Adventures of Lolo - NES (1989)

American Cover

Adventures of Lolo

Adventures of Lolo

When it came time to bring the series to America Hal saw fit to ditch the Eggerland name in favor of the probably-more-marketable title "Adventures of Lolo". Interestingly, it's also the lone entry in the Eggerland franchise to have never made it onto the shelves in Japan. That's because it's actually a compilation of puzzles that have been taken from previous installments in the series, and contains no original stages of its own. So, if you've already played through all of the prior releases then there's really nothing for you to see here. But for first timers it's a great intro to the series, as the puzzles that have been chosen rank among the easier and more straightforward ones from the prequels, making it a great game to play before tackling the more brain racking Japan-only entries. And like its immediate predecessor, it also has just fifty puzzles. So I'd guess that it was released as Hal's way of warming up Americans to the series. The only original content of any sort is the intro, which actually details the game's story, though all you really see is the evil villain King Egger taking princess Lala away, before being told that Lolo has to save her. The puzzles are also supposed to be part of different floors in a tower, with five puzzles on each floor, and a password at the end of each. Everything has been redrawn, from enhanced sprites to actual floor tiles, as opposed to simply black space, from the MSX and FDS releases, and overall it looks quite a bit nicer.

Adventures of Lolo Adventures of Lolo

Adventures of Lolo 2 / Adventures of Lolo - NES (1990)

American Cover

Japanese Cover

Adventures of Lolo 2 (USA)

Adventures of Lolo 2 is the second title in the Eggerland series to have been released in America. It's especially noteworthy for having one of the creepiest intros that you'll ever see in a game, with King Egger cornering a scared witless Lala in a dark room, then slowly, eerily reaching out for her from above. Just like last time, and demonstrating Arthur-from-Ghosts-'n-Goblins-caliber bravery, Lolo shows no hesitation in going after her. This, of course, involves scaling yet another huge tower and solving brain busting puzzles on his way to the top to save the day. If you found the last game to be a tad on the easy side then you'll probably be glad to hear that the difficulty's been cranked up a notch. Though it's still hardly the most challenging entry in the series, so first timers shouldn't be too intimidated, either. The number of stages that are normally available is also just fifty, but there are four extra hidden stages that are only accessible via passwords (PROA, PROB, PROC, and PROD). But other than offering mostly original puzzles, it basically plays exactly like the last game. Even the sprites are taken directly from the predecessor. However, it does have a couple of original animations - I especially dig how enemies will disappear in a puff of smoke when a stage is cleared. If you're really into the series, then you'll find it worth grabbing both the English and Japanese versions of the game. The Japanese release has mostly different puzzles from the ones in the English language version. It's also noticeably more challenging than its English language counterpart. And the title is just "Adventures of Lolo", as the prior release never made it out in Japan.

Adventures of Lolo 2 (USA) Adventures of Lolo (JPN)

Intro

Adventures of Lolo 3 / Adventures of Lolo 2 - NES (1991)

American Cover

Japanese Cover

Adventures of Lolo 3 (USA)

Adventures of Lolo 3 would prove to be the final NES installment in the franchise. And as opposed to the second game, it actually mixes things up a bit. What you'll notice right off of the bat is that Lala hasn't been kidnapped. Instead, the story is about King Egger turning everybody in Eden Land to stone - everybody except Lolo and Lala, that is. So, it's up to the two of them to save the day. Yes, that's right, the two of them. You can actually enter into any particular set of puzzles with either Lolo or Lala. They don't actually do anything differently, but it's still pretty cool. Several other changes have been made from the prequels. You start the game out on a world map, where you're offered a choice to play one of two areas. Upon finishing both of them you'll unlock a third. As you go more towers become available for play, eventually leading to the final stages of the game. For those looking for a longer game than the prior two NES titles, the total number of puzzles has been kicked way up to one hundred ten in all. There's also the additions of a whale monster named Moby and breakable bridges (that collapse after being crossed twice). You've also got infinite lives this time out. And you'll need them, too, because it won't take long before the puzzles start frying your brain. If you're just jumping into the series for the first time then you'll be glad to hear that there's a tutorial of sorts where an old man in a cave (complete with a staff and a beard) shows you the basics. There are also bosses, who are bigger versions of the normal enemies, although they don't act exactly the same. They take many hits before they can be egg-ified and shot out the screen (although certain bosses just explode instead) but luckily Lolo/Lala starts these battles with unlimited magic shots. The bosses are located in 6th room of level 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 12 towers, the first 5 rooms being regular Eggerland puzzles. As is the case with the previous installment, the Japanese release has (mostly) different, but equally great, puzzles, so both versions are well worth looking into. And the title has the 3 changed to a 2, since, again, the original Lolo never saw a release there.

