Luxor 2
Score: 80% ESRB: 4+ Publisher: MumboJumbo Developer: MumboJumbo Media: Download/1 Players: 1 Genre: Puzzle
Graphics & Sound: Okay, so Luxor 2 has been out for a while now and it's been ported to quite a few systems, so it should come as no surprise that it has found its way to the iPad. Luxor 2's crisp visuals come through brilliantly on the mobile device's large screen and everything from the detailed backdrops to the balls themselves look great. The game's special effects come through nicely as well. Visuals like the lightning strikes of one power-up or the amorphous blob that gets fired with another one are nice pieces of polish that makes the game feel complete. Sound is also good, but not necessary for the overall game, which is always nice for a casual or mobile game. Luxor 2's background music is fitting for its ancient Egyptian look while the sound effects, especially those of the exploding balls, are very satisfying.
Gameplay: Luxor 2 has the same gameplay style of the first title. Your goal is to clear the trains of balls slowly snaking their way across the board before they reach one of your pyramids. You whittle down their numbers by shooting other balls into the line and when you connect three or more of a color, they disappear. The more impressive the destruction, via chains or really long lines of like-colored balls, the better chances you have of getting power-ups and extra jewels. The power-ups themselves are pretty numerous. There is everything from the Scorpion which zooms up the path destroying balls in its way, to the Color Cloud which will change the color of hit balls to that of the cloud. Other powers include a net that lets you catch any falling gems, lightning blasts, both one-shot bolts and random hits around the board, as well as small daggers you can use to deal out precise damage in an attempt to maximize your score. As you march your way across the map and through the 100+ levels (including bonus levels), you will also increase your rank from the lowliest of field workers to the upper echelon of ancient Egyptian life, provided you collect enough jewels and gems along the way, of course.
Difficulty: Luxor 2 does a pretty good job of starting off slow and gradually ramping up the difficulty until you are facing some quite challenging levels. While early levels will be rather straightforward with simple paths for the train of balls to run down, later ones not only weave more complex patterns, the overlapping segments make it harder to hit the exact target you are going for. You can also adjust the difficulty some with a few menu options. Not only can you set the overall difficulty to three different settings, but you can also turn on the speed shot and target reticule options so you will know exactly where your ball will land.
Game Mechanics: Luxor 2 works well on the iPad primarily because the system's touch screen makes for an easy translation to the point-and-click interface found in its original PC flavor. With your finger, you will slide the scarab-shooter back and forth across the screen, and to fire, all you need to do is tap your finger. The only real issue I have with this, and similar games on a touch-screen-based system, is that your hand and fingers can actually get in the way occasionally. Unlike other games of this style where you are spinning the shooter around in circles, the fact that Luxor 2 only moves horizontally across the board means you have a bit more freedom with where you can put your finger in order to minimize you hand's obstruction of the gameboard. Even if you've played Luxor 2 on other systems, the game is still worth another download and play through, though your desire to spend the money on the app is based purely on how much you enjoy and play Luxor 2, or similar games.
-J.R. Nip, GameVortex Communications AKA Chris Meyer
Related Links: Luxor 2 || iTunes Page Game Vortex’s Luxor Coverage
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