Nerdicus NES Review # 23 : The Adventures of LoLo

Title : The Adventures of LoLo

Publisher : HAL America

Release Date : 1989

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $6-$10

Oh, Lolo. You mischievous little blue ball. What have you gotten yourself into now? What's that? You've gone and let your girlfriend Princess Lala get kidnapped by the King of Darkness, Eggar? Yup, you heard right. You're a blue ball, rescuing a pink ball, from an evil demon. Now were they just lazy with the character design and story? Maybe - but this game isn't about that. This is about mind-bending, brain-melting, puzzle solving fun. And I couldnt' ask for anything more.

Remember that internet game that was all the rage a few years back, Theseus and the Minotaur? It's a logic puzzle game, just like the Adventures of Lolo. These were the only type of puzzle games I enjoyed playing back in the day. I hated Tetris and Dr. Mario, and you'll find out why once I review it. But logic puzzle games were different. They really tested your problem solving skills, and it was so rewarding when you finally solved a particularly level after what seemed like thousands of attempts. 

And The Adventures of Lolo was the crowned jewel of them all.

If you played logic puzzle games before, you know the deal. They start off pretty simple and progressively get to the point where you want to rip your hair out and fling your controller into the TV screen. In the Adventures of Lolo, it's all about collecting heart peaces that open up a chest that opens up a door or makes a ladder appear to the next level.

There's a catch though.

First off, you'll probably have monsters chasing you throughout the level just to make things more irritating. Secondly, you'll have to deal with maneuvering boxes and using tools that appear to make your away around obstacles. Third, you'll need to use your magic ball power...whatever it is...and use your egg-transforming ability on monsters to block other monsters, use em as flotation devices, among other things.

And just when you thought it couldn't get any harder, as soon as you collect the last heart, the monsters go on a schizophrenic rampage. So you may have thought you were in the clear when that chest opened, but now you have to haul your arse over to it before you get killed.

Sounds fun, right? Well, it is!

Just take a look at the difference between some earlier stages, and the stages later on. Can't you just feel the frustration building?

EASY LEVELS :

HARD AS *BLEEP* LEVELS :

The graphics are decent, the music is catchy, and the gameplay is straight forward. But what makes this game so incredible are the puzzle designs. None of them are by any means impossible, but a lot of them, especially in the later stages, require a lot of thought. It's the challenge of this game that makes you keep coming back for more. I spent 15-20 mins on some levels, desperate to try to figure out what the heck I was missing. Usually it was something simple, but the absolute gratification you get from solving a puzzle is priceless.

By the time I got to the end of the game, I was more upset that I didn't have any more puzzles to solve. But then again, I always have Adventures of Lolo 2 and 3 - but seriously, Princess Lala? Oy. Get a room you two.

Final Score (out of 5) :

Until next time. Keep on gaming!