Lumines: Electric Symphony

Whether you are new to the world of Lumines or a veteran, this is a game that you should have in your library. Once again, Ubisoft, Q? and Rocket Studios have set the bar for action/puzzle games in this genre. From the gorgeous, fluid graphics to the awesome soundtrack, this game will keep you occupied for hours; it is an addictive, fun experience. Music ranges from electronica to old school like The Pet Shop Boys. You control blocks of colour to form a group of four of the same to clear that block; as the game progresses, so does the speed of the blocks, let it reach the top of the screen and game over. Each level looks different, the blocks are different shapes and colours, adding to the challenge, each level also has different skins and music. I only wish I could buy the soundtrack, it is that good.
There's different game modes, including, Master, Duel, Stopwatch and Playlist. The main game mode is called Voyage, where you basically go through numerous different levels unlocking skins, avatars (in game avatars) which have powers once applied and of course ranks; once you clear a level, you can come back and play it without having to go through the whole bunch.

Think of Lumines as Tetris grand grand grand child, well, more like Tetris on acid to be honest lol, a much more modern, better looking, faster paced, extremely fun, challenging, musical and graphical gem of a game and a MUST have for any Vita owner. Buy it, you won't regret it.

A must buy for PS Vita. This is the best falling block puzzler on the planet. I hate Tetris, but I love this. Awesome sound track, great graphics, and highly addictive. The only thing that is missing is an online vs mode. Prepare yourself for sore eyes and thumbs.

When the original PSP launched, eager gamers weren't really given many choices in good launch titles. Most hardware launches are saddled with ports and quick money grabs that lack the quality of games released months later. So it was with the PSP, and this eager gamer couldn't care less because it had one awesome gem: Lumines (pronounced luminous). When I had that game in my hands, it didn't bother me that the PSP didn't have a single other great game that appealed to me. I'd just sit there happily bobbing away to the infectious music and the addicitive puzzle experience. So now we have the PS Vita launch and, surprisingly, there's quite a few launch games that are actually really good. But, again, this eager gamer could care less because I have Lumines: Electronic Symphony. And I don't need anything else.

Electronic Symphony is very similar to the Lumines I've known and loved. Squares containing differing patterns of two colors still fall from the top of the screen. The object is still to make a block of four or more of the same color. A bar still moves horizontal across the screen. The music and images still mix perfectly with the action on the screen, building as you string combos together until you're assaulted in an audio-visual splendor of sound and graphics. And it's still the most addictive and fun puzzle game I have ever played. You don't mess with perfection.

Although developers Q? Entertainment did. Incorporating some of the Vita's defining features, Q? added some interesting functionality to the game. You can control the action the traditional way with the directional pad and buttons, or you can also use the touch screen. I'm not a fan of touch screen controls for puzzle games and I don't think it's very practical once the speed picks up in the later levels (or "skins"). A more substantial gameplay affecting addition is a new special gem that rearranges the board. I'm not sure how I feel about this new addition because sometimes it can completely destroy my complex design that I'm building; however, in later skins, it can sometimes be a difference between game over and continuing if it comes at the right moment and rearranges your quickly filling up board.

The final unique change is that your avatar can present you with special abilities. For example, the beginning avatar will give you a special block with a jewel in the middle that allows you to chain touching colors together, even if they aren't in a 2x2 block. Your avatar's skill needs to be filled to 100% before it can be deployed, requiring you to chain skills together to fill it up or by using the other Vita functionality: the rear touchpad. If you tap on the back of the PS Vita, it will slowly recharge your ability even faster. While I do like the concept of it and it ties directly into the whole musicality of the game, I wish it was used a bit more intrinsic to the songs. All you do is tap on the back as fast as you can. It can be distracting at times and I think Q? missed a golden opportunity in not requiring you to tap in time with the beat to fill the ability quicker. As it is, just tapping away furiously fills it, which seems to go against the whole presentation of the action, sound and visuals tying together.

As for the song list, I'm glad to see Lumines go back towards its electronic roots. Q? brought together quite a diverse array of artists and songs to make up the 34 track list, including some well-known artists like LCD Soundsystem, The Chemical Brothers, Faithless, Aphex Twin and Mark Ronson, as well as artists I've never heard of like Kaskade, The Go! Team and others. It's a very diverse and impressive electronic list.

Ultimately, while I find my time pulled in different directions with my Vita since it actually has a surprisingly good launch line up (Uncharted, Rayman Origins and Escape Plan are stealing a lot of my time), I still keep going back to Lumines: Electronic Symphony. It's fantastic and just as much of a puzzler masterpiece as it was when it launched on the original PSP. Definitely a must purchase for your new Vita.