Luxor

Genre: Match-3 Puzzle

Players: 1

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Review:

Luxor is a Match-3 Puzzle game released on PC in 2005, mobile devices in 2009, and Nintendo 3DS in 2013. This game has gameplay comparable to Zuma, with players aiming multicolored balls at an encroaching line of colored balls, trying to create colored matches of 3 or more, and ideally create chain reactions with the matches they make. However, Luxor is a bit different than Zuma because instead of aiming and firing balls from a central point, players are firing balls from a Brick Breaker-style paddle they move left and right across the screen to aim.

This small distinction doesn’t really make for that great a difference in the gameplay – this still plays a lot like Zuma. However, that’s not all that bad, since this is actually a pretty good take on the Zuma formula, and having a paddle you move around gives the player freedom to chase after bonuses and power-ups that fall down on the screen as you’re making matches. What’s more, players have the freedom to choose to use either the circle pad or the touchscreen to control their paddle, and both options work well.

My biggest issue with this game is in regards to the presentation. Make no mistake, this game looks pretty good, using detailed 2D visuals with an Egyptian theme, and the game’s soundtrack is excellent, with a cinematic orchestral sound that makes this game seem surprisingly classy. However, the big issue here is that in order to fit all the detail of the PC game onto the Nintendo 3DS, everything has been squished down to the point where it’s teeny-tiny, and these details can be a big hard-to see on-screen.

Despite this issue, Luxor is largely a pretty solid Zuma clone on Nintendo 3DS. If you’re looking for a fun Match-3 Puzzle game, this isn’t going to be a title that’s likely to blow you away with its originality, but it’s still fun and well worth a look.

tl;dr – Luxor is a Zuma-style Match-3 Puzzle game that has you using an Arcade Brick Breaker-style paddle to aim colored balls so you can make matches. It’s a solid take on the Zuma formula that works well, with surprisingly good controls. The only real flaw here is how tiny everything is due to the original game being squished to fit on the Nintendo 3DS screen. But if you’re looking for a fun Match-3 Puzzler, this is well worth trying.

Grade: B-

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