Nintendo Wii Virtual Console Game Reviews: Adventures of Lolo 2 Review
Adventures of Lolo 2 was released in 1990 as a sequel to the popular Adventures of Lolo. While the second game offers harder puzzles, so little has changed that it is more of a rehash than a true sequel.
Gameplay (4 out of 5)
Adventures of Lolo 2 doesn’t do anything new gameplay wise over Adventures of Lolo. Lolo has to traverse 50 puzzle rooms, each of which must be solved before he can move onto the next one. There are an additional 4 super hard rooms that are optional.
Puzzle wise, Adventures of Lolo 2 is the same too. Each puzzle consists of collecting all the heart pieces to open the chest in the room (which, when touched, opens the door and destroys all of the enemies). Of course, getting the heart pieces is the hard part. Standing in Lolo’s way are a variety of obstacles from movable blocks to enemies that kill him with a touch (or fall asleep with a touch, which is somewhat more annoying).
Most of the enemies are the same, the snails that just stand there (looking adorable, I might add), the sleepy guys, the stones that shoot fire and so on. Avoiding them is usually the best option (or blocking them), but Lolo can get rid of enemies for a short time by encasing them in an egg (to move them or kick them off screen). They will, however, re-spawn after a short time.
Like the first game the rooms are not timed, but moving Lolo usually sets things into motion. It is best to stand still and take a look at the room before moving him at all. He can collect extra lives (and dying leaves you in the room you were in last. Plus there are passwords for each room), but scoping things out is still a good idea.
The Wii mote is used as a classic controller with the d-pad controlling movement (Lolo can’t walk at an angle!) and 1 and 2 as B and A, although both are useless unless you have collected some of the egg shells (or whatever they are).
The only real gameplay difference in Adventures of Lolo 2 is that you can actually fight the King of Eggerland at the end. I’m not sure how I feel about it, but there it is.
Story (3 out of 5)
So, if you beat Adventures of Lolo you know that Lolo found Lala however, as they escaped they were confronted by the King of Eggerland. He kidnaps Lala and Lolo has to go through another set of puzzle rooms to find her. Although, this time he has some help. Lala left clues behind in many of the rooms that Lolo collects throughout the game, thus aiding him.
Yeah, it basically rehashes the story of the first game. Not that in this kind of game story is all that important, but they still could have come up with something fresh.
Graphics and Sound (2 out of 5)
Adventures of Lolo 2 looks exactly like the first game, which is kind of a disappointment. It was released in 1990 and there was no improvement to the graphics whatsoever. Most of the enemy designs are even the same. A few have been re-done, but they are basically the same enemy with a new look. Not that the graphics in a puzzle game are that important, but still, some effort could have been made.
Sound wise, I found Adventures of Lolo 2 a bit annoying. The fast paced music is a bit jarring and although there is no time limit I felt like there was one. A slower and sweeter melody would have been preferred.
Fun (4 out of 5)
Adventures of Lolo 2 is just as fun (and at times frustrating) as Adventures of Lolo. The puzzles are a bit harder, so it does offer more of a challenge, but not so much that they are impossible. Although, the rooms with the sleepy guys (I don’t know their official name) are more about luck than puzzle solving. All in all, if you liked the first one you will probably dig this one too.
Overall (4 out of 5)
So little has changed in Adventures of Lolo 2 that it feels like it is an extension of the first game and not a true sequel. Like Adventures of Lolo, Adventures of Lolo 2 is only 500 Wii points and it is a fun and challenging puzzler that will have you thinking carefully as you play. Download it for your Wii if you liked the first one.
This post is part of the series: Adventures of Lolo Guide
Other Adventures of Lolo articles for the Wii.
