Video game review: Lumines: Electronic Symphony

Remember how I said this game was a little glitchy because of a patch? That’s still true, but I got on a kick for playing this game and finally worked around the glitchy d-pad controls. At this point I’ve beaten the Voyage mode and played every other mode except duel. And that’s only because I only have one other online friend playing this, and we’re never online at the same time. Anyway, I’ve tried out the playlist feature, messed with the Master Modes, and played all levels of stop watch mode. I’ve learned that there’s an XP cap at level fifty, but earning XP and gaining levels doesn’t really seem to do anything for me in the game. Doesn’t really matter though.

Lumines: Electronic Symphony isn’t a port so much as a reboot specific to the Vita platform. The blocks had been remade from sprites into 3d tiles, which look really pretty on most levels. This was true of the version I played on Steam last year, and the colorful blocks on highly animated backgrounds is a great way to show off the Vita’s gorgeous screen.

Just the graphics and the puzzle playing aspect would be enough to addict me, but Lumines also goes for my other weakness, a love of all kinds of music. I’ll admit a few of the songs are merely okay, but the vast majority are really catchy, and I found myself humming or singing many in between gaming sessions.

Those unfamiliar with Lumines despite its long history will find the concept instantly easy to grasp, and veterans will find the new Vita features are useful instead of feeling forced in. Blocks of four tiles come down from the top of the screen in combinations of two colors, and to the left of the playing field is a three block preview of the block combinations that are coming up. Match up four or more tiles, and you clear those tiles and earn points. As the music plays, a time slider wipes away blocks you’ve cleared, and the stack collapses, forcing you to reassess the queue and plan ahead.