Need A New Sphere Smashing Fix? MumboJumbo’s Luxor: Amun Rising HD
Luxor: Amun Rising HD ($4.99) by MumboJumbo is the sequel to Luxor, the popular fast paced action-puzzler.
If you love the franchise, you are going to want to grab it up while MumboJumbo is having its 50 percent off spring sale. Their games have pretty high price points.
Luxor: Amun Rising HD is one of a number of games that follow the basic gameplay of PopCap’s Zuma (rumored to be coming to iOS this summer). The goal is to eliminate spheres by creating collisions of three of more of the same colored balls.
You achieve this, as in all the Luxor games, by firing orbs from a open-winged scarab that scrolls along the bottom of your screen.
When you knock out a group of spheres the rest close together making a shorter chain. You need to clear multiple chains to conquer a level. Careful placement and a little strategy can set up chain reactions and there are a variety of power-ups that give time-limited advantages.
Like all games in MumboJumbo's Luxor series, Amun Rising has an Egyptian theme.
The gameplay on the touchscreen feels a little slower and less accurate than on PC or Mac, but if you have played any variation of this game before, it’s not hard to adjust.
Here’s a tip: to switch from the current to the next sphere swipe down, if that doesn’t feel right you can change the controls in the game settings.
Luxor: Amun Rising HD has everything you’d expect from a game developer the size of MumboJumbo: sleek graphics, Game Center integration, achievements, multiple game modes, satisfying sound effects and responsive controls.
If you enjoy the original Luxor, but have finished it, you will be happy to find 88 new levels in Amun Rising.
But, what is lacking is a scintilla of originality.
I confess I was addicted to Zuma and Luxor on PC for the longest time, when my son was still in diapers. But, he's almost eight now and it’s the exact same game on iOS as it was on my beat up old laptop.
I’m not suggesting that MumboJumbo needs to fix something that isn’t broken. They have a hit franchise, and the key to franchising anything, from games to burgers, is giving returning customers what they expect.
But, almost a decade after Luxor was first introduced to gamers, I think a slight variation is in order. How about a blitz mode or new power-ups? Mini games? Bonus rounds? Anything to make me feel better about dropping $4.99 on a game I have purchased for other platforms previously.
Innovation aside, I did spend almost two hours “testing” the game. It’s a great rendition of a much-loved classic.
The question is, will I play it over and over, when newer addictive action-puzzlers like Tiny Wings, LiquaPop and Collision Effect keep my iPhone gaming experience fresh?
Honestly, not really. In fact, I’m feeling the urge to take flight and pop some liqua right now.
