Every Extend Extra review

Last, and far from least, pink enemies drop all-important "quickens" that speed up everything from your ship's maneuvering capability and the rate at which enemies appear to the tempo of the music. These suckers are the key to making it through the challenging boss battles that punctuate each level, and getting a full stock of eight can be one hell of a challenge.

See, after you've grabbed six of them, the ships that spill them stop appearing, encouraging you to maneuver around the power-ups until three are on-screen at once. It's a lot harder than it sounds, and making it from board to board is exceptionally challenging, even with five continues.

What's most memorable isn't shuffling about, or holding a shoulder button to leave your explosive core in a strategic spot, but the inventiveness of the graphics and sound effects. Every level's objects and explosion effects are part of a distinct theme, with grunt ships tumbling along in formation, inexplicably twisting mini-bosses, and bizarre end bosses that refuse to go down easy.

Every Extend Extra's main sequence of boards is challenging and fun, and perfectly suited to a quick game here and there when you find yourself in a queue or on a long ride. But you'll find yourself wishing there was a bit more meat. Though the back of the box boasts five game modes, two of them involve simply replaying the boards and bosses you've defeated. A version of the plainer, original Every Extend (a homebrew PC title) is a welcome bonus, and multiplayer is a short and sweet blast, but it would've been awfully nice if the developer had taken a cue from its own Lumines II and offered more than one main challenge course.