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By Keith B (16th Jul 2007)

Lumines Plus for the Playstation 2 is the sequel to the widely popular Lumines game for the PSP released nearly two years ago. The game’s premise is rather simple: Cubes of four smaller blocks fall down the screen and must be rotated by the gamer to make a matching set of four blocks of the same color. There are only two colors of blocks at one time (though the block’s colors alternate between “Skins”), and the levels progress through the matching up of colored blocks in groups of four or more and having the “Time Line” clear them off the screen, or eventually having too many blocks pile up thus ending the game. There are four main modes: “1P Mode”, “2P Vs. Mode”, “VS CPU Mode”, and “Puzzle Mode”, each offering various different choices within and adding different aspects to this basic premise of forming combinations of blocks. The game play is highly addicting, and Lumines Plus has a soundtrack that will have you constantly coming back for more. On the downside, the game offers few frills and little innovation over the first Lumines for PSP.

The “1P Mode” contains within it the “Challenge Mode”, “Single Skin Mode”, and “Time Attack Mode”. The “Challenge Mode” is the main mode of game play in Lumines Plus, and encompasses a single player navigating their way through different “Skins” of falling blocks in order to unlock new ones for the multiplayer mode in hopes of eventually unlocking them all. The term “Skins” refers to the various levels encompassed within the game, each having their own two block color scheme and a different song as well as different sounds for the rotation and dropping of blocks. Small details such as this are what makes Lumines Plus such a great game.

The two other game play options encompassed within “1P Mode” are “Single Skin Mode” and “Time Attack Mode” . Single Skin Mode gives the player the ability to play on only one skin of their choosing (I constantly found myself choosing the first skin, “Shinin’”, as well as “Tiny Piano”) if they particularly fancy a specific song, color scheme, or the like. In Time Attack Mode, the gamer attempts to achieve as high a score as possible within the time constraint of either 60, 180, 300, or 600 seconds.

2P Vs Mode pits two players against each other in a split screen Lumines battle. But, there’s a twist: The more combos a player achieves, the more of the screen they get as determined by the constantly-shifting dividing line between players. This can speed the demise of a novice player, or can make for an interesting and intense bout for two players of somewhat evenly matched skill. VS CPU Mode follows this exact same formula, only there are different, quirky CPU characters that the player must battle such as “Japanese Form”, “The bird singing in the night”, and “Chinese Restaurant” to name a few. This mode is fun in some of the first levels and if a friend is not available, but the main 1P challenge mode and 2P battle mode make this aspect little more than a side note.

“Puzzle Mode” is little more than a novelty as well, having neither an explanation in the manual other than the one line descriptor nor an in game tutorial to acclimate the gamer. After playing around with it in frustration for a time, I realized you are supposed to arrange blocks into patterns so as to make the shapes of a “Cross”, “Small Box”, or the like all the while navigating around the surrounding blocks so as to not cause them to pile up too high or have four of the same color blocks combine causing your pattern to be skewed. Also, there is a timer constantly running. Needless to say, this mode is pointless, frustrating and should be avoided, the biggest blemish on the record of this otherwise fine game.

The best feature of the game by far is the sound. Throughout the four modes, there are exclusive tracks that do exactly what a great soundtrack should do: They add to the gaming experience rather than just “being there” or even detracting from it. The song “Shinin”, from the first skin, was my personal favorite and rendered me nearly unable to put down the controller for the first few days I possessed the game. As stated previously, the attention to detail on switching up each individual sound for the swiveling of blocks, dropping of pieces, piecing together of combos and the like all make Lumines Plus one of the best games in recent memory from an audio aspect.

Though it is quite similar to the first Lumines sparing a few altered features, Lumines Plus is a steal at a release MSRP of only $19.99. It allows both fans of the series to play a new installment on the big screen with additional skins and songs, as well as giving newcomers a chance to get their feet wet in this innovative and addicting puzzle game. Aside from the shortcomings of the Puzzle Mode and the limited replay value of the VS CPU Mode, the 1P Mode is strong enough to keep you coming back for more until the game is mastered. The 2P Mode is not just an add-on but an innovating and fun method of game play when you want to square off against a friend and adding a whole new dimension to the game itself, with intense enough versus sequences to make squaring off with a group of friends tournament-style a distinct possibility. The game is simple and straightforward, but comes through on what it promises, and does it right: It delivers a fun, addicting gaming experience within the puzzle genre garnished with neat techno beats and wildly colored graphics.