Lumines Review (no fat)

Game Description

Lumines Gameplay

Lumines is really simple to learn since it is resembles Tetris, but once you get into the game you realize the big differences. For one there is only one figure, a large square which consist of four little blocks, these boxes use two different colors in various combinations. The objective is to make as many 2x2 squares as possible in limited time. It is also incredibly easy to play this game, once you've completed the simple tutorial which takes around about 10 to 15 minutes you’ll know everything to become proficient at this game. The rest is just practice.

Lumines Special Block

For a simple Tetris-like game, Lumines offers a lot of depth. If it wasn't enough to have all of the blocks as they are, you occasionally get a special block, this block causes any adjacent matching blocks to light up, this allows you to get huge combos from scratch.

Lumines Timeline

Timeline is a stripe that moves across the screen every so often destroying the blocks which you have lined up. The occurrence of the timeline varies every time keeping the player on his toes, if it goes across more often then it is much harder to create really big combos, whereas if it goes across less often then you find that all of the blocks start to build up and making your survival chances slim.

Challenge Mode

Aside from the one player game challenge mode tests your skills, failing the level will result in having to start all over again which might seem harsh and irritating at first, but it is obvious that they give you a chance to hone your skills for the level which you lost at last time.

Lumines Unlockables

Unlocking the extra skins and sound tracks in Lumines is easy at first, but as you get into the game it becomes increasingly hard. You even unlock skins and tracks for playing on the game for 10 hours, and then for 20. The unlockables really hook you on and more often than not you’ll find yourself playing to see if you can beat your previous score to unlock another elusive skin or sound track.

Lumines Graphics

The graphics for Lumines aren't exactly cutting edge, however they don't need to be. Since Lumines is a Puzzle game, you don't need the latest graphics. In fact if it did have the latest 3D graphics, it would probably detract a large amount of enjoyment from this game. The game has a huge variety of background playing skins, since each time you complete a level or do something specific then you unlock a new skin, which varies the game play and allows you to look at something fresh.

Lumines Audio

The techno beats of Lumines are really catchy, each level has its own track and as you progress through the game you can unlock more and more of them. Most games have a steady theme song, with no variation if the player is doing well. However Lumines modulates the sound, this means that as you make a huge combo, the music swells up, making combos much more worth your while and so much more fun. It is this kind of attention to detail which sets this game apart from many other games on the PSP.

Lumines Summing Up

The most annoying thing about the game is that you have to restart the challenge mode every single time you restart the PSP, playing the first levels over and over again. Notwithstanding that, Lumines is one of the most addictive games on the PSP. Overall, this game is so much more than a simple Puzzle game, it has the essence of Tetris and plenty of strategy has also been incorporated into it as well, with impressive results. It just goes to show that you don't need the latest high end graphics to make a really fun game.

Lumines - Cost

The Lumines for PSP currently retails for $39.99