Review
Release Date: 03.22.2005
Platform:
PSPDeveloper:
Ubisoft EntertainmentPublisher:
Ubisoft EntertainmentReviewed by
Ryan Dean on 11.5.2005
| Review Rating: 10/10 | User Rating: 8.64/10 |
Created by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, the same man that brought us
Space Channel 5 and
Rez,
Lumines is a quirky title for the PSP that incorporates smooth techno music into a quick, addictive falling-block based puzzler.
Best described as the next
Tetris,
Lumines is a title that any gamer of skill or age can pick up and enjoy. Those who have played puzzle games before, specifically titles such as
Tetris and
Puyo Pop, will find a very short learning curve when playing
Lumines, however, there is still an incredible amount of depth that will take hours of play to reach.
When first playing
Lumines, gamers will immediately notice that squares of two colors fall from the top of the screen. Each square is formed of four smaller blocks, each of one of the two colors that correspond to the song playing. As a song ends and another begins, the difficulty increases but the colors of your blocks also change. If you hadn't guessed, the object of the game is to elimate as many of these individual blocks as possible. Blocks are removed from the screen as they connect with others of the same color, forming new squares. The squares remain on screen until a counter on the screen passes over your puzzle. Essentially this counter represents the beat in the game, and if you can manage to form many similarly colored squares before the counter reaches them, you'll receive bonus points. The counter also moves along with the speed of the song, meaning you'll be forced to strategize your moves according to each song. This encourages players to listen to the music, track the beat, and still concentrate on forming those pesky blocks at the same time.
Of course, there are still other elements of the game, such as the "bonus" block that eliminates all blocks of the same color that happen to be touching it. But as many find with strategy and puzzle games, the greatest part of the game is strategy, and with two variables to account for in
Lumines, playing can become a true battle of the mind.
While
Lumines does do many things right, from the core gameplay to unlockable tracks and skins, there are a few offsetting elements. There is no choice in difficulty, instead to get to the more challenging points of the game you'll have to work through the progression in the main challenge mode. This can be a bit frustrating when you've mastered many stages of the challenge mode yet are still forced to travel through it every time you wish to progress.
Outside of the challenge mode there are other styles of play, such as single song modes and time limits. You can also check your stats. Once you've gone through what you see immediately, there really isn't much left, besides the versus mode.
Versus mode is not entirely unlike the other modes in the game, but there are small changes. When playing against a human player or a CPU, you'll have a bar dividing your puzzle screen. As you play, this bar will shift to whomever is losing in score and progress, the goal being to force this bar upon your opponent until they can no longer play. It's a nice addition to the game, but you might have some trouble finding gamers carrying around their PSPs and
Lumines on the go. If you do enjoy the main event of
Lumines, the single player gameplay, replay value is near infinite.
As far as visuals go,
Lumines is top notch. The bright colors of the game's different skins, the fast, or slow, moving backgrounds while playing, and the vibrant blocks all mesh together to make a very aesthetically pleasing package, especially on the PSP's large, bright screen. And with such heavy focus on the game's music, the audio in
Lumines is unrivaled by the current PSP library. The songs are high in quality and great to rock out to. The graphics correspond to the beat of the music and this well-formed package will keep you interested for a long while.
Lumines is one of the most beautiful games of 2005, and the soundtrack would be worth having on CD.
Many critics of the PSP have targeted its software line-up, saying that the games offered on the new handheld are too unoriginal or uninspired. If what they are saying is true, then
Lumines stands out as a beacon of hope, a glorious light.
Lumines stands as a mark of innovation. For those looking to pick up a PSP this holiday season,
Lumines is definitely the way to go. Simply said, Tetsuya Mizuguchi has done it again.
