Looking back on the launch of the PSP back in 2005, and one game still stands out. Lumines was seen as the defining PSP game, incorporating the best elements of puzzle classic Tetris, while innovating with its use of sound and music in this genre. The game was a critical and commercial success, and after three reworks and ports on other systems, including the full sequel Lumines 2 on PSP, the series has finally made the leap to PS3. Lumines Supernova may be the first PS3 game in the series, but is the experience far too familiar for those who played the other versions to death?
The goal in Lumines is to erase blocks. In much the same way that creating lines in Tetris is you’re main aim throughout, you must create 4X4 squares of the same colour to clear the screen of blocks. The twist comes with the way that blocks are erased in time with the music; a line scrolls across the screen which erases blocks as it passes them. Add this to the way that you can join squares together to create huge shapes that will be deleted in one go, and you can create massive combos between colours for hours on end in a single game. There are always just two types of blocks on screen at once, different colours distinguishing them from each other. Just like Tetris though, there are different formations of blocks, only the colour placement changes here rather than the shape, and so you have to strategically let certain blocks fall into other blocks to make squares. As a puzzle game, the mechanics of Lumines are up there with the best, a simple concept that becomes devilishly hard the faster and higher your blocks end up.
The modes on offer in Lumines Supernova don’t vary greatly from the other releases so far, save for the odd new idea from the development team. The standard Challenge mode is available at both Standard and Advanced difficulties, a mode where you must keep the game going for as long as possible while you cycle through a variety of Skins-backgrounds and musical templates for the game. The Time Attack and Puzzle Modes are also back, with the first giving you a few minutes to gain as many points as possible, and the second giving you specific shapes to make out of coloured blocks. The puzzle mode has always been a highlight of the game, and it’s just as hard as it ever was, requiring lots of fast forward thinking. The new ways to play Lumines can be seen in the Mission and Dig Down modes, two of the most challenging trials seen in the series to date. The Mission mode is structured in a similar way to the Puzzle section of the game; a series of tasks that usually involve clearing the screen of blocks in a restricted amount of moves. The Dig Down mode takes this concept even further, with the aim being to create a gap of a certain size at the bottom of the playfield. It’s incredibly difficult to erase a large amount of blocks in one clump, which will be old news to Lumines fans, but this interesting take on the game in a great addition to the franchise.
All of these modes are great ways to play the puzzler, but one aspect of the design disappoints. The multiplayer modes in the Lumines games have always been fun, but only Lumines Live on 360 has taken the game online. It’s a real shame to see what should be the best game in the series leave this mode out completely, with only local multiplayer options present. Everything else you would expect with online content is present, leader boards for every mode, Trophies and there will surely be DLC on the way soon, but the best online option is disregarded this time round. In terms of content, it’s well worth the $15 price tag, but when compared to the Xbox Live version, the lack of online multiplayer is disappointing.
As is the case with most games created by legendary videogame creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Lumines blends gameplay and sound seamlessly together. Each skin means much more to the game that just a background, changing the colours of each block, the sound every button press makes, and the overall pace of the game. When you get absorbed into the game, the music sound effects and all round hypnotic gameplay will force you to play for hours on end. Lumines Supernova retains this aspect of the series, improving upon it with the best graphics and sound possible. It really is a rhythmic puzzle game, and once you get into that rhythm and flow, you just can’t escape it. Lumines will always be one of those timeless puzzle games, like its predecessor Tetris, and because of this alone, Supernova is automatically entered into the higher echelons of the genre.
By presentation standards, puzzle games always seem to be criticised for keeping things too simple. Lumines Supernova on the other hand pushes the HD platform it is on. In fact, it’s one of the most visually pleasing downloadable games on the Playstation Store for the price, with a slick design that engages you in the action throughout. The sound is where the real praise must lie though, as the audio really is a step up from anything the series has done before, and can be called truly hypnotic for the first time. The sound effects on each stage make you feel a part of the music too, creating an audio experience that few can match on the system. All of the skins bring a unique way of playing to the game, despite no obvious gameplay changes happening when the skin is altered. The most brilliant skin though has to be the LittleBigPlanet skin, which not only sounds like someone is playing the game in the background, but really shows just how slick the design of both these games are. This attention to detail is what pushes Lumines Supernova past looking like every other puzzle game on PS3; it really is in a league of its own.
Lumines Supernova may well be the best game in the series; it looks fantastic, plays better than ever, and has two new modes that are sure to test even the most die-hard of fans. This is all fine and good, but the lack of online multiplayer is unacceptable three years into a console’s life, especially when the Xbox Live version had this feature. It’s hard to criticise a game so much for leaving out one mode, but it would have made Supernova the perfect and definitive Lumines package. But even so, there are few games for the price that pack the hours of content that this does, meaning that it’s a near must buy for any puzzle fan, regardless of Online. This is the best Lumines since the original, and is a great addition to any PSN collection.
Nometet.com says: 8.8
+ Amazing visuals
+ Hypnotic Sound Design
+ Still one of the best Puzzle games on the market
+ Full of content for the price
- Lack of Online Multiplayer is criminal.
