Rating
Lumines: Arise
A mind-blowing, fiendishly addictive reinvention of the puzzle classic Lumines from the creators of Tetris Effect: Connected, where sound pulses through your body, mind, and every block you place, triggering dazzling visuals synched to the driving beat of an infectious, eclectic soundtrack.
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Lumines: Arise Reviews
Professional reviews from gaming critics
The point I’m really getting at here is that Lumines Arise has a meditative-like quality to it. Lumines has always offered rich and vibrant soundtracks backed by gorgeous visuals and an incredibly intense, yet rewarding gameplay loops. Lumines Arise is the ultimate realisation of that vision, and quite possibly the greatest puzzle game I’ve ever played.
Blocks. Beats. Bliss. Lumines Arise delivers all three. Lumines Arise, developed and published by Enhance Games and released on November 11, 2025, offers a
Lumines gets the Tetris Effect treatment, and it's incredible. Is anyone really surprised? Don't worry - the gameplay is enough to sustain you through the trippy synesthesia and then some.
Lumines Arise is sensational in every sense. It will wow you with its audio-visual cues and dance across your screen in a way that'll make you feel emotions. It feels almost otherworldly, and yet, it's one of the most calming and memorable experiences I've had with video games this year.
Lumines Arise successfully refines a proven formula with thoughtful mechanical additions, exceptional audiovisual design, and a wealth of modes, though HDR support is sorely missed.
Suffices to say, If you haven't played Lumines before you're in for an exquisite audio/visual treat loaded with memorable and impacting vibes. Arise's soundtrack doesn't quite reach the majesty of Electronic Symphony on the Vita as the tunes can be too soft and not as emphatic, but in every other way Arise is the best Lumines game yet, and aptly bursts with life just as fervently as its new gameplay mechanic.
Lumines