Adventures of Lolo 3 (USA) Adventures of Lolo 3 (USA) Adventures of Lolo 2 (JPN)

Adventures of Lolo / Lolo no Daibouken - Gameboy (1994)

European Cover

Japanese Cover

Adventures of Lolo (EUR GB)

After several releases for NES/FC/FDS and MSX, the Eggerland series saw its first and only installment for a portable console, known in Japan as "Lolo no Daibouken" or "Lolo's Great Adventure". In the time since the last NES game, Lolo and Lala have apparently had a child named Lulu (creative). The family are visiting an amusement park called Gentryland. Only that bastard King Egger - apparently having given up on the overwhelming task of trying to seize whole kingdoms - has resorted to trying to take over amusement parks, and Gentryland just so happens to be his first target. In an exceptional display of cruelty, he's stopped all of the rides at Gentryland, and even put an end to its famed Gentry Parade. If you've seen National Lampoon's Vacation then you know what lengths a man will go to after he drives his family all that way just to find that the place they were headed has been shut down. Well, Lolo's no different than Chevy Chase, meaning that King Egger is in some deep, deep trouble. The actual puzzles are up to par with the rest of the franchise, but there's the annoying problem of Lolo's walking speed, which is just too damn slow for the game's own good. The graphics have also been completely redrawn, and, while they still look perfectly acceptable, they're just not one the same level as the rest of the series. Most significantly, it doesn't really offer anything original, at all, and basically just plays exactly like most of the rest of the series. It does, at least, offer hints if you're stuck. It might actually be the best puzzle game for GB, but it's definitely the worst installment in the Eggerland series. Lolo no Daibouken later saw a massively enhanced European release called "Adventures of Lolo". What's most notable about this release is that, while the Japanese game has fifty puzzles in all, the European version has a whopping one hundred forty-four puzzles. Not only that, but it also has Super Gameboy support, which the Japanese version lacks. It even has a tutorial, in case you're just getting into the franchise. Furthermore, the intros, title screens, and the screens shown before and after each puzzle are mostly different between the two regions, although some have merely been switched around. The European release has the same basic story, but the manual complicates it with all kinds of utter nonsense. Lastly, there's an odd feature where the music differs depending on which direction Lolo is facing, though only in Intermediate Level.

Adventures of Lolo (JPN GB) Adventures of Lolo (EUR GB)

Comparison Screenshots

European	Japanese

Eggerland Episode 0 - Quest of Lala / Fukkatsu! Eggerland - Windows (1996 / 2000)

