Adventures of Lolo 2
System: NES
Release Date: March 1990
Developer: HAL Laboratory
Publisher: HAL America
Genre: Puzzle
Our stalwart hero has just saved his girl Lala from the Haunted Castle and now they’re back in action in Adventures of Lolo 2! The evil King of Eggerland is upset and taunts Lolo by holding his people hostage. He then takes Lala away again, and challenges Lolo to climb his puzzle tower and defeat his castle to get them all back. There are 50 more levels for Lolo to figure his way through this time around, so get to it.
Gameplay hasn’t changed from the original Adventures of Lolo. There are heart framers placed around each room that must be collected to open the jewel box. Lolo has to figure out the best way to move through each level to avoid death. Medusa and Don Medusa will still kill you instantly if you are a straight line from them. The emerald framers must be pushed to break their gaze.
Magic shots can still be earned by picking up certain heart framers. These turn enemies into eggs, which can be pushed around to block Medusas, or pushed into water to act as a raft. There is one new mechanic that I don’t recall from the original. There were a number of levels that required a Snakey to be shot off the screen and an emerald paver placed where he started, which causes him to respawn in a new spot. So if you’re stuck, give that a shot.
There are no new powers. Certain levels will show a bridge, one-way, or hammer powerup that activates after collecting a certain number of hearts. There were four or five tough puzzles that took me some trial and error to defeat. A couple timing based puzzles that required avoidance of Don Medusa felt new. Others required several steps and intermediate steps to not get shot. Most of the levels were pretty easy, though.
If you make it all the way to the end, it’s a one on one battle with the King. You’re given an unlimited number of magic shots and you can actually just sit in one spot where he doesn’t shoot fire and blast him to kingdom come. Save your babe and fly out of there knowing you’ve won!
Graphics: 2.0
The graphics are exactly the same as the original, with some impressive ending cinematics.
Sound: 1.5
You still get one song to accompany you through the game, it’s different than the original.
Gameplay: 3.0
Lolo’s gameplay is still tight, though the timing mechanics against Don Medusa can be frustrating.
Difficulty: 3.5
The puzzles are mostly fair and the ones that aren’t require a little lateral thinking that isn’t hinted to.
Fun Factor: 3.5
It looks like I played this for 5 and a half hours without realizing it. That’s a good time.
Overall Grade: 2.7
Adventures of Lolo 2 earns a B-. It’s got everything you need if you’re a puzzle aficionado, do yourself a favor and give it a shot.