GamesRelay

Name: Lumines Plus

Back when Lumines first came out in 2004 it was heralded as one of the greatest Tetris style puzzles games since Tetris itself first came out. Since then, their have been numerous reiterations of the game on various platforms, what we have here is Lumines Plus for the PlayStation 2.

Lumines Plus changes nothing to the core gameplay of the original, in fact you could say it's nearly exactly the same, apart from a few skins and music tracks which have been added while others have been removed. As the famous motto goes "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," Lumines Plus is basically just a port of the original, while fans of the game looking to get in on the action on the PlayStation 2 will no doubt jump at the chance, for those that do own it on another platform already their really is no need to buy it.

The way Lumines works is easy, coloured blocks fall from the top of the screen and as they fall it's your task to move them left, right or spin them around, once hitting the bottom, combining enough of them to make them disappear. The way you remove them is when a block of the same coloured pieces is made, it's then removed by a vertical bar which goes across the screen called the timeline, this timeline moves in beat with the music. This isn't the end of it however, increasing the size of the block which your waiting to be erased will create a chain which when the timeline passes over it and removes it, increases your score more quickly. There are special blocks as well which you'll come across, these blocks with flashing centres are a neutral block which can be used with any colour to complete a block or increase its size. Once the pieces reach the top of the screen it's game over, so speed is important not only for keeping the game going, but also for your score. It's a lot to take in from just reading this explanation of it, but it's far simpler to get to grips with while playing, and after a short period you'll find yourself competent with the game, though only until the difficulty increases which gets harder the longer you play without stopping.

The presentation of the game with its graphics and soundtrack are fairly unique, all the levels have what are called "skins," these skins are the collection of the background, the music and the style of the puzzle pieces, throughout the various levels these skins change adding quite a lot of variety. The soundtrack is also of great importance here, it varies quite considerably from heavy rock to techno and as the timeline passes over your blocks each one removed adds various effects to the music track. It's very impressive to play and look at, since the game is from the creator of Rez which was very popular and still is, it's no surprise that this game follows a similar format in how it's presented to its audience.

The game also includes multiplayer for you and a friend to play which revolves around removing the most blocks in the fastest time, alternatively you can play this against the computer. There is also a Puzzle Mode in which you're briefly shown a shape which you need to re-create in a limited time, these involves various animals, letters and other such shapes. These are especially fun against a friend of equal level, though playing against the computer can become challenging all to quickly however it doesn't make the game feel any less fun it only makes you realize you need to play more to get better.

Lumines Plus is a great game and something anyone can enjoy, especially puzzle fans. The lack of a decent manual to read is quite disconcerting if you don't know anything about the game before purchase but it's not too difficult to get to grips with after some practice. For new players to the Lumines game, this is especially good value and enjoyable, if you own Lumines on another platform however, Lumines Plus doesn't really add anything other than what already has been released previously, certainly nothing worth buying a whole new game for anyway.