Adventures of Lolo Review

Ahh, here’s another one with some memories for me. I remember renting this many years ago and being entranced by the idea of it, even though it wasn’t really an original game to begin with. Didn’t know that then, however. At any rate, Adventures of Lolo was a groundbreaking title for the NES that was actually based on a series of several games that came before it. I’ll discuss this in the creativity section, but overall I have to say that this is definitely a title that needs to be on any NES fan’s favorites list.

Graphically, you can’t expect too much here. The programmers did a nice job with the opening and character details, though it can be said in comparison to the sequels that this title feels pretty drab due to the repetitive color scheme, a large chunk of which involves browns. It’s not that big of a problem for me, however, when you consider what type of game it is, but it’s something to mention. If you’re looking for a ton of graphical variety, stay away from this, it’s not meant for it. Being a puzzle game, they did, as you could expect, simply repeat things over and over again, changing arrangements to make new puzzles.

Musically, you’ve got the same thing. Good opening tracks and sound effects, good in-game music, good in-game sounds, but again, it just keeps on going and going. Because of that, like in the graphics category, some gamers may have trouble with it because it can get redundant, but again, this wasn’t a problem for me. The real idea behind Adventures of Lolo is in the gameplay, the graphics and sound merely accent it and set the mood, that’s it, the rest is coming up in the next category.

Adventures of Lolo is, simply put, an action/puzzle game. Basically, all you have to do is move Lolo around in his quest to save Lala and the kingdom. Each stage has a number of heart frames you have to collect, which then opens up a chest that contains a jewel that you grab to open the door and move on to the next level. Of course, there are a variety of obstacles and creatures you have to avoid and manipulate in order to do so without dying, such as Medusa, who will strike you down if you enter its line of sight unless it’s blocked. So that’s about it, plenty of fun here for puzzle fans. The levels get harder as you progress, and at the end you get to see an ending. I don’t really have any problems with the gameplay overall, the controls are responsive, there’s a password feature so you can come back later, and so forth. My major gripes are in the creativity department.

First off, Adventures of Lolo is totally not an original game. Ideas like this had existed way before it, such as Flappy, which is almost identical in certain respects. But even more disappointing to those that know is that this is basically a compilation game where the programmers took stages from the previous Lolo games, the ‘Eggerland’ series, and just gave them better graphics. They changed nothing. Thus, this game was only released in America because other games had been released, for example, in Japan, so a game that simply took earlier games and gave them a bit of a graphical update wouldn’t have sold well. In fact, this is just considered a ‘compilation’ game over there. However, you also have to factor in, in spite of this bit of history, that America did not have any games featuring Lolo prior to this, so it wasn’t exactly a cheap maneuver, it just would have been nice if someone put some time into making a new game instead of just hacking up old stages. In addition, it’s actually not an original idea in spite of what some people think, it’s just the most well-known game of its type. Another, which has gone through various changes including the famous ‘Boxxel’, is arguably more famous because it’s still being redone to this day, but of course no one knows where it came from.

I’ve played Adventures of Lolo numerous times since my youth, so it definitely has replay value, especially with the password feature so you can come back to it later. Of course, though, you won’t be expected to play this the week after you beat it, since the levels will be pretty fresh. In terms of completion, you probably won’t come back to it for awhile. As for length, Adventures of Lolo has a good amount of time invested in it. You’ve got 50 levels in all, and some of them could take up to an hour to complete in some cases, so considering that you have a lot of gameplay ahead of you. However, unlike the third game in the series, it’s definitely a manageable amount of time that won’t have you pulling your hair out.

In conclusion, Adventures of Lolo is a good game overall for the puzzle fan or the casual NES gamer. If you’re looking for a groundbreaking title that set the mold, you’re not going to find it here even if you think you are, but it’s still worth a look for its smooth arrangement and ease of play, as well as a password feature so you can pick at it whenever you want.