Even In Portrait Mode, Lumines Keeps Shinin’

While it may not be as responsive as it was when it debuted on the PlayStation Portable on 2005, Lumines: Puzzle & Music for iOS and Android is every bit as engaging as the original.

Note I mention in the video that the game is free. This is incorrect. It’s a $2.99 premium title.

Lumines was the game to play on the PlayStation Portable at launch. Compared to the stilted single analog stick controls and ridiculously long loading times of other system launch titles, the music puzzle game was fast, accessible and easy to lose one’s self in for hours at a time.

The simple nature of Lumines—players drop dual-colored blocks, attempting to form solid colored combinations as a line sweeps across the stage to the music, clearing sets—make it a perfect match for mobile. Mobcast’s version, released this week on iOS and Android, mostly proves that.

It’s Lumines, featuring a choice between all-new music and a classic soundtrack (featuring Mondo Grosso’s “Shinin’” of course). Blocks are rotated and dropped, combos are built-up, and world domination is achieved.

My only real concern, aside from the fact that it’s impossible to put down once you’re in the groove of things, is the touch controls aren’t quite as responsive as I’d like. I played the iOS version, and there were times I had to tap the screen multiple times to get a block to rotate once, and when you’re trying to build massive combos to the beat of music, that unresponsiveness can really screw up your day.

Still, as much of a fuss as I make about the controls in the Kotaku Plays video up top, my particular corner of Kotaku is still playing. It took me five minutes to grab the screenshot for this post, because I couldn’t just hop into a game and not see it through to the bitter end.

So yeah, it’s Lumines in your pocket all over again.

Oh, and the game also features built in recording, as demonstrated here by Lumines creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi.