A great game for fans of puzzle games that aren't Tetris rip-offs.
Before Lolo, the blue furry ball, had his career stolen by Kirby, the pink puffy ball he actually stared in his own short-lived series of NES/GB puzzlers. In his first NES adventure, Lolo, Prince of Gentryland, visit’s Eden, a country of love and peace, where he meets Princess Lala. Than the absolutely unthinkable thing happens, Lala is kidnapped by Egger, the King of Darkness, who imprisons her in his castle (a Princess… kidnapped you say? Who could have foreseen such a thing?). Now Lolo must make his way through Egger’s castle and save Princess Lala.
The Gameplay:
If you’re a post-Tetris gamer you may be somewhat surprised to hear that although The Adventures of Lolo is a puzzle game it does not involve falling, colored, or, for the most part, blocks in general. Okay sure, you’ll be pushing blocks on multiple occasions, but this is all just a means to the end you see. Lolo actually plays out a bit like Zelda in many ways. The Castle is like a big dungeon and in order to make it into the next room you have to complete the current rooms puzzle while not getting killed by monsters.
The puzzle consists of collecting all the heart tiles in the room which opens up a chest containing a switch. Pressing the switch kills all the monsters and opens the door to the next room. Getting the hearts though is easier said than done though. The hearts are often guarded by monsters and one tiny slip-up will often be enough to spell Lolo’s doom. All in all there are around 50 rooms to complete, which isn’t as much as it’s sequels but the pacing is great and the each level feels uniquely challenging. You might have to take advantage of the games unlimited continues often but you never feel helpless.
Part of this is due to the game’s varied stages are it’s distinct monsters. Every monster is unique and requires a distinct strategy to confront. You’ll have to be careful navigating around Medusa and the more mobile Don Medusa, you’ll have to hide behind objects to avoid their deadly gaze. And while Snakey’s completely harmless the harmless looking Sleeper and Blockheads can trap you if you aren’t careful. And then there are the Skulls and Dragons which don’t initially seem dangerous until you collect all the heart tiles.
Lolo himself also carries a variety of tools to help him through each stage. By collecting heart tiles he can gain the ability to encase his enemies in a bubble allowing him to safely push them around like blocks or dump them in the river to use as a raft or he can use up another “shot” to temporarily dropkick them off the stage. Lolo can also use tools like bridges and can change the direction of the arrow on arrow tiles allowing him to reach areas he normally couldn’t. Learning to use these tools effectively is the only way to get through the levels.
The Graphics:
All in all fairly simple but the choice of palette works very well. It’s very easy to tell the characters apart from the background and Lolo’s huge eyes give him a lot of character for such a tiny blue ball. The best thing I like however is Lolo’s expression when he loses or gives up during a puzzle. His stress-induced seizures are cute in a morbid way (very morbid) and help reduce the stress of losing a stage for the fifteenth time in a row.
The Sounds:
Very, very simple, there are only a few tracks throughout the entire game, and none of them particularly memorable.
The Multiplay:
None
The Replay:
None really, if you find yourself addicted you’ll just have to seek out Lolo 2 and 3.
The Conclusion:
I have to say that Lolo is one of the best puzzle games out there as well as one of the best games for the NES. Although he’s become something of a forgotten hero in Nintendo history (reduced to occasional cameo appearances in Kirby’s games/TV series) Lolo really deserves more credit. He should be right up there with games like Marble Madness rather than forgotten like games like Kablooey! (Anyone?…Anyone?). If your looking for a great somewhat obscure NES game look no further than one of the Lolo games.