Enhance and Monstars have announced rhythm puzzle game Lumines Arise for PlayStation 5, PlayStation VR2, and PC (Steam). It will launch this fall.
Here is an overview of the game, via Enhance:
About
A mind-blowing, fiendishly addictive reinvention of the puzzle classic Lumines from the creators of Tetris Effect: Connected, where sound pulses through your body, mind, and every block you place, triggering dazzling visuals synched to the driving beat of an infectious, eclectic soundtrack.
Journey through over 30 stages of synesthetic sensory wonderlands, everything from lush jungles to buzzing Tokyo streets to more surreal experiences, matching blocks and crafting insane combos with the all-new Burst mechanic. Mix it up with a variety of other single-player modes and challenges, or test your mettle against friends or strangers in online multiplayer.
Whether you’re looking to get hyped up or chill out, new to the series or a veteran, have an hour to kill or just five minutes, want to play solo, with friends, or challenge strangers, or play in optional virtual reality or stunning 4K, Lumines Arise is the ultimate puzzle game.
Key Features
- Simple Yet Deep – Lumines Arise is easy to pick up and play, but has incredible depth that’s harder to master. Players manipulate 2×2 blocks of two colors that fall from the top of the screen, aiming to create Squares of a single color / type. A Timeline sweeps across the playfield to the beat of the music, clearing completed Squares and generating points.
- Embark on a Journey – Every stop on the over 30-stage single-player journey evokes a different and complex emotional response. From lush jungles, oceans teeming with life and snakes preparing to strike, to more electronic frontiers like the bustling streets of Tokyo and the endless expanse of outer space.
- Ready to Burst – Trigger the new Burst mechanic to stop a matched Square from clearing. Build it as large as you can until time runs out. When the Timeline starts clearing again, enjoy the show as screen-clearing combos rack up massive points.
- Express Yourself – Customize your player avatar from the largest selection of options the series has ever offered. It’s a great way to express yourself and your personality when setting off on your in-game journey.
- Plug In, Vibe Out – Let the electrifying soundtrack by Hydelic, acclaimed composer of Tetris Effect: Connected and Rez Infinite‘s Area X, take you to new depths of immersion. You’ll want to throw on a pair of your favorite headphones for maximum effectiveness. Use the Playlist feature to create a mix of stages with your favorite tracks or to set a specific mood.
And here is more, via director Takashi Ishihara on PlayStation Blog:
Embark on a Journey Paved With Sound and Light
Lumines Arise on PlayStation 5 with optional PS VR2 compatibility is more than just an ordinary puzzle game—our aim is to hit you right in the feels. You emerge from the darkness in the first stage (a glimpse of which you saw in today’s announcement trailer), and every stop on the over 30-stage journey evokes a different and complex emotional response. From lush jungles, oceans teeming with life, and snakes preparing to strike, to more electronic frontiers like the bustling streets of Tokyo and the endless expanse of outer space. All with visual flourishes to incite synesthesia.
Simple Mechanic, Surprising Depth
It all starts with a seemingly simple puzzle mechanic. If you’ve never played a Lumines game before, here’s how it works: rotate and place a variety of 2×2 blocks made up of one or two colors, forming squares of a single color/pattern. The Timeline sweeps across the playfield to the beat of the thumping soundtrack, erasing completed squares in its path. That gives you a light time pressure to form squares and build on them, making bigger and bigger squares to clear combos and score even more points.
You race to create combos, ever mindful of the constant movement of the Timeline, feeling the vibration of the DualSense controller while the music radiates between your ears and the vibrant, lively background draws you in. That’s when you enter a flow state, and the world around you vanishes. Your pulse quickens as your breath holds still.
Introducing Burst
Now, to amp things up! We’re introducing a brand-new feature to Lumines’ core gameplay: Burst. As you play, you charge up a gauge, shown at the top of the Timeline. When ready, tap a trigger button to activate Burst and lock a formed square to the playfield. Build it as large as you can before time runs out. Watch screen-clearing combos rack up massive points when Burst is complete and the Timeline starts clearing that color again. Clear enough squares to meet the stage’s quota, and you’ll zoom to the next environment.
Avatars are making a comeback, too. Customize your own from the largest catalog of designs in the series ever, and we’re adding more as we go, so stay tuned for updates. It’s the perfect way to express yourself and your personality when setting off on your in-game journey.
Music to Your Ears… and Eyes
In the announcement trailer, you got a taste of Lumines Arise’s phenomenal new soundtrack. If you like that, check out the single of “Only Human” on Bandcamp (coming to other streaming services soon) for a closer listen. Arise features brand-new music composed by Hydelic, who was also responsible for Tetris Effect: Connected’s award-winning score. And just as with Connected, everything you do in-game impacts the soundscape.
More to Come in the Future
Stay tuned for information about a demo coming later this summer that you might even want to play with friends.
Watch the announcement trailer below. View the first screenshots at the gallery.