Eggerland - Revival of the Labyrinth

Infobox VG
title=Eggerland- Revival of the Labyrinth


caption=Boxart
developer=HAL Laboratory
publisher=HAL Laboratory
designer=
engine=
released=flagicon|Japan August 9 1988
series=Eggerland series
genre=Puzzle game
modes=Single player
platforms=Famicom
media=
requirements=
input=

nihongo|Eggerland - Revival of the Labyrinth|エッガーランド 迷宮の復活|"Eggerland Meikyuu no Fukkatsu" is a puzzle game developed by HAL Laboratory for the Nintendo Famicom. It was released in 1988 in Japan. It is the fifth game in the Eggerland series following Eggerland Mystery. The game contains 162 stages (or maps), which are arranged on an 8-by-16 grid (with some stages hidden). [ [http://www.freewebs.com/eggerland/theeggerlandseries.htm An Eggerland project designed by Jesse Brown. | ] ]

Summary

Much like previous games before it, this game is non-linear and allows Lolo (the player) to chose to go in any direction that he wishes to go in. However, some of the doors that Lolo will encounter along the way are locked and will require Lolo to find a key in order to open them. In this respect, parts of the game are somewhat linear. Similar to the key, a raft has also been added to the game as a room-completion prize which allows Lolo to complete challenging water courses. In the water courses Lolo is at the whim of the currents and he must find the correct current to ride or he will often drown far out to sea. The game also has special inventory items that Lolo can collect along the way, such as a map and a "Magic Bell" that will ring when he enters certain rooms. If this happens, it lets him know that a secret is hidden there.

Magic Bell Secrets

If, for example, in a room for which the Magic Bell has rung, Lolo arranges the blocks in a certain pattern after the room has been cleared then a cave will open that will take him to a secret set of rooms in which a "god" is hidden. After having spoken to you the "god" takes his place in your inventory presumably joining Lolo's quest in spirit if not physically. The secrets indicated by the Magic Bell all take this form where a specific arrangement or other non-intuitive action must be made by the player to unlock the secret and enter the cave.

pecial Puzzles

Additionally, the game has some special puzzles which are indicated by symbols that appear on the bottom right hand corner of the screen below a question mark symbol. The nature of the special puzzle will be reflected by which element of the game appears in the box. Examples of symbols which may appear include an emerald framer, a monster such as a Leeper or a Rocky, or a heart framer. As with the Magic Bell's secrets, the rules of the special puzzle are never made explicit, however with special puzzles the symbol in the corner provides a hint. In the case of the emerald framer, for instance, it is necessary for Lolo to arrange the emerald framers in the room into a special pattern in order for something special to happen. Due to the lack of directions given for the special puzzles, some have said this is the most challenging game next to "Revival! Eggerland" (if not the most challenging game in the series). [ [http://www.freewebs.com/eggerland/theeggerlandseries.htm An Eggerland project designed by Jesse Brown. | ] ]

ample Solution to a Special Puzzle

The solution to the puzzles related to Leepers is that Lolo must be surrounded by Leepers at which point he turns into a green ghost that can walk through walls. Solutions like this are clearly non-intuitive as according to the natural rules of the game, being surrounded by leepers is equivalent to becoming permanently stuck and would ordinarily require the player to reset the level and forfeit a life. Solutions to the Special Puzzles and Magic Bell Secrets are all similarly difficult to guess.

References