 |
| OVERALL RATING |
3.5 |
| Presentation |
 |
4.0 |
| Control |
|
4.0 |
| Gameplay |
 |
3.5 |
| Fun factor |
|
4.0 |
| User Rating |
 |
3.5 |
 |
Posted: December 14, 2007
Ancient Egypt is set for another round of matching mayhem in the form of Luxor 2, where players wield a mystical winged scarab to shoot magical spheres and destroy encroaching colored spheres. This of course is done by making matches of three or more, eventually hoping to stop them all from reaching the pyramid in each stage.
A total of 30 stages await you in the form of very creative layouts that not only have you destroying the oncoming spheres, but also collecting an abundance of gems, coins and special power-ups. Gems account for extra points while catching 20 coins rewards you with an extra life, but the real fun is had with the different power-ups, of which there are nine such as Daggers to shoot and Reverse that provides a brief respite.
To vary the game play a bit, every fifth stage is a special Temple that turns the game more or less into a shooter for bonus points. As the spheres begin to move on invisible rails, you must shoot them down with daggers to eliminate them all, without the need to create matches. (These stages are actually very reminiscent of the arcade classic Centipede.)
As is common in this type of game, the stages get more intricate and decidedly tougher to get through, but using careful targeting and fast thinking will allow you to survive. All you are responsible for is moving left/right or shooting the spheres, so it should be fairly easy to concentrate.
The game has received a very nice visual upgrade that illustrates fine detail to the backgrounds and all of the items. The effects created by the power-ups are top-notch, if only the actual icons used to signify those power-ups were as nicely created. The sound used is standard, but does a fine job of relaying the action.
Luxor 2, for fans of the series, actually resembles more the action found in the PC version of Luxor 3, but that probably won’t matter much to you if it’s the first time you pick up the game. It’s an entertaining casual game for those who enjoy match play that has plenty of power-ups and sticky situations. The shooter levels are a nice change of pace, and overall the game is a very solid download.
