Lumines Arise does for this falling block puzzler as Tetris Effect did for Tetris. Enhance's take on Tetris packed synthetic flair, using pumping music, oodles of particle effects, and pulsating visuals to take the titular idea of the Tetris effect – seeing the falling blocks in your mind and dreams after playing – and to celebrate it as something that connects us through the human experience. And, by gosh, they've done it again. If you love previous Lumines games, this is a luscious release that accomplishes the same task – Lumines Arise is Lumines transcended.
Thanks to playing hours of this unique block puzzler, I can see its own shapes forming when I close my eyes – the Lumines take on the real-life 'tetris effect' (does that make it just 'lumines arise'?'. These endless falling squares aren't just lonely blocks, but chunks of corners yearning to connect before bursting. And what's that? A groove! A beat! Before I know it, I'm breaking it down Lumines style, organizing colors into neat piles before a beat indicator travels from the left side of my brain to the right eliminating the blocks. Far from popping my brain cells, though, I feel charged. Playing Lumines Arise and being on a roll makes me feel like a genius. Until the tempo gets the better of me and I'm drowned in checkerboard distress. At times, the Lumines Arise can feel like anxiety. At others, eureka manifest.
