After more than a decade, a brand-new Lumines entry arrives in the form of Lumines Arise. This surprise sequel in the music-driven puzzle game series is its most ambitious yet, revitalizing the iconic block-clearing gameplay for an all-new audience. Developed by Enhance, the team behind the critically acclaimed Tetris Effect game, in collaboration with Monstars, this is a true love letter to both fans and the franchise in every aspect.
Simply put, an exhilarating soundtrack, awe-inspiring visuals, and challenging gameplay all come together to create an audio-visual experience unlike any other. Read on to find out the what and why in our review of Lumines Arise.
Lumines Arise marks the series’ triumphant return to the mainstream spotlight
While Lumines gained popularity on its debut console, PSP, the franchise has since been hibernating for the most part – until now, that is. Lumines Arise isn’t just an evolution of what came before it, but it is also heavily inspired by the studio’s past work on Tetris Effect regarding its presentation and audio.
That said, what really is Lumines Arise? Simply put, it is a Tetris-inspired block puzzle game. The gameplay fundamentals remain traditional: players rotate and arrange random 2×2 blocks of two colors across a rectangular playing field to create even bigger blocks. A Timeline that periodically sweeps across the field will erase any block combinations made, raising the score.
While it sounds simple and even though there are various difficulty modes to pick from, all of this is complicated by blocks being of various color patterns, ensuring it isn’t easy to create matching blocks of matching colors. This challenge is ramped up further by the pace at which blocks appear, as well as the urgency of arranging blocks in place before the Timeline sweeps everything away.
When the percentage meter at the top of the Timeline is above 50%, players can initiate Burst mode, which pauses the action to allow players to chain combos without hassle. This effect doesn’t last long, so it is best used when it is at Max as a get-out-of-jail-free card when the field threatens to overflow with uncleared blocks.
When the stacks of blocks reach the top of the play field, it is game over, so players must focus on keeping the field as obstacle-free as possible and not let too many blocks pile up. This can be made a tad easier by Bomb blocks, which, when paired next to a block, destroy all connected blocks of the same color; however, this type of block is quite rare, so it is best not to rely on it too much.
All in all, the game has a steep learning curve that is not obvious at first glance. Thankfully, its Tutorial and Mission challenges ease players into the basics as well as advanced techniques for clearing blocks. This admittedly will take a while to click for newcomers, especially since they are in a race against time.
A show of bright lights and banger tunes
While this brainteasing endeavor may threaten to become dull over time, what accompanies this experience keeps the monotony from setting in. Lumines has always been about an eye-catching presentation paired with a bombastic soundtrack, and Lumine Arise amps everything up to elven and then some more.
Gone are the scrolling backgrounds and static blocks; instead, returning series producer Tetsuya Mizuguchi has chosen to take a page from Tetris Effect when it comes to visuals and audio. The end result is a goosebumps-inducing concert of colors and shapes for both a vividly moving background and an exhilarating OST of varied musical scores to pair it with.
The Journey campaign boasts nine chapters, each with four levels revolving around a unique theme and soundtrack, with the difficulty ramping up as the levels transition into new ones. From hauntingly melodic tunes to energetic, thumping electronic music, the audiovisual experience accompanying the blockbusting action really must be experienced first-hand to be truly grasped in all its glory.
All in all, the developers have outdone themselves in creating, without a doubt, the most engrossing Lumines entry to date.
Stay a while for the aftermath
Aside from the main content, there is a lot to do. For starters, players have a customizable avatar known as a Loomi. Parts such as the Head and Torso skins can be customized after unlocking relevant parts from the Loomi-Pon rewards system by spending points earned in single-player and multiplayer content.
Yes, Lumines Arise also has online components, including Events, Burst Battles against other players, and more. Multiplayer will honestly be the prime spot for hardcore players to hang out, since the online hub features other players’ custom avatars as well, which can float around the vibrant map.
That said, single-player folks have not been forgotten either. Once the campaign has been wrapped up, they can also unlock a boss rush-esque Survival Mode, which sees them tackle songs in a row until they fail. A Playlist mode is a more relaxing option, allowing players to create a custom tracklist of unlocked songs to play at their leisure in any order or watch the CPU play it.
That said, do not be fooled by the simple exterior: Lumines Arise is a pretty challenging game, even on Easy, if players do not know what they are doing, and will often find themselves cornered by an ever-increasing horde of blocks. I recommend sitting through the extensive tutorial and its challenge missions first, and practicing on unlocked songs in the Playlist mode, since each level has different speeds at which blocks fall.
Graphics, performance, and sound
The basic 2.5D visuals of the block gameplay are elevated to a whole new level thanks to the various themes of each song. From chameleons with neon lights in the back to blocks becoming fruits and veggies, each level is entertaining and stands apart on its own.
That said, there are tons of particle effects flying around in Lumines Arise, making for visual noise that makes it hard to parse blocks, especially when some effects block the view briefly. This is the only nitpick I have in an otherwise virtually flawless experience.
Performance is solid, too, though the extravagant particle effects, which the game HEAVILY utilizes, can cause some dropped frames. Sound, meanwhile, is equally amazing with crisp audio and pounding beats. Lumines Arise is also best played with headphones on and a controller with the rumble enabled, as it is an incomplete experience otherwise.
In conclusion
Developers Enhance and Monstars have created a magical experience with Lumines Arise, standing tall and proud as the best installment in the series. The mesmerizing views, electrifying sounds, and the puzzler action all come together to create a symphonic concert that can’t be experienced elsewhere, a game that isn’t just a highlight of the Tetris-like genre, but also one of the best games of 2025, period.
Lumines Arise
Reviewed On: PC (Review code provided by Enhance)
Platform(s): PC, PS5
Developer(s): Enhance, Monstars Inc.
Publisher(s): Enhance
Release Date: November 11, 2025
Edited by Adarsh J Kumar
