Luxor: Pharaoh's Challenge
Gameplay
Ever since Tetris hit the scene way back when it would seem that just about every developer has had a hankering for a piece of the puzzle pie. How many jeweled blocks have you destroyed in your time as a gamer? There's just something fundamentally addicting about lining up appropriate colors and objects for an explosion of sound and points. It speaks to the very root of gamers everywhere and that's the reason these titles have remained popular for so many years.
The Luxor series carries that tradition proudly with a multitude of colored balls that call for your matching them up. On each game board there is a track that runs through the Egyptian setting and a variety of colored marbles that roll along the course. You're equipped with a launcher that allows you to shoot a colored marble at the train of ones already on the screen. By doing so you hopefully aimed properly and cleared out some colors in the process. It's a simple concept that speaks to the roots of puzzle games since they were launched and in that regard Luxor is a success.
Where Luxor falters is the fact that it doesn't do enough to separate itself from the rest of the pack. If you have ever played Magnetica or Zuma then you have played Luxor though that doesn't detract from the fun that this title offers. I found myself sitting in front of the TV for hours shooting marbles around the screen and having a good time while doing it. It's the ease of getting into things that helps keep Luxor: Pharaoh's Challenge a good time throughout but that simplicity is also a double-edged sword. Puzzle pros looking for a more involved challenge are going to be left out in the dark because there's not much in the way of innovation here.
Granted Pharaoh's Challenge does attempt to up the ante a bit by providing a plethora of power-ups and abilities known as Blessings. While you're playing you'll occasionally get an icon that allows you to slow time, reverse the track, blow up attached marbles, or even shoot a stream of lightning for maximum damage. Blessings are pre-game powers that can be equipped as you earn them and provided aiming assistance, better ball control, etc. These powers help add some flavor to Luxor but they aren't nearly enough to diversify the title amidst the sea of puzzle games.
The single player does last a while and it stays fun the entire way through but the lack of multiplayer hurts. In this day and age a game like this simply must include the ability to battle against a friend or else it comes up short; which is the case here. Still, there's a lot of puzzle action to be had and the Luxor engine is just as strong as it ever was. If you have enjoyed the series and are curious about Pharaoh's Challenge then you'll be pleased but if you find that there are just too many puzzle games on the market as is then you'll be able to let this one pass by quietly. I'm going to recommend the title for anyone looking for a solid puzzle game but the fact that there isn't a whole lot going for it makes it a rental for most.
Graphics
Like most every puzzle game on the market Luxor: Pharaoh's Challenge is simple looking. After all you're just staring at colored marbles and flashing lights most of the time so you can't exactly expect the graphics to rival God of War or the like. I did appreciate the Egyptian setting which has been a staple of the Luxor series and felt that each stage was well-realized in this regard. The visuals of this game suit the concept well though they won't impress your socks off my any means.
Sound
Equally fitting, yet lackluster, is the audio for Luxor. The Egyptian inspired music lacks energy and though it helps keep the theme going, it did nothing to keep me interested. The sound effects are generic and straight out of the Puzzle Game Sound Box but they are suitable enough. Dings and blips fill the Luxor experience though I suppose it could have been worse.
Conclusion
Luxor: Pharaoh's Challenge is a very simple and straightforward puzzle experience. The lack of multiplayer hurts and the fact that there are so many puzzle games like this on the market doesn't help either. Still, this is a fine console incarnation of the PC classic and some of the gameplay upgrades make things interesting. Despite some of my negative feelings about the title I had a lot of fun playing it and must say that it was the puzzle experience I was looking for. It's not the most original game on the market and it's not the best but it will help pass the time and comes recommended for anyone looking for such a title.