The bliss is back!
When first turning it on, you'll notice how different the game is. Besides from the new female announcer (which is a blessing to finally know what the announcer is actually saying, unlike the techno voice in the last game) you'll notice how streamlined the game menu is. All of the old favorites are there: Challenge Mode, Single Skin Mode (though replaced by a Skin Edit Mode), Time Attack Mode, Puzzle Mode, and V.S. CPU. Challenge Mode this time around has three different classes to choose from. Class A,B,S, and if you clear all there, Endure. The main difference between the classes is the playing field, in which in Class S you are given only about 3/4 of the entire playing field to play on. Some advanced players may find it easy to get all of the skins in Challenge mode. A welcome addition to Lumines II is the Skin Edit Mode. This mode which replaces the Single Skin Mode of Lumines I, actually allows you to create play lists of the skins you unlock. You can even save and title your own custom play lists! The Time Attack Mode is basically the same, but longer time limits. The Puzzle Mode though has way more puzzles than the last Lumines, some even seem over the top (how in the world do you make a tulip)? The V.S. CPU though is still the same, except new skins and characters (even if some skins and characters are recycled from the last game). Although if you lose to a computer you can restart without having to play from the beginning. The two new things in Lumines II are Mission Mode and the Sequencer. Mission Mode, first introduced in Lumines Mobile, gives you certain objectives to be fulfilled. The Sequencer allows you to create your own skins using preloaded songs, giving you freedom to adjust tempo and many other things. It would have had been nice, though, if they had added a tutorial of some sort to know how to use the Sequencer. Even the Every Extend Extra trial is a nice addition.
The graphics in Lumines II are excellent. All of the skins look much better than in Lumines I. They even redid some skins from the previous game, and they of course look much better. Some of the blocks actually are animated! Even though when playing on some skins, you’ll notice a delay in the backgrounds, but it really is not that big of a deal.
The sound in Lumines II is better than in Lumines I. The skins have excellent sound quality and the music is topnotch. While playing the music is so loud and clear that you can’t help but to sing along.
Lumines II is worth every penny. The game not only expands on the original, but it has enough stuff packed in to keep you playing for a long time… maybe until Lumines III!