Lumines Arise is the best puzzle game I've played since Tetris Effect. That's not too surprising, as it's a spiritual successor to that amazing reinterpretation of Tetris from Japanese developer Enhance. Lumines was already a more musical game than Tetris, which makes it a perfect fit for the experimental audiovisual overhaul Enhance gave it in this entrancing puzzle adventure.

Backed by the best soundtrack in a video game this year (sorry, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33) and level theming that ranges from genius to hilarious, Lumines Airse is a game that's hard to put down. While it's a little more overwhelming than Tetris Effect at first because Lumines is a more complicated game, Lumines Arise is a game you need to experience, whether on PC or PS5.

Price and Availability

Lumines Arise launches today on PC and PlayStation 5. It also supports PC VR and PlayStation VR2 headsets for those who want to experience it in virtual reality. At release, there are three different versions of the game that you can pick up:

• Standard Edition ($40): The base game
• PC Digital Deluxe Edition ($45): Includes the base game and crossover in-game avatars and nameplate backgrounds based on Tetris Effect, Rez Infinite, Humanity, and Dave the Diver.
• PS5 Digital Deluxe Edition ($45): Includes the base game and crossover in-game avatars and nameplate backgrounds based on Tetris Effect, Rez Infinite, Humanity, and Astro Bot.

Lumines is more complicated and rewarding than Tetris

A higher barrier to entry gatekeeps an outstanding puzzle game

To appreciate Lumines Arise, you must first understand the puzzle game it's reinterpreting. Lumines is a cult classic PSP game from the early 2000s. Even back then, it was more musical than its peers, as the main goal is to build and then clear giant squares of a single color with a timeline moving across a playfield to the beat of a song. It's complex to explain, but it makes sense when you see it in action.

That's easier said than done, as the blocks dropping are 2x2 blocks often made up of two different colors. Matching at four nodes of the same color is required to create a bigger square that can be cleared by the timeline, so Lumines requires a level of precision and thinking ahead that puzzle games like Tetris and Puyo Puyo don't always require.

Even though I played Lumines Remastered a lot and enjoyed it, I still consider Lumines a pretty tough puzzle game. That means Lumines Arise has a higher skill floor than Tetris Effect. While that game could wow someone who has never played a video game before with its stunning visuals and simple yet fun gameplay, Lumines Arise is a little less inherently enjoyable if you don't immediately know what to do.

Those who put in the time to master the core gameplay loop of Lumines, as well as this game's new mechanics, will find a puzzle game that's even more rewarding than Tetris, though. In particular, the Burst mechanic that makes it a little easier to build up a giant square of one color leads to some absolutely satisfying screen-clearing moments. Lumines Arise goes a long way to codify Lumines as one of the all-time great puzzle game series.

Lumines Arise is a playable music album

Its beats beat the competition

While the basic Lumines gameplay is better than ever, the real reason to buy Lumines Arise is the audio and visual experience it offers. Each of the Journey mode's 45 unique stages features its own song and level theming. Sometimes, that's just a bunch of particle effects popping off as you clear squares and a man walks in the background. At other times, you're chopping fruits and veggies like it's Fruit Ninja as you clear squares.

A lot of the fun my first time through Journey mode came from discovering what wild or wacky idea Enhance could come up with for each new level. I was never disappointed, as I was either rewarded with a fantastic earworm of a song that's still stuck in my head or a level design so funny or memorable that I'll never forget it.

Some of my favorites include Slice & Dice, the Fruit Ninja one mentioned before, Chameleon Groove, a level that features the titular reptiles head-bobbing to an absolute bop of an EDM song, and Rain Steps, a soulful ballad that puts Singing in the Rain to shame. While Tetris Effect surprised me the first time I played, no single level from that game sticks out to me in the way that so many of Lumines Arise's stages do.

The songs from all of these levels will be going on my Spotify playlist as soon as possible. That said, I'll have no problem booting Lumines Arise back up to see the artistry of each level's visuals in action again. They're treats, even on a flatscreen PC monitor. They have the potential to be even more enthralling if you put on a virtual reality headset and play it that way.

You'll get your money's worth out of Lumines Arise

There's a surprising amount to do for an arcadey puzzle game

$40 may seem like a steep price for a simple puzzle game in a busy month of game releases, but just one playthrough of its Journey mode is more than worth that price tag. That's not all Lumines Arise has to offer, though. Playlists allowed me to string the game's levels together however I liked, and its Theater mode lets me play it in the background while I do other things on my computer, like writing this review.

Additionally, Training and Challenge Missions further contextualize the core Lumines experience, and ultimately taught me how to get better at this puzzle game. That all culminates with Lumines Arise's Survival mode, which challenged me to make it through all of its levels back-to-back in one go. I'm still nowhere near close to accomplishing this, but I know I'll keep trying.

While Tetris Effect didn't have ample multiplayer offerings until its Connected edition revamp in 2020, Lumines Arise has all of that right out of the gate. There are leaderboards and a few competitive modes to test your mettle in, with my favorite being the Burst Battle mode that sees players sending garbage blocks to each other after using Burst successfully.

Players are represented by cute little avatars called Loomi in this, and Lumines Arise's main form of long-term progression comes from unlocking items for those little guys. Enhance also plans to host "Loomii-Live Events" every weekend, where players can work together to unlock new items for their Loomi, quietly giving Lumines Arise live service legs you wouldn't expect.

Lumines Arise is one of the best games of the year

Don't underestimate the quality of a puzzle game from Enhance

2025 will be remembered not only as the year of the RPG, but as the year of the puzzle game. Blue Prince was a strong game of the year contender right out of the gate, and now Lumines Arise is rounding out 2025 in style. It follows the Tetris Effect playbook but goes a step further with a more complex puzzle game and even more creative level theming.

Enhance is a master of its craft. It not only knows how to replicate, nail, and recontextualize the feel of classic puzzle games, but also consistently curates memorable audio and visual theming for its levels. Lumines Arise, its music, and weirdest levels will stick in my mind for years to come, to the point where I see it being my preferred puzzle game of not just this year, but the foreseeable future.