen.
While games like Zuma have clearly defined paths for the spheres to travel, the routes through Luxor 2 screens aren’t as obvious. This adds a bit of unpredictability to the gameplay, at least the first time through. But the cool thing is the spheres will travel along logical routes, going up a gangplank to get on a ship, spiraling through broken pottery, following a wall, or traveling along an aqueduct.
The screens are rich with vibrant color and plenty of particle and lighting effects. Even the non-playable borders used to mask the gameplay area for widescreen gamers are full of authentic Egyptian flavored art and 3D sculptures with Ankhs, Scarabs, and other popular designs. The map screen is especially cool with multiple locations highlighted with 3D icons that pop-up from the parchment surface, and X’s that dot your path through the game.
Luxor 2 literally leaps off the screen with stunning 1080i visuals that look far better than many boxed games you can spends three or four times more on. This is truly a showcase title for the Xbox Live Arcade and sets the bar very high for future action-puzzle titles.
There is a wonderful soundtrack full of Egyptian-flavored music that fits perfectly with the magical nature of the graphics and keeps up with the intensity of the gameplay. It blends so seamlessly into the gameplay experience that I couldn’t even tell you how many unique tracks there are or even when they change.
Sound effects are pretty simple with the grinding sound of stone spheres ominously rolling toward your pyramid, then you have some powerful explosions as matched groups are obliterated from the string and the clanking as two sections slam back into each other. There is also a female narrator that will verbally announce power-ups and such.
Perhaps the most surprising element of the audio package is the extreme low frequencies used in the Dolby Digital mix. For the first time in a long time I actually had to back my sub-woofer down a notch. There was a continual rumbling coming from this game that was more felt than heard.
With 88 levels and more than a dozen bonus stages, four modes and four difficulty settings, you won’t be finishing Luxor 2 anytime soon. It took me several days to make my way to the end of the story mode and I still haven’t finished it entirely yet, and that’s just on one skill setting.
There are 12 Achievements required to get all 200 gamer score points. You’ll get most of these on your first pass through the game, but a few will require some serious dedication if you want to obtain the highest ranking of Pharaoh of the Two Lands or beat the Adventure mode on Expert or complete the Challenge of Horus. There is also the standard Xbox Live leaderboards to track your personal best with friends and strangers.
Many will likely dismiss Luxor 2 as a copycat of Zuma, but in my opinion this is a far better game than Zuma, both in challenge and especially audio and visual presentation. The unique blending of 3D gameplay elements blended seamlessly with exquisitely rendered 2D backgrounds works extremely well, and there is so much Egyptian flavor I was half expecting to see the National Geographic or Discovery Channel logo in the corner of the screen.
But best of all, Luxor 2 is fun and challenging for the entire family. With multiple game modes and skill levels, anyone can lose a few weeks or even months of their lives with the colorful and enchanting style and gameplay that makes Luxor 2 one of my all-time favorite XBLA titles.