Lumines Arise Reviews
Lumines Arise is an incredible game played on any size screen, whether on a 70-inch OLED TV or a handheld. But it shines like a diamond in VR, and I feel privileged that I have the equipment to experience it at its best. It’s one of my games of the year, a title I’ll buy on multiple platforms, and will be a permanent install on any device I own that can run it.
From coconuts to black holes and watch parts, Lumines is back in fine voice.
There is a reason this campaign is called Journey, because it feels like you’ve been on a rollercoaster ride of rhythmic emotions that change how you view games like this. Part of me thought Enhance Games couldn't repeat the sublime brilliance of Tetris Effect, but it has done just that and then some.
It's an electric concept that works just as well in Lumines Arise as it does in Tetris Effect.
Like Tetris Effect, it is one of my favorite games to play in VR, but I don’t think you are missing out on the core experience if you’re not wearing a headset. It’s like the difference between watching a movie at home full of distractions, or watching a movie in an IMAX theatre with an attentive crowd. The latter experience is more enthralling, but the story, soundtrack, visuals, and performances are the same.
The concept of Tetris Effect is iterated on with confidence, paired with a singular use of technology that seeks to evoke emotion at every turn.
Lumines Arise brings back the puzzle series in a spectacle of lights and music.
Like Tetris Effect before it, Lumines Arise lives up to the franchise's legacy. It's slick, stylish, and as addictive as ever. Despite my complaints and critiques of the game, especially those level transitions that take you out of the rhythm you've established, I look forward to spending hundreds of hours with Lumines Arise over the next decade or so. There was nothing quite like Lumines back in the day, and even though there are similar titles available today in 2025, there's still only one Lumines. A must-own for any puzzle game fan.
A revamp of Lumines which, in the spirit of Tetris Effect, amplifies its puzzling core with slick visuals, fun new mechanics, and one of the best soundtracks of the year.
With Lumines Arise, Enhance has once again successfully updated a classic puzzle game, as they did with Tetris, transforming it into a true audiovisual spectacle, and incredibly immersive if you play in virtual reality. Sound, graphics... everything comes together to create an electronic symphony that's hard to resist if you're a puzzle fan.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Lumines Arise is the culmination of Mizuguchi's works, returning to his original creation and perfecting it. For fans of puzzle games, fans of Tetris Effect, or, indeed, fans of pure and evocative gaming experiences, this is essential.
I have to confess that I'm more of a Tetris fanatic and haven't typically had an affinity for the Lumines series, but I will say that Arise is an absolute triumph. The visuals are some of Enhance's best, utilizing the best of both Unity and its own proprietary Synaesthesia Engine. It's wildly fun and unexpectedly challenging in places, but above all, it's a relaxing pleasure. Just sit back and let the beat drop.
Lumines Arise takes Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s puzzle game masterpiece to a new level. With plenty of mesmerizing stages and gameplay that is as entrancing as ever, this is one of the best puzzle games ever made.
Enhance's Tetris Effect follow-up is a loud and brash, if somewhat unrefined, synaesthesia puzzler that’s more visually dynamic than its predecessor, but often at the expense of gameplay clarity.
There are tracks in this that will stay with me for a very long time. All of which pair with astounding visuals that sees Lumines Arise primed to entrance and delight, firmly giving one of the best puzzle games ever the transformative makeover it deserves.
Lumines: Arise stands as an interactive work of art and one that truly needs to be experienced. The integration of visuals, gameplay and sound is phenomenal, creating a wonderfully addictive puzzler that stands shoulder to shoulder with Enhance’s previous effort, Tetris Effect. It’s a stunning reminder of how games can move us, not just through challenge, but through the harmony of sight, sound, and touch.
Suffices to say, If you haven't played Lumines before you're in for an exquisite audio/visual treat loaded with memorable and impacting vibes. Arise's soundtrack doesn't quite reach the majesty of Electronic Symphony on the Vita as the tunes can be too soft and not as emphatic, but in every other way Arise is the best Lumines game yet, and aptly bursts with life just as fervently as its new gameplay mechanic.
Following up on the brilliant Tetris Effect was no easy feat, but Enhance has done it with Lumines Arise. At its core is an excellent puzzle game with lots of depth, and mechanics that gel perfectly with the emphasis on music and spectacular visuals. It's jam-packed with fun features that provide so many different ways to play, including series-best multiplayer and a great range of challenge modes. There are some very minor gripes if we're being really picky, but fans can rest assured that this is the big, flashy comeback Lumines deserves.
Lumines Arise is NOT Tetris Effect Connected, and once you make that distinction, you'll enjoy this one. The effects can be overwhelming, but turn the ones that affect you off, and connect to the ones that allow you to enjoy the game. See what I did there?
Quote not available
Review in Spanish | Read full review