This is kind of a personal review about a friend that's gone and looking back into some bad times so if this isn't your cup of tea then here is me giving you a warning now, thank you.

July 2020

Ex And Oh: "It really seems like the world is ending, like we're all stagnating"
Alex: "Being couped up like this has been rough for me, I was gonna travel a lot this year and this pandemic kinda shot that in the water"
Ex And Oh: "You're telling me, I never mind being stuck in one place but I just want to move on with my life, we were finally gonna meet up"
Alex: "Once this whole thing blows over, let's do that and get some pollo a la brasa bro"

Road of brightness, I will get there, and shinin

Lumines from the second you boot it always felt like a good time coming, but for me it's more bittersweet. It was one of my best friend's favorite games from the PSP's halcyon days due to his love for puzzles and the infectious fusion of music that Mizuguchi's more prominent works have been known for. Blending puzzle and rhythm puts you further into a zen like state that any other game with either or possibly can.

Ex And Oh: "Yeah I like Tetris, why what's up?"
Alex: "Heard of Lumines? It's from the dude that made Tetris Effect"
Ex And Oh: "Yeah I love Tetris Effect, waiting for the Switch version or for it to hit Steam to actually buy it, money is rough right now"
Alex: "Been playing more during my down time and haven't played it for years, the switch version is pretty cool with the rumble, you should give it a try"
Ex And Oh: "Yeah I will"

Shake your body, Shake your body, Shake your body

Despite my personal feelings, a huge variety of skins and music makes Lumines feel like a celebration in its basic challenge mode rather than an arduous climb to the top. Like the actual Tetris Effect before it, Lumines can incur the effect of seeing 2x2 blocks in life (at least for me) after a while. Even the soundtrack itself can incur good memories with how upbeat most of the soundtrack using electrical sound and calming vocals that serve as a reminder to despite attempting a moderately difficult challenge to also just take it easy and have fun.

Out for a walk, gone forever


Ex And Oh: "Hey this game is pretty sick, music is stellar and the gameplay is almost just as addicting as Tetris"
Alex: "Yeah the music is nuts, I sadly never got past 60% of the game but hearing shake your body gives me that happy rush I really need"
Ex And Oh: "Been wanting to try out more stuff and expand my horizons so thanks for showing me this, hope things are alright with you"
Alex: "I'm trying my best man"

Each run takes longer and longer demanding more and more from you to keep the board clear, a unique feature of the Switch version rumbles with the gameplay and music bringing a third sense into the mix of feeling Lumines. I feel like Lumines reflects life with its tempo changes, upbeat and faster songs to reflect the small moments of celebration and happiness and more ambient and slow paced songs to reflect the constant lull we face. Of course each life is different and each basic challenge in Lumines will always be the same but how we tackle it will always be different when we're given the same blocks.

Celebrating life, ours

Ex And Oh: "We keep losing brothers and sisters to this life, the only few people that showed me kindness are the ones to leave early"
Lisa: "im sorry man, losing a friend is never easy"
Ex And Oh: "Sorry for venting, it just keeps happening"

Beating the basic challenge left me surprising empty, all I could think about was my friend never getting the chance to even beat the basic mode. It sucks that this is all I can really remember him but a single game recommendation is just one of the many proofs in the world that he did exist, something he had trouble realizing himself and always wishing he can finally move forward in life when the world wouldn't let him. One of the many video games that can bring people together in a time that it feels like we're closing each other off.

Finishing Lumines is making it through an all night dance. Its board, wider than tall, is less inviting to ordering, like usual on the genre, and more to finding comfortable spots. Some like to place on the sides, some more at the center, some like populated spaces, some prefer to start on quiet corners.

The pieces of Lumines don’t disappear, they go out to take a smoke after finding someone to talk to for a while, and then come back. Those pieces start dancing on their own, they are naturally attracted to form groups, the bigger the better, and sometimes some magician out of nowhere will grab everyone by the arm forming a chain. Raindrops on a windshield. Surviving through the night is hard. It is not because it is not fun, some songs you may not care about, others you may dislike, but once you are in, there are no enemies, it is impossible to escape. As the night goes on that empty board gets lively, sometimes it is hard to hold on and you need to quit early. You will try again another night.

Somehow, you know the perfect night should not exist. Mathematically, anything should go wrong at any time, the variables cannot escape chance. Somehow, that ideal night eventually comes, the last song is announced, the celebration of the celebration is done, the sun rises and everyone goes home. Nothing happened during that time, time just flew by, and somehow something unforgettable to look back forever on in the years to come had been forged.

This is what heaven looks like:
https://youtu.be/U6xNSg8rFPE?si=T2sZ98gGiZ0YSnCO&t=1763

SHAKE YA BODY SHAKE YA BODY SHAKE YA BODY DOWN TO THE GROUND

i'm usually not a fan of puzzle games (especially those that request as much concentration as lumines) but this one's pretty damn good. overall concept is simple yet addicting, and the graphics and morphing stages are neat as hell and prevent things from getting stale. having parameters such as block/scroll speed be affected by different levels is a nice touch too - when going through classic mode, you really start to get a feel for which stages are gonna slow down and let you relax for a bit and which ones are gonna beat the shit out of you.

it's backed up by a really great soundtrack too. even if there are plenty of songs that arent playlist-worthy, it really sells the different levels and makes the anxiety of watching your blocks hopelessly pile up even more real. there are some great ones, though - i'll never forget the first time i made it to Lights (and immediately fucking lost lmao)

i didn't have much interest in most of the other modes (im a grown adult and idgaf about time attack), but it's still a really well-rounded package and a good deal for the price. only real nitpicks i have are some levels in classic mode have pretty flat color palettes (so it's hard to differentiate block colors), and that classic mode itself is pretty fucking long. having to lock in for 45 minutes to an hour each run (obliterating my eyes in the process) only to die in the second to last stage cause i mixed up the different colors of blue fucking sucked. it definitely made finally beating it more satisfying, though.

it's not gonna be a game i come back to super often, but finally getting the hang of this one felt great. if you're looking for an inexpensive puzzle game that's an easy way to kill a few hours, then this is the one, baby. shake ya body down to the ground.

oops I think I have gotten too good at Lumines

this is still nice to just head-empty-no-thoughts to, but thirty minutes into every run-- with my board still looking as clean & tidy as Marie Kondo’s kitchen-- I tend to just lose interest and hold down to stack out.

The music will always be good but Electronic Symphony’s was better. Despite my middling rating here, I would instantly pay money for an expansion that added in the soundtracks from Live, Supernova and Symphony. Mizuguchi get at me. 📞