Puzzle fan or not Lumines is an amazing experience
The gameplay in Lumines is extremely fun, deep and really, really addictive. It's simple enough for casual players to enjoy it, but it's got the right amount of depth to keep hardcore gamers interested for a long time. Pretty much anyone who plays it will enjoy it, puzzle game fan or not, but I’m sure puzzle game fans can appreciate some of the interesting aspects of Lumines a bit more that people who aren't exactly puzzle game fans, but almost anyone who plays is will come away with a memorable experience.
On paper, the gameplay sounds simple. All you need to do is get four blocks (blocks of four fall from the sky, but about 85% of the time the blocks will be different colours, and for the other 15% of the time, you'll get all for blocks that are the same colour) of the same colour to form a square (although you can add more blocks to create horizontal and vertical rectangles), and then they will light up, and the timeline will sweep them away. Sounds pretty simple, and it is, but there are a few features that add a lot of depth.
One of these features is the timeline, which i previously mentioned. Essentially, it's an abstract light that sweeps away blocks that have been illuminated, but it also affects the difficulty of the game. Normally in puzzle games like these, the blocks just fall down faster, and while that still occurs in some of the levels, the timeline will move slower, meaning you'll have more time to build up big combo's, but that means it'll take longer for the blocks to be swept away and so you stand a bigger chance of the blocks getting to the top. Another interesting feature are the screen clearing combo's that you can perform using blocks which have little crystals in them. When one of these blocks light up, i makes all blocks linked up to it of the same colour to light up. You can use these to create massive combos that literally clear the screen.
Lumines features about 4 or 5 different gameplay modes. Most of them are single player modes, but the game does feature some multiplayer modes, although i never really got to try them out. Luckily, you can play a match against the computer. The multiplayer games (or if you play it against an AI controlled opponent) plays out as a tug-a-war sort of game, where you battle for more space, and the person with the least amount of space will have less room to form the squares, which makes it a lot harder to maintain control, and when all the blocks on someone’s side stacks up to the top, the game is over. This isn't the greatest multiplayer mode out of the PSP launch titles, but it's still fun, and if your playing with the computer controlled opponent, then your in for quite a rough time, as the AI can be really challenging. The main single player mode is where you progress through 90+ levels of Tetris style puzzler action, and every four or so levels, you get a new skin and some new music. This mode is definitely the best mode in the game, and it'll keep you coming back for weeks. When your finally done with that mode (which will take more than a month), you've got single skin mode, where you just play in one skin, this is where you can try and get a high score, and it's great if you have a few friends where you can pass it around and see who can get the highest on a certain skin. The most unique mode in the game is puzzle mode. This is where you’re appointed a variety of different tasks, which involve making different shapes using blocks under some special conditions ect. This mode isn't all that great, but puzzle game fans will probably enjoy it for a short while
, but after a day or two it just loses its charm.
The thing that impressed me the most in Lumines was definitely the presentation. The whole abstract theme works very well, and fits right in with the puzzle action. Each skin looks incredible by their own rights. One thing about the skins though, you'll be playing through the skins in the same order in challenge mode, which is a bit tedious. Nonetheless, almost everything in Lumines looks beautiful; it's probably one of the better looking PSP games around at launch.
Even though the graphics are the better part of the presentation, the sound is also very impressive. The soundtrack (which as you may have guessed is filled with Japanese techno) fits right in with the beautiful graphics and the puzzler action. Overall the presentation is incredible in Lumines.
Every aspect of Lumines is top notch. The absolutely amazing graphics, very impressive sound mixed with some of the most addictive gameplay ever found in a handheld game provides an experienced never found in a puzzle game before it. Many people consider the Nintendo DS a perfect system for puzzle games, well that doesn't mean that the PSP can't produce some incredible puzzle action. If you have a PSP, and don't have Lumines, as soon as you get the money, I highly recommend you get Lumines, puzzle fan or not Lumines is an amazing experience that no one should miss out on.