Review: LUXOR: Amun Rising (iOS)

MumboJumbo Games hits it out of the park again with LUXOR: Amun Rising for iOS devices. In this new chapter of their Egyptian marble franchise, MumboJumbo sticks to their tried and true formula while still pushing boundaries for the fans and delivering a new experience.

When you have a long running franchise like LUXOR it can be tempting to churn out the same thing over and over again to consumers, knowing that you’ll make a profit. What’s refreshing is that MumboJumbo hasn’t done that so not only does it keep each installment enjoyable but it makes reviewing the game much easier.

There was a bit of a snag I ran into while trying to play the game on my old 3G that was running the 3.1.3 OS, but in the middle of playing I did upgrade to an iPhone 4 with 4.3.1 OS. The problems I experienced disappeared immediately and I everything was smooth sailing after that. While the listing on iTunes states that the game is compatible with the 3.1.3 OS, keep in mind that the problems I had were so bad that it took me ages before I could enter my profile name or even try to play through the first level. That’s how frequent the app was crashing.

Once the app crashing problem was eliminated I had a blast. Amun Rising gave me 88 new levels to jam through and, like all other LUXOR games, as you progress the game increases in difficulty and skill. The good thing is that you can opt to not jump into Adventure mode immediately and instead try your hands at Practice. Adventure is really the meat and potatoes of the game as it’s where you progress and really get a taste of the full LUXOR experience. If you’re feeling saucy there is even Survival mode where you can knock your socks off and see how long you can last. I’ve never been particularly fond of Survival modes, as they cause me to stress out too much, but the one in Amun Rising was a perfect blend of panic and strategy.

As a gamer who likes to customize what I’m playing I adored all of the options I had. I was able to choose if I wanted Aim Assist and if so whether I wanted it to appear as a reticle or beam, if I wanted exact or offset movement, tap or release to fire off a sphere and even if I preferred swiping my finger or multi-touch to change the color of my marble. If that isn’t enough customization for you then I don’t know what is. All of the menus were clean, had great animations to transition me through each section and were accompanied with great sound effects.

If you’re an achievement hunter like I am there are 12 to earn and if you’ve got Game Center then you can show off your new shinies to your friends. Amun Rising even goes further in depth with a thorough list of stats that covers how long you’ve played the game, percentage of completion, which level you had the hardest time with, total score, lives earned and lost, accuracy bonuses earned, the collectibles you’ve found, number of spheres destroyed with a color breakdown and much more. There is even a listing for each level in the game that details how many times you’ve played it along with wins and losses.

Amun Rising delivers the classic LUXOR experience we’ve all come to love but polishes it so fiercely that we’re given a gem of an app for the iPhone and iPad. The game regularly retails for $9.99, which could give some of you sticker shock, but right now it’s only $2.99 which is a ridiculous bargain. If you enjoy casual games, if you want something that will provide you hours of enjoyment and has massive replay value then download LUXOR: Amun Rising because you won’t be disappointed.

To purchase LUXOR: Amun Rising from the iTunes App Store go here. For more information on MumboJumbo Games, check out their official website and follow them on Twitter!