Luxor Evolved
Available for iOS (iPad, iPhone, iPod touch)
Game Developer and Publisher: MumboJumbo
Release Date: May 1, 2012
Luxor Evolved review
The lush, almost photo-real graphics of Luxor’s previous iOS incarnation Luxor 2 HD set a high standard for the match-3 marble shooter. Could it get better? MumboJumbo takes gamers on an all-new surprising visual approach in Luxor Evolved. Just by the game’s name and its graphical style, Luxor Evolved is clearly influenced by Geometry Wars Evolved. Dig deeper into Luxor Evolved’s secret levels and you will find there are in fact many other video game tributes to some of gaming’s greatest. Experiencing the secret levels unlocks the biggest rewards that Luxor Evolved offers. The Luxor game series may have been a niche in the casual game market, but this release calls out to the hardcore and long-time classic gamers.
Luxor Evolved does have the colorful vector graphics from the Geometry Wars game series. And at its heart, the gameplay mechanics of Luxor Evolved are still very much the same from previous Luxor releases. So I will spare the repetition. There are a plenty of power ups and bonuses to catch, in fruity retro gaming style. The three different Super Power-ups are the most rewarding and damaging, which transform your ship into a uber-destructive force. The Super Power-ups will also light up your screen with psychedelic colors.
One thing that felt a little off in Luxor Evolved is the gameplay speed. There is a slow-motion effect, but sometimes I couldn’t tell if it was because of the game’s performance. For a vector game, it definitely should feel a bit speedier or a bit snappier like previous Luxor games (or Geometry Wars). The other minor annoyance may be the boss battles. Some of the boss battles may be frustrating, but there is an option to skip the boss battle should it really aggravate you. Once you get a couple encounters with the bosses, things may get smoother.
I won’t spoil which retro games make a surprise appearance in Luxor Evolved (unless you can guess one of them from the screenshot above), but think early and late eighties arcade games and you get the idea. I had a blast playing through the game just to see the unique neon representations of the video game classics. I was doubtful how MumboJumbo could possibly come up with another unique release of Luxor, but they did it in a totally awesome and retro fabulous gaming way. Gamers owe it to themselves to experience a super fun visit down video game’s godly glyphs in Luxor Evolved. Highly recommended!
Game Rating:
4.5 out of 5 stars
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Thanks to MumboJumbo for making this review possible!
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