Bursting onto the scene
By Paul Hunter
As a longtime fan of the Lumines series on PSP and PS Vita, there's something very satisfying about seeing it make the jump back into the spotlight with Lumines Arise on PS5. Developed by Enhance Games and Monstars Inc. and published by Enhance, it brings that stylish presentation you would expect from the team behind Tetris Effect. That same penchant for pairing simple blocks with big audiovisual flair is all over this experience, making it one of the most mesmerizing games in recent years.
You are still guiding falling 2x2 blocks and matching colours to clear the board, but the way Arise wraps that concept an extreme music and light show pushes it further than the old entries. Journey Mode presents you with a run of themed stages (called skins) with each one shifting their soundtrack, pace, and visuals, while tiny Loomii avatars gather around menus and hubs to give the whole thing a playful frame. You can dip into other modes and online play once you are settled, yet it always circles back to that rush of stacking blocks in sync with catchy beats.
As someone who has a soft spot for the series, I went in expecting a cosy throwback and instead found a puzzle game that feels fresh again on modern hardware. If you enjoy rhythm-based puzzlers with a strong soundtrack, is Lumines Arise the next game you should light up on your PS5? Let’s find out!
Journey Mode splits the journey into nine themed zones with four levels that each have their own unique theme. A rain-soaked street here, a set of distant shrines there, then kitchens, fruits, animals, and people walking out of the grid itself. I enjoyed the story-like sequence of early zones being calmer, while later ones are much busier, and then the closing stages focus on simple, calming imagery as the journey winds down.
What keeps the gameplay interesting is the time line that continuously sweeps across the screen in rhythm with the music. Block groups only vanish when that bar passes over them, so you live in this constant space between safety and greed. Do you let the meter flow and cash in now, or drop a few more blocks and risk pushing your stack toward the top edge in search of a giant payout? When everything lines up and a huge section vanishes in one pass, it is incredibly satisfying.
Arise introduces a new Burst mechanic that amplifies that risk/reward scenario. As you clear blocks, the Burst meter charges and once it fills you hit it and the time line slows, giving you a huge opportunity to group blocks that explodes into points at the end. You can also trigger a Burst when the meter is half full, but the Burst time gets commensurately reduced. Occasionally chain blocks also drop, which can link same-colour blocks in a snaking line across the field and have them burst when the time line hits it. Both Bursts and chain blocks can quickly turn a disastrous run into one you can easily complete, so they're essential new mechanics.
Beyond the story-focused Journey mode, there's also Survival that pushes you through every stage in one intense run, and Missions that act as tutorials and skill tests. You can also dabble in the Playlists mode to build your own custom runs, and Dig Down tests how long you can withstand a rising tide of blocks from the bottom of the screen. If you want something gentler, you can flick on No-Stress Lumines in settings, which sets blocks to not drop automatically, giving you time to think.
If you like testing your puzzle skills against real people, Lumines Arise has you covered. Burst Battle is the headline mode, and it can get intense. You fill your Burst meter through clearing blocks, then fire it off to slow the action and push garbage blocks onto your opponent’s board. You can join ranked matches with players of similar skill, or create custom lobbies to invite your friends into. Arise also has two-player local play, perfect for playing together on the couch with family and friends.
The variety across levels is impressive. You might start in a wet city scene where your blocks sit over crosswalk markings and neon signs, then shift to a stage with temple outlines and drifting clouds, then into a colder setup with bells and animals in the distance. The kitchen-based level fills the background with fruit and vegetables that flip, spin, and slice apart as you clear. Other stages get more surreal, throwing in spiders, lizards, dancers, or abstract figures that walk out of the grid when you are on a roll.
These scenes are dynamic, too. Clears cause the background to surge, lights to flash, or creatures to move in time with the soundtrack. Despite the ridiculous amount of visual stimuli, the two colours are usually easy to tell apart, so you rarely get lost in the rhythm.
The soundtrack delivers exactly what this kind of game needs. Each level has its own song, mostly electronic or ambient tracks that layer up as you chain clears or creep toward the top. There are some seriously catchy tunes in the game, like the new 'Arise' theme song, or the singles 'Only Human' and 'Dreamland' from composers Hydelic and Takako Ishida.
Final Score: 9/10 - Amazing
Developer: Enhance, Monstars Inc.
Publisher: Enhance
Genre: Puzzle
Modes: Single-player, Multiplayer
A key was provided by the publisher.
By Paul Hunter
As a longtime fan of the Lumines series on PSP and PS Vita, there's something very satisfying about seeing it make the jump back into the spotlight with Lumines Arise on PS5. Developed by Enhance Games and Monstars Inc. and published by Enhance, it brings that stylish presentation you would expect from the team behind Tetris Effect. That same penchant for pairing simple blocks with big audiovisual flair is all over this experience, making it one of the most mesmerizing games in recent years.
You are still guiding falling 2x2 blocks and matching colours to clear the board, but the way Arise wraps that concept an extreme music and light show pushes it further than the old entries. Journey Mode presents you with a run of themed stages (called skins) with each one shifting their soundtrack, pace, and visuals, while tiny Loomii avatars gather around menus and hubs to give the whole thing a playful frame. You can dip into other modes and online play once you are settled, yet it always circles back to that rush of stacking blocks in sync with catchy beats.
As someone who has a soft spot for the series, I went in expecting a cosy throwback and instead found a puzzle game that feels fresh again on modern hardware. If you enjoy rhythm-based puzzlers with a strong soundtrack, is Lumines Arise the next game you should light up on your PS5? Let’s find out!
Story and Narrative
Lumines Arise uses story more as a backdrop than a focus, but there is still a nice little arc if you stick with Journey Mode. You play as a Loomi travelling through a strange, abstract space. At the start you do not have a lot of company, but as your run progresses, extra Loomii show up and start filling the menu and hub. It subtly hints that your progress is pulling more light into this world.Journey Mode splits the journey into nine themed zones with four levels that each have their own unique theme. A rain-soaked street here, a set of distant shrines there, then kitchens, fruits, animals, and people walking out of the grid itself. I enjoyed the story-like sequence of early zones being calmer, while later ones are much busier, and then the closing stages focus on simple, calming imagery as the journey winds down.
Gameplay and Mechanics
The heart of Lumines Arise is still that hypnotic act of rotating 2x2 coloured blocks onto a grid, drop it into place, and aim to group four or more squares of the same colour into chunks that then get cleared. You only ever deal with two colours at once, which keeps the rules easy to grasp.What keeps the gameplay interesting is the time line that continuously sweeps across the screen in rhythm with the music. Block groups only vanish when that bar passes over them, so you live in this constant space between safety and greed. Do you let the meter flow and cash in now, or drop a few more blocks and risk pushing your stack toward the top edge in search of a giant payout? When everything lines up and a huge section vanishes in one pass, it is incredibly satisfying.
Arise introduces a new Burst mechanic that amplifies that risk/reward scenario. As you clear blocks, the Burst meter charges and once it fills you hit it and the time line slows, giving you a huge opportunity to group blocks that explodes into points at the end. You can also trigger a Burst when the meter is half full, but the Burst time gets commensurately reduced. Occasionally chain blocks also drop, which can link same-colour blocks in a snaking line across the field and have them burst when the time line hits it. Both Bursts and chain blocks can quickly turn a disastrous run into one you can easily complete, so they're essential new mechanics.
Beyond the story-focused Journey mode, there's also Survival that pushes you through every stage in one intense run, and Missions that act as tutorials and skill tests. You can also dabble in the Playlists mode to build your own custom runs, and Dig Down tests how long you can withstand a rising tide of blocks from the bottom of the screen. If you want something gentler, you can flick on No-Stress Lumines in settings, which sets blocks to not drop automatically, giving you time to think.
If you like testing your puzzle skills against real people, Lumines Arise has you covered. Burst Battle is the headline mode, and it can get intense. You fill your Burst meter through clearing blocks, then fire it off to slow the action and push garbage blocks onto your opponent’s board. You can join ranked matches with players of similar skill, or create custom lobbies to invite your friends into. Arise also has two-player local play, perfect for playing together on the couch with family and friends.
Presentation and Audio
In motion, Lumines Arise looks fantastic. Much like Tetris Effect, the visuals are bright, beautiful and sometimes a bit overwhelming, but that's the point. When a level gets going and the music hits full stride, it feels like you are the mastermind behind a storm of colour and light with every drop and rotation.The variety across levels is impressive. You might start in a wet city scene where your blocks sit over crosswalk markings and neon signs, then shift to a stage with temple outlines and drifting clouds, then into a colder setup with bells and animals in the distance. The kitchen-based level fills the background with fruit and vegetables that flip, spin, and slice apart as you clear. Other stages get more surreal, throwing in spiders, lizards, dancers, or abstract figures that walk out of the grid when you are on a roll.
These scenes are dynamic, too. Clears cause the background to surge, lights to flash, or creatures to move in time with the soundtrack. Despite the ridiculous amount of visual stimuli, the two colours are usually easy to tell apart, so you rarely get lost in the rhythm.
The soundtrack delivers exactly what this kind of game needs. Each level has its own song, mostly electronic or ambient tracks that layer up as you chain clears or creep toward the top. There are some seriously catchy tunes in the game, like the new 'Arise' theme song, or the singles 'Only Human' and 'Dreamland' from composers Hydelic and Takako Ishida.
The Verdict
As a whole, Lumines Arise absolutely nails what a modern Lumines should be. The core block-matching rhythm is addictive, Burst adds real excitement, and timing pressure keeps you locked in. Level skins give the game a bold visual identity, and the exceptional soundtrack is in sync with your action, making big clears and clutch saves extra satisfying. A nice spread of solo modes and multiplayer extends the replayability, and it all comes together as one of the best puzzle experiences on PS5.Final Score: 9/10 - Amazing
Lumines Arise details
Platform: PS5, PCDeveloper: Enhance, Monstars Inc.
Publisher: Enhance
Genre: Puzzle
Modes: Single-player, Multiplayer
A key was provided by the publisher.