Luxor 2
Encyclopedia
Luxor 2 is an action-oriented casual puzzle game developed by MumboJumbo
MumboJumbo
Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, MumboJumbo LLC is a publisher, developer and mass marketer of casual games for PCs and game consoles including those manufactured by Nintendo, Sony Computer Entertainment and Microsoft Corporation. Established in January 2001 they originally focused exclusively on...

. First released in 2006, it is the sequel to the original Luxor
Luxor (video game)
Luxor is a game and series of action-puzzle computer games, developed by MumboJumbo, with the first initial release in 2005. The first sequel to this game was Luxor 2, which was released in 2006 and included new gameplay, levels and bonus. After that came Luxor 3, which featured 7 gameplay modes...

, which was released in 2005. The title can be played online at several different sites, and can be purchased for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

, Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...

, and Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...

.

The game's console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...

 debut was on April 4, 2007, with its release via Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...

. It can be purchased directly from the Xbox Live Marketplace
Xbox Live Marketplace
The Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content...

.

Luxor 2 is also available in a Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...

-only version from MSN Games
MSN Games
MSN Games is an online games site devoted primarily to casual games, both stand-alone and multi-player online games. Games are available in free on-line versions, trial versions, and full feature pay-to-play versions...

 which includes improved graphics over the previous computer versions.

Gameplay

The game challenges the user to eliminate colored magical spheres by causing three or more spheres of the same color to collide. Players do this primarily by shooting additional spheres from a winged scarab
Dung beetle
Dung beetles are beetles that feed partly or exclusively on feces. All of these species belong to the superfamily Scarabaeoidea; most of them to the subfamilies Scarabaeinae and Aphodiinae of the family Scarabaeidae. This beetle can also be referred to as the scarab beetle. As most species of...

 which they guide back and forth along the bottom of the screen. When spheres are eliminated, nearby spheres which now form a segment of three or more or the same color will also explode in a chain reaction
Chain reaction
A chain reaction is a sequence of reactions where a reactive product or by-product causes additional reactions to take place. In a chain reaction, positive feedback leads to a self-amplifying chain of events....

.

During gameplay, the on-screen spheres continuously move forward, pushed themselves by additional small scarabs. If any sphere reaches the player's pyramid
Pyramid
A pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a single point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least three triangular surfaces...

, he or she loses a life and is forced to restart the level. If the player succeeds in eliminating a certain number of spheres without this occurring, new spheres cease to arrive and the level can be completed by removing those which remain.

There are a total of 88 levels of increasing difficulty, plus 13 bonus levels which the player can play through. In "Story mode", the player earns titles/rankings as he or she progresses through the various levels. Multiple difficulty levels are available as well, with play at higher levels yielding higher scores.

Power-ups

The title includes between thirteen and fifteen different power-up
Power-up
In computer and video games, power-ups are objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a benefit and can be used at a time chosen by the player...

s which can be collected during play. These are earned by successfully setting off three or more explosions in a row. When this occurs, a random power-up falls down towards the player's winged scarab, but is only actually collected if the player correctly positions the scarab to catch it. Once a power-up is collected, it either has an immediate effect, or modifies the next sphere which the player will launch, depending on type.

Unique or new power-ups include:
  • Color Cloud - Causes a cloud effect which changes the color of all spheres it envelopes to the matching color.
  • Lighting Storm - Causes a series of 10 lighting blasts to strike and randomly eliminate spheres.
  • Pharaoh's Dagger - Changes the player's "next sphere" into a dagger which can be used to destroy any spheres it hits for a period of time.


Additional power-ups are modeled after those from existing games, such as one which slows down the movement of the spheres, and one which temporary causes the spheres to move backwards.

Luxor: Pharaoh's Challenge

Luxor: Pharaoh's Challenge is a remake of Luxor 2 for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...

, Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...

, PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...

, and PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...

. released on November 20, 2007 for PS2, December 18, 2007 for both PSP and DS, and January 15, 2008 for Wii. Unlike the original Luxor 2, the remake introduces blessings to help the player on his or her journey to the Temple of Set
Set (mythology)
Set was in Ancient Egyptian religion, a god of the desert, storms, and foreigners. In later myths he was also the god of darkness, and chaos...

. The graphics are different on every platform.
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