So, Adventures of Lolo 2. If you've played the original Adventures of Lolo, your exclusive five-word review is "Same as before, but harder." Go spend your Wii Points or run screaming as you see fit.
If you're new to the series, Lolo was this little blue guy who starred in a short-lived series of puzzle games for the NES. They were the good kind of puzzle games, too -- they contained no falling blocks, and they never required the player to sort things by color or shape. They encouraged thought, planning, and dexterity, and they were all pretty great.
Then Lolo went insane and lived the rest of his life as a recurring boss character in the Kirby series. Try not to think about that too much as you play Lolo 2 -- it's kind of depressing.
In Lolo 2, you control this guy, Lolo, and you have to help him with his problems. His problems are 1) he's trapped in a castle or something, and 2) there are a lot of damn enemies in his way. So you have to do what any reasonable person would do in his situation -- gather up all the heart icons and turn anyone in your way into delicious eggs. Duh! Once you gather all the hearts in a room, a treasure chest opens up. Grab the prize inside, and the door to the next room opens. It all sounds great, but then a Medusa catches you off-guard and kills you instantly with a loud PSSSSSSSH, which will scare the living crap out of you every time.
There are a few gameplay wrinkles beyond collecting and dodging, though. You can push around egg-encased enemies to deter other enemies, and use green blocks (they're called EMERALD FRAMERS, because I'm a NERD who reads INSTRUCTION MANUALS) to do the same. With just the right amount of egging, blocking, and collecting, you -- yes YOU! -- may be the next winner in our Adventures of Lolo showcase showdown of fabulous prizes.
It gets complicated, though. It's never as simple as a blue guy turning enemies into eggs that float across miniature rivers that flow inside square rooms in a castle. Oh no, of course it isn't. You also have items that you can use, once certain conditions are met. There's a hammer that you can use to break blocks, and you can even build your own bridges sometimes.
As gameplay gets more complex, the puzzles gradually become more and more difficult, and on the whole, Adventures of Lolo 2 ramps up in difficulty faster and to a greater extent than its predecessor. Frustration is pretty much inevitable as puzzles stump you and enemies drain your lives, but assuming you don't give up in anger, Lolo 2 is a satisfying experience overall.
Just get the game, already. See what you think. It's worth five bucks. Get the original Lolo, too. It's all good.
Here's a demonstration video that makes Lolo 2 look totally boring. It picks up later on, I promise!
