Having been a very big fan of Tetris I was a little hesitant to begin playing Lumines as I had such high expectations of the game. I must say though that this game is definitely one of the most addictive puzzle games I have played since Tetris on Gameboy, the original hand held gaming console. The vibrant colours and addictive soundtrack keep the idea of a puzzle game more contemporary to compete with all the graphic intensive games on the market. It might not have the glitz of some of the other games so far released on the market for PSP but it is certainly one you will keep reaching for in your spare time.

Lumines is quite an original puzzle game. The screen displays a large area of space that holds the cubes that drop from the top of the screen. There are two different coloured cubes that can drop down. Each cube that drops is made up of four smaller blocks and they can be either of the two colours. For example the block that drops from the top of the screen could be solid (all the same colour) or random variations of the two colours. The basic principle of the game is to get a cube of four of the same colour together. They will disappear when this is achieved. It is like Tetris in that respect but that is where the similarities end. The blocks that are of the same colour won’t be cleared until a sweeping arm moves over the top of them. The arms sweeps over the screen every 5 seconds or so. The idea is to get as many blocks of same colour ready to be cleared before the arm hits. This is the only way to get the big points and progress to the next level. It also clears your screen out ready for the next lot of blocks to drop.

After playing for a while the speed that the blocks drop increases and the game becomes more hectic. The speed of the arm stays the same so you can see how important it is to get as many cubes cleared with each movement of the arm. Each time the speed increases the theme of the game changes. This includes the background, music and block colours. Having this feature makes you stay in the game for longer without getting bored. You feel like you are actually making progress as the whole screen transforms in front of your eyes while you are playing. I found the only problem with this feature is that as the blocks are changing colour it can be a little distracting and hard to see what is happening in your game. This problem goes away with practice though. Another cool feature is that you can see the next 3 blocks that are about to drop on the screen. It is essential in the later levels to get used to looking ahead. If you get big combos the display interacts with you more and bright colours flash everywhere etc. There are special blocks that look like they contain a jewel. If you happen to see one of these blocks appearing then get ready to use it wisely. Basically if you use this special block in a solid square, any of the blocks that touch it even on diagonal directions, will disappear. It can clear an almost full screen back to virtually nothing in one sweep of the arm.

Other features of the game include Vs Computer mode where the screen is split in half and you have to get more blocks than the computer who is playing on the other side. Each time you get blocks, the divider in the middle of the screen moves towards your competitor’s side, giving them less room to work in. There is also another game type where you are given a shape to construct out of the blocks. It starts off easy and progresses to much more complex shapes.

The thing that sets PSP apart is the wireless gaming. Lumines has the capability to play head to head with your friends if they also have a PSP and the game. After playing Lumines for a while and you start to feel confident with the movements then multiplayer action is the only way to go. It can be one of the most competitive games around. It is suitable for all ages.

I am addicted to it. Maybe I am just a sucker for puzzle games though…

5 out of 5