Lumines Arise Feels Like an Epiphany For Puzzle Games

Lumines Arise might be the only game I’ve played that’s moved me to tears multiple times, not through any emotional character moment or narrative twist – but because it overwhelmed my senses in a singularly remarkable way. It reminded me of the beauty of life and facing each day head-on.

While Lumines Arise is a mechanics-focused puzzle game, like Tetris Effect before it, a core theme runs throughout, a core message the game wants you to take away. Through its Journey mode, Lumines Arise is one of the most entrancing, jaw-dropping sensory experiences you’ll ever see – the kind you might expect to see in the most prestigious art museum. And even better, there’s an incredible puzzle game that can keep you occupied for hours upon hours – with a robust competitive multiplayer mode to boot. But what really makes Lumines Arise so important is the lasting impression it left on me – a spirit of confidence and resilience. Any game that can make you feel as deeply as this one does is something special.

Piecing It Together

If you’ve never played Lumines, it’s a lot like Tetris – it's a falling block puzzle game. But the key difference is that you have two distinct colors to focus on, and instead of different shapes, you rotate and align 2x2 blocks over and over. The goal is to create 2x2 squares (or more), which are then cleared from the grid when the Timeline passes over them. There’s obviously a lot more depth to it in terms of strategy and extra mechanics, but like Tetris, the goal is to keep your blocks from stacking up and hitting the top – and if that happens, you lose.

Lumines Arise is a puzzle game that’s easy to pick up, but incredibly difficult to master, especially as you ratchet up the difficulty. There are so many strategies that evolve as you learn and master the game, from the right way to set up combos, to Arise’ brand-new mechanic called Burst, where once your combo meter hits at least 50 percent, you can activate a mode where time slows down letting you set up massive combos for a big blast of points. Those bursts then become the focus of the game’s multiplayer Burst Battle, where you use bursts to fill up your opponent’s grid. It’s a smart twist that makes you rethink your entire approach in that mode.

A Synesthetic Symphony

The Lumines series first started on the PSP in 2004, and was created by Tetsuya Mizuguchi – the acclaimed game developer behind Rez, Meteos, and eventually Tetris Effect and Humanity. Interestingly, Lumines Arise is almost like a homecoming for the series, with Mizuguchi and his studio Enhance getting the chance to create the definitive version of the puzzle game. And perhaps the most interesting thing about Mizuguchi’s games is how they endlessly try to capture the phenomenon known as synesthesia – a neurological condition very few people have where senses “cross.” You might have seen it explained as someone who can see colors when listening to music, or taste shapes when eating.

Each of Enhance’s games has pursued this idea, but none more so than Lumines Arise. And that’s an essential part of what makes the game’s Journey mode so astounding – an ethereal, emotional trip across the world and through the nature of the human condition.

I discovered something even more astounding – almost like pieces of my life were flashing through my mind

Journey is broken up into a handful of stages, each of which has a number of stages to play through that are connected, transitioning to the next when you’ve cleared the requisite number of blocks. But each and every stage is an audio-visual experience, oftentimes doing some astoundingly smart things with the game’s design.

In one, your little blocks turn into stop lights and taxi cabs, with the camera behind swinging through city streets as industrial rock that uses traffic noise plays in the background. Another turns your blocks into opening elevators and neon-lit arrows, showing a little stick figure man running through your grid between elevators. Another has you stacking fruit while water fills your grid like a container, making the entire level shift side to side as you add more weight.

These levels are unbelievably creative, constantly evoking a sense of wonder – but perhaps more importantly, tie into that central theme. In one, a man in the fetal position, clearly distressed, gets up and walks as you complete more of the level – with the music going from a sorrowful ballad to an energetic anthem. The crux of what makes this game tick is how evocative everything is – how the game explores the ideas of culture and perseverance through the lens of the one thing that unites us all, music.

Because Lumines Arise has a completely original soundtrack, every level and bit of sound is crafted to complement, and there’s such a vibrant, eclectic mix – from UK Rap and industrial rock, to glittery upbeat pop and classical.

Playing Lunimes Arise nearly every worry I currently have faded into the background, because of the zen-like state of wonder the game puts you in – through its blending of puzzle mechanics and presentation. But even more than that, I discovered something even more astounding – almost like pieces of my life were flashing through my mind.

During one stage, I suddenly remembered my high school choir class that I was surprisingly invested in – what could have been a different path for my life had I not chosen to pursue writing. In another foliage-focused level, I remembered the incredible museum I visited on a recent trip, and how much fun I had that day.

And that’s what’s important about my experience with Lumines Arise – it felt warmly nostalgic despite being an entirely new experience. And the way each level is tuned is clearly meant to feel uplifting and inspiring (little wonder considering the developers told me earlier this year the game was partially inspired by the hardships of 2020.)

Finding the Words

I’m happy to admit that I’m pretty awful at puzzle games, even Tetris. There wasn’t a single minute of this game that I wasn’t having fun, despite struggles I had This is a masterfully designed experience from top to bottom, whether you simply want a good puzzle game to while away the hours or a true sensory overload that’ll make your jaw drop.

Lumines Arise is one of the most moving games I’ve played in my entire life, but it’s often hard to put into words exactly why. It’s like going to an art museum and seeing that painting that you stare at for an hour, but when someone asks why you like it – you just can’t really say, even as tears well up in your eyes. It’s a deeply human hand-crafted expression of artistry, in all the best ways.

I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a game that manages to capture the very feeling of the word ‘resilience’ quite the same way. And that applies to even the gameplay experience of methodically learning the systems and improving. I can easily see Lumines Arise being one of those yearly games for me, the select few I play through as a kind of comfort pick. And I guarantee you’ll find your own something out of it too – even if I can’t say exactly what that’ll be.

10/10

Lumines Arise launches on November 11 for PS5 and PC. Inverse was provided a PC copy for review.

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