If movements were music and perfectly arranged patterns created light, how would you see the world? May Enhance, Monstars Inc. and Tetsuya Mizuguchi, never get tired of asking that question because, like Tetris Effect, Lumines Arise is a feast for the senses. It’s another gorgeous portrayal of synesthesia, which pushes the presentation of a puzzle game to the limit.
Two techno heads simply bobbing to the steadily growing beat? Blocks that methodically crawl towards the field before unfolding, as two skeletal hands start generating silk with each clear? I vaguely remember a snake of some sort, and much more in-your-face spider depictions, but you also have people emerging from cleared squares to walk away. Don’t even get me started on the chef stage with its progression from chopped fruits to vegetables, and I swear I saw a lizard at some point.
It’s incredibly trippy and should feel like little more than a gimmick, but each stage throughout Journey Mode and beyond feels unique – both overtly and in all the little ways. Each song feels tuned to your progress, evolving as you stack up the clears and even warping if you build too far up, seemingly portraying that internal pressure. Each little note tied to your cursor movement, the satisfying click when locking blocks in place – it’s so subliminally addictive that you might not even realize it on that 50th attempt at Survival on Hard Mode.
“The framework is less interstellar journey and more Big Bang, each milestone Burst creating more Loomis to join in. Multiple areas await, each divided into different levels that you play through consecutively. “
However, despite these notable visual flourishes, Lumines Arises reinforces one core aspect about the franchise: How gosh darned fun it is to play. How unique of a twist it feels on the Tetris formula, subtly rewiring that line-clearing mentality into something more malleable, and how delightful it feels to master. Which I haven’t, but there’s no denying the joy that comes from subconsciously fitting everything in place. It almost makes you wonder how the franchise fell by the wayside for so long without a new entry, much like with Tetris before Effect came along. Was this all just one big plan to revive Meteos, Mizuguchi’s other puzzle masterpiece? Probably.
Regardless, from the outset, Lumines Arise will feel very familiar in structure to Tetris Effect. As a Loomi, you embark on Journey Mode to set other Loomis free. The framework is less interstellar journey and more Big Bang, each milestone Burst creating more Loomis to join in. Multiple areas await, each divided into different levels that you play through consecutively. Blocks carry over between each; the speed gradually increases; and if you’re good enough to stay alive throughout, a high score is generated before moving on to the next area.
Aside from the final areas, each follows this pattern, unified by a singular theme such as Dissonance. The actual gameplay is where Tetris aficionados will face the biggest shock. A 16×10 square playing field awaits, and every single piece is 2×2, comprising four blocks each. If they’re the same color, they merge into a square, awaiting the periodic timeline to sweep across and wipe them out. If they’re not, you’ll need to match them with other corresponding colors. Things start to get interesting when combining other blocks with already established squares, transforming them into larger 3×3 squares, which grant even more points when cleared.
They also contribute to your Burst meter, which works somewhat differently from the Zone mechanic. The board slows down as usual, but instead of suspending line clears to build up even higher scores, you’re trying to further add on to a single square, amplifying it into one giant Burst of light. The opposing color, meanwhile, is transformed into assorted squares and blocks, which can be further chained for a higher score. As with the Zone, Burst lasts longer when activated at a full meter. Anything above 50 percent may be useful as a “get out of jail free” card, but it won’t last as long and thus provide as much of a benefit.
“Combine this with the satisfying presentation and sheer joy of each action, and you’ll want to improve, if only to keep the rhythm going. Again, it’s a simple formula, yet there are layers of depth beyond it that are nothing if not captivating.”
In the middle of all this, special blocks attached to a square can be used to connect all corresponding blocks across the board for an easier clear. So even if you’re not as optimal in building 2x2s or 3x3s, causing opposing colored blocks to stick out like so many sore thumbs, it could be the key to a clean slate. Alternatively, turn it to your favor to set up even more chains and build up that Burst meter even faster.
As unorthodox as it can feel at first, Lumines’s gameplay loop remains as addictive as ever – relatively easy to pick up and grasp but difficult to fully master. Combine this with the satisfying presentation and sheer joy of each action, and you’ll want to improve, if only to keep the rhythm going. Again, it’s a simple formula, yet there are layers of depth beyond it that are nothing if not captivating.
Once you’ve cleared Journey Mode, the real meat of Lumines opens up: Survival. Play through all stages in a row and attempt to complete them. It’s the ultimate test but also the only way to really play. Right? The good news is that there are other modes, like Missions, which offer Tutorials for learning various techniques and challenges to put them into practice. For example, one of them involves clearing squares in the middle to hatch a large egg. It’s a simple lesson that teaches you to properly optimize block placement in the best space on the board, given the low travel distance, and it’s a lot easier said than done. Various tougher missions await, and it’s a great way to learn the game while testing your understanding of its mechanics.
Otherwise, you can venture into playlists and curate your own Survival sequence of stages, or venture into online battles to challenge other players. It’s also home to different durations of Time Attack and the new Dig Down, where instead of pieces dropping from above, the board as a whole periodically raises, and you need to keep clearing to survive. The more squares cleared, the bigger the board and the more leeway available to make mistakes, but things only get more difficult as time goes on.
“As a new entry in the franchise, a successor to everything that came before and really just another great puzzler for those who loved Tetris Effect, this comes highly recommended.”
Maybe you’ll want to engage in some Loomi-Pon as well – a gachapon mechanic where you spend in-game currency to unlock new cosmetic items to dress up your character. When compared to the larger suite of features available in Tetris Effect: Connected, Lumines Arise can feel smaller, especially since it doesn’t have the largest swathe of experimental modes. There’s also the issue of visibility in certain places, not to mention one stage where the two block colors look so confusingly similar that it can mess you up during Bursts.
Neither of these is enough to deny the greatness of Lumines Arise as a whole, even if they slightly dampen the excitement. As a new entry in the franchise, a successor to everything that came before and really just another great puzzler for those who loved Tetris Effect, this comes highly recommended. By the end of Journey, there’s this message of ascending beyond and embracing the light of hope. Like Tetris Effect, Lumines Arise appeals to a deeper state of mind – one that appreciates the beauty of its sights and sounds, even after getting crushed for the millionth time in Survival.
This game was reviewed on PC.
