Product Info

Platform

Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC

Publisher

Enhance

Developer

Resonair

Series

Lumines

Genre

Music, Puzzle

Players

1-2

File Size (Minimum)

1.35 GB

Release Date (NA)

Jun 26, 2018

Purchase From

eShop

PSN Store

Microsoft Store

Steam

UPDATE on 7/21/18: Developer Resonair and publisher Enhance has launched a patch to give joystick option for the Nintendo Switch. The score reflects before the patch.

When it comes to puzzles, it’s difficult to surpass the greatness of Tetris and Columns. However, they aren’t the only puzzle games that are worthy of playing. Lumines is one of the top puzzle games to this day that is like a mixture of Tetris and Columns, but with music, making it a unique puzzle game.

Lumines first launched on the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in 2004 and was a highlight for that console. After nine installments, Lumines returns to modern consoles: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Puzzle Solve with the Beat

Lumines is a block-dropping game in a 16×10 grid field. Players will drop 2×2 blocks on the field, having to match at least a square of similar colors before the timeline passes through to remove them off the field, adding points to your score. The more color blocks highlighted, the bigger the chain, the more points added to your final score.

As you score points, the field, music, and colors change (also known as the “skin”). The timeline also changes its speed based on the music; some skins have a slower pace, making the timeline run slower across the field. This is what makes Lumines uniquely different with the shifting skins changing the pace of the game.

Additionally, as you drop pieces to the grid, it creates a sound effect that matches the skin’s music, generating your own beat to the game. A sleek addition, but the player will be more occupied with creating chains and making sure blocks don’t go out of control.

There are 40 skins to unlock, many of them entertaining, but some can be too distracting. Sometimes the game is like Tetris on acid. Background movements and color themes can make puzzle-solving bit more difficult. Players will feel the rush to earn enough points to move on to the next skin.

For players who have played the PSP version of Lumines, all those music cues and skins have returned, and being in high-definition never looked so delicious.

Many Ways to Play

Lumines Remastered has many ways to play such as Challenge, Skin Edit, Time Attack, Puzzle, Mission, battles between CPU, and local two-player action. The game does not have online matches, a missed opportunity, but at the very least players can pin their high scores on the online leaderboards. While playing, players will notice load times to be a factor in patience between game modes, especially when restarting a puzzle or mission mode.

Challenge mode is the default gameplay where players play each skin the game sets. Think of it like the generic gameplay for Tetris and Columns, completing a set of skins. Skin Edit lets players choose ten skins to play through. Time Attack consists of clearing clocks in a certain amount of time: 60, 180, and 300 seconds. After clearing these three, there’s little to return once you complete these time attacks.

Puzzle mode can be one of the most challenging. Players will need to create puzzles based on shapes such as a giraffe, an alligator, a tulip, and even simpler shapes like a 4×4 block. The trick is that players need to match the design with adjacent blocks and within a time limit. Good luck!

Mission mode is like playing with a Rubix cube, moving blocks to complete the mission’s objective. The mode puts players in problem-solving scenarios. Completing it is rewarding itself, giving players more knowledge to play.

CPU and local two-player battles are straightforward but combos are the key. The more combos and blocks you take out, the opponent’s grid will condense, making it difficult. To regain room, you’ll need to clear blocks and create combos. Like the Challenge mode, and the classic Tetris before it, when the blocks overlap at the top, it’s over.

Vibrate Your Body

The game has a new feature called Trance Vibration. Taking extra controllers, you can set them on or around you, like a surround sound of vibrations. For example, the Nintendo Switch can use up to eight joy-con pieces (4 pairs) and the PlayStation 4 can use four controllers for vibration enhancements.

The vibrations can be distracting, but there’s always an option to turn them off or set them to be specifically for blocks only.

No JoyStick For Switch?

Reviewing both the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch versions of Lumines Remastered, one of the most bizarre things between the two is the joystick. The PlayStation 4, assuming the Xbox One is the same, can play the game with either the D-Pad or joystick. However for the Nintendo Switch, your only option to maneuver the puzzles is the D-Pad. This includes the Switch’s Joy-Cons and Pro controllers.

Players who are relying on the joystick for the Nintendo Switch, it’s not there. Hopefully a patch will come down the road for the Switch.

Summary

Lumines Remastered is a fun, addictive puzzle game that deserves attention from every puzzle-loving player. With the amount of content plus its music skins, this puts Lumines on a different level than Tetris and Columns.

Disclaimer: A digital review copy was provided by Enhance PR for the PlayStation 4 and the Nintendo Switch was purchased by Cat with Monocle.