Luxor: Quest for the Afterlife Review

What is Luxor: Quest for the Afterlife?

Luxor – Quest for the Afterlife is the 4th game in the Luxor series that have been primarily set in Ancient Egypt, however unlike its predecessors it is only available on the PC via digital download. What also is put forward as a major selling point for this game is that you have six lands to go through as opposed to just Egypt, however the only real difference is the background as the main gameplay itself varies little.

The developers of the game MumboJumbo, based in Dallas, Texas, have now been in business for over 10 years producing games for the casual market, and have produced games for all major consoles and pc. The Luxor game series remains one of their flagship series which they continue to work on and support to this day.

Gameplay

Gameplay revolves around the premise of a line of different coloured orbs pushed by a scarab heading towards a final goal. The player must make matches of 3 or more coloured orbs to make those orbs disappear, thereby shortening and eventually destroying the line. This is done by shooting your own orbs to make these matches.

Once a set number of lines have been destroyed, the stage is cleared. Higher difficulties involve faster moving lines and more of them. What is a nice addition to the genre however is that by performing well you gain power ups including such items as a lightning bolt, fireball, time slowdown etc. Each of which assist you in different ways.

After the end of each round you are awarded with a piece of an artifact which when all the parts are completed will assist the player in the game. With this and the occasional cinematic cutscene between levels you will definitely feel the urge to keep playing until the end.

Luxor: Quest for the Afterlife offers many different modes compared to the earlier versions, including onslaught mode where you must destroy statues in order to lengthen the route the line of orbs takes, and battle mode where the player must battle a thief and spawn pushing scarabs in order to claim the treasure in the centre of the line of orbs.

Graphics

The graphics are simplistic and cartoonish in style which adds a nice charm and you will find yourself enjoying the art direction in the game. The few cut scenes and different level designs add a nice touch that really makes this game stand out above its competitors. Luxor: Quest for the Afterlife is also able to run on nearly all computers due to its low requirements and so is definitely a good purchase to play on the go with. One downside however is that graphics are recycled throughout the game so you are likely to see the same background more than once.

Sound

The game has an extensive soundtrack with music that changes depending on how well you are doing, for a puzzle game such as this the developers have gone a long way to ensure quality in the sound throughout the game. Also many of the cutscenes are fully voiced with professional voice actors which really supports the plot and adds a touch of polish to the game.

Overall Impressions

If you have ever played any of the Luxor games in the past, then you will be able to pick this game up and play it very easily. If you are new to the genre then it is still definitely worth a look at as the puzzles range from simplistic to very challenging, and with the different game modes you will find many hours of gameplay to keep you busy. The developers have played safe here and introduced few changes from the style of play that the Luxor games are known for, however my final thoughts are that this is a fun and enjoyable game that people of all ages will be able to enjoy. If you like the look of Luxor: Quest for the Afterlife then I also recommend you check out the other Luxor games produced as they are produced by the same company and of a similar style.

Availability

Unlike many of the previous Luxor games, Luxor: Quest for the Afterlife is only available for the PC platform via digital download. It can be purchased from many websites including Gamehouse.com and Bigfishgames.com. Both of these options offer a trial version allowing you to download the game and try it for free for a limited time before purchasing it, this is a good method as it allows you to see a small portion of what the game has to offer.