The original Lumines on the PSP was one of the must have games for the system. unfortunately, it hit its peak right than and there. Lumines 2 was just a sad mess, mostly because the fact the music videos in the background, which made it impossible to adjust the music to your play style. Than there were atrocious ´ports´ to iOs, PS2 and Xbox 360, which nearly killed the franchise. Lucky for everybody who did fall in love with the first title, Lumines did get another shot on PS Vita with Lumines Electric Symphony. Was this a shot in the rose?
Lumines Electric Symphony
What is great about Lumines Electric Symphony is that it goes back to basics. It is doing exactly what the original Lumines brought to the table, but also mixes it up with some new interesting and frustrating elements. One of those new elements is the randomized block, which will either save you or mess up everything you have been working on. Especially in the later levels, this block is usually a godsend. In the beginning I was a little bit on the fence with this new addition, but the further I got, the more I started to love it. Especially in hectic situations, it will help you tremendously.
Lumines: Back to basics
Lumines ES goes back to its roots musically. The soundtrack consists of eclectic songs, which fit the game very well. Some songs will be known by everybody, but a lot of them are more known by people really into this music genre. A lot of the tunes sound familiar, without being able to pinpoint who the performer is. I won’t go into details about which songs are on there, since I feel part of Lumines is the musical quest and adventure, where you discover new tunes while you puzzle. The soundtrack is up there with the first one, I might like this selection even better.
Lumines gameplay
Lumines is a musical puzzle game, in which blocks of four consisting out of two different colours drop. You have to position them nicely to create a one colour four square block. Once you establish this, the blocks won’t disappear right away like the lines in Tetris. There is a bar running through the screen from left to right. If you have created the square, the line will whipe it away. If you have more than one square or more block connect than just 4 you get bonus points. When you complete a level, the game doesn’t stop but organically continues with a new block colour/shape combination. Most of these are great, but some of them are a little bit boring and ugly. Especially the grey with green/blueish block are downright atrocious.
Longer lasting
One of the things I really love about Lumines Electric Symphony is that once you die you have the option to continue. Doing so does mean you will have to forfeit your score built up till then, so you will have to start all over collecting points. This is a great option to explore the game, but soon I did start to just taking the score and start over. The game keeps being fresh and will keep you easily busy for over 20 hours. Constantly you will discover new strategies to play and place your blocks.
Lumines is one of those games you are better of just getting from PlayStation Network. Since this game keeps being fresh and is easily playable for short bursts of time, it is one of those games that you just want to have with you at all times.
Closing comments on Lumines Electric Symphony
Lumines Electric Symphony is without a doubt one of the best PlayStation Vita games, which is a must have for anyone who loved the original and to everybody who has never played a Lumines game. The game stays fresh for a very long time and sounds amazing. You can feel that the creators really put some love in this title. If you want a puzzle game for PS Vita, Lumines ES is a very safe and nice bet.
Score: 9.0