Japanese Cover

Fukkatsu! Eggerland

Fukkatsu! Eggerland

The final chapter of the Eggerland franchise is technically just one title, but it was released in two forms, with a period of a whole four years in between the both of them. First off came "Eggerland Episode 0 - Quest of Lala" in 1996. This is actually just a demo, and, as such, features a mere 32 puzzles. It's also actually a freeware release, and is only available in downloadable form. Then came "Fukkatsu! Eggerland" (or "Revival! Eggerland") - the "full" version of Quest of Lala - in 2000. This later release features a whopping 194 puzzles - the largest total in the whole series. The most immediately noticeable difference between the two releases is that Quest of Lala, not surprisingly, features Lala as the playable character, while Revival! brings back Lolo as the hero. The two releases having different protagonists is actually worked into the larger story that's told between the two of them, which goes something like this: A long time ago, in a land... well, in Eden Land, King Eden VI (ancestor of the current King Egger, I'm assuming) sealed King Egger away in some kind of magical shrine. 500 years later it broke, meaning that everybody was screwed. It's never officially stated - at least as far as I'm aware - but this is obviously a retelling of the story of the very first Eggerland game for MSX. Quest of Lala is about Lala going to the shrine to see what's up. When she gets there, and after she solves all the puzzles, she gets captured by King Egger as the demo ends with "TO BE CONTINUE EGGER LAND EPISODE 1". This sets the stage for Revival!, which has Lolo making tracks to the shrine to rescue the princess. In the full version you begin by solving puzzles on the overworld map, searching for entrances to puzzle-filled areas (a tower, a cave, an underwater dungeon, etc.) which each hide one of the 12 sacred gemstones that will be used to seal King Egger away for good. When you have collected all the gemstones, you are then able to enter the final dungeon in the middle of the overworld map, where King Egger and Lala are staying. Quest of Lala/Revival! hardly reinvents the franchise, but it does make its share of tweaks from its immediate prequels. For starters, the graphics have been given a massive overhaul, featuring both pre-rendered 3-D sprites and redesigns of several of the series' familiar motifs. The most important graphical change is that the water currents are animated, as this eliminates the need to figure this out by trial-and-error. In either version, if it takes just a whole crapload of tries to finish any particular puzzles then Lala/Lolo will do a victory dance of sorts, humorously mirroring the player's own relief that they've finally beaten the damn thing. And there's no more needless backtracking as you can teleport (from the map screen) to any of the rooms you've already completed. There's also an original object called a Crystal Framer, which you can rebound magic shots off of to encase Medusas in eggs. Also, you've got infinite lives, and the passwords have been replaced with a simple save feature. Both the demo and the full version have several puzzles taken from earlier entries in the franchise, though Revival! has far more original ones. One of the cooler things about Quest of Lala/Revival! is that it brings back Construction Mode. And this version of the mode is by far the best one yet. The limitations to how many of each kind of piece that can appear in any one room has been eliminated, so you can design the puzzles any way that you please. There's also different graphical themes (and their accompanying music) that you can select for each room - the demo has only 3 different themes, while the full game has 12. And being a PC game allows it to support a mouse in Construction Mode, which makes the controls just flat out effortless. But what really makes it badass is that you can share your designs with other people on-line. Given its age, it's not surprising that Quest of Lala/Revival! has compatibility problems with modern PCs. This can, however, be gotten around. The biggest problem is that it often just won't run, at all. You can (most likely) deal with this by simply running your PC in Windows 95 or 98/ME compatibility mode, using 256 colors. The MIDI music that's featured in the game can also cause it to crash, but you can easily turn off the music completely in the options menu.

Quest of Lala Fukkatsu! Eggerland Fukkatsu! Eggerland Fukkatsu! Eggerland Fukkatsu! Eggerland

Other Appearances

In Hal's Kirby series there are two recurring boss characters named Lalala and Lololo. Even though these are technically supposed to be different characters, they're both identical in appearance to their Eggerland counterparts. They've shown up together in both the original Kirby's Dreamland, as well as the SNES classic Kirby Super Star and its DS remake, Kirby Super Star Ultra, and have made an appearance in the Puyo Puyo port Kirby's Avalanche. They also pop up in most of the episodes of the Kirby anime - while they're considered minor characters in the series, they do have one episode dedicated specifically to them.

Kirby's Avalance

Kirby's Dream Land	Kirby Super Star	Kirby Super Star Ultra

Kirby Anime

Links Eggerland - Adventures of Lolo Website A fan site devoted to Eggerland. The Eggerland Series Another look at the lineage of the series.