Before my Lumines Arise appointment, I spent over an hour agonizing over the stagnant side of the industry thanks to the Xbox Games Showcase. There were some surprises, notably from independent studios like Thunder Lotus Games, but most of the presentation involved sequels that nobody asked for, trailers of games we’ve already seen in the past, and monotonous art styles paired up with Marvel-esque spiels aimed at TikTok-pilled audiences.
If there’s something I’m learning during my time at Summer Game Fest, it is that developers continue to chase trends. In the case of titles like Thick as Thieves, at least there’s an attempt at doing something different with the already established foundations of them. But these small standouts are getting lost in the noise, shown rapidly in between trailers featuring behemoths instead. (And let’s not forget that thousands of people keep on getting laid off, in Microsoft and elsewhere, and the ripple effects of this corporate onslaught were bound to make an impact sooner or later. Perhaps this is part of it as well.)
All of this is to say that, within minutes, Lumines Arise brought me back on my feet, and reminded me that there’s still room for creativity to flourish. The new project by Enhance and Monstars, the teams that worked on the likes of Rez Infinite and Tetris Effect, grants a sensorial uproar to the puzzle pillars of Lumines.
This is all reintroduced in Arise, but the presentation is more in line with Tetris Effect. This equals to a more prevalent presence of music (an ethos since the very first Lumines), and a dreamy visual aspect. Tetris Effect made it easy to get lost in each stage, whether the grid was surrounded by dolphins underwater or fireworks up in the sky. Flow state naturally sets in when playing cause, well, it’s Tetris. But Enhance is turning things up to eleven, evoking different emotions and atmosphere by mixing the visuals with a soundtrack that I already know will make me tear up.
The demo I played had three stages, each with different “phases” after reaching certain score thresholds. The first predominantly showed black and gold colors with a massive silhouette on top of the grid that followed the music. The second was a blunt, more industrial twist, with two hands on each side of the grid seemingly made out of electricity, and the blocks being lightning sparks and square-shaped vents. Finally, the third featured two chameleons on each side, who were constantly playing and moving to the beat as I formed blocks.
The most substantial mechanical addition is called Burst, which works differently than Zone in Tetris Effect. Rather than freezing the entire grid for a limited time so you can clear lines fast and get a bonus score, Burst stops a matched square from being cleared by the timeline. This allows you to keep on stacking more blocks on top of it until the timer runs out. Once the timeline begins again, it’ll clear everything up in one go, potentially lining up multiple combos in quick succession.
I ran through the demo twice, and I would have kept on playing. Tetris Effect is one of my favorite games, and the fact that Enhance and company are getting to iterate on its concept is not only exciting, but welcoming as well. The expectations to chase trends or bet on “safer” projects loom over every running studio. Sure, one could make the same argument about Arise when placed alongside Effect. But the draw from Tetris, as well as its own rules, aren’t present this time around.
Arise sees the team attempting to rekindle the synesthesia-fueled triumph. Even after a mere 30 minutes, they might be able to do so. During events like Summer Game Fest, it’s easy for your mind to wander. Think about the appointments I have left, the writing I still haven’t done, whether to grab water or coffee next. If games are actually stale or if I’m just growing more bitter each day. But Arise gave me a moment of respite. I put on the headphones and the game engulfed me. It reminded me that there are gentle pockets of creativity out there still for the few of us who can afford to find or make them.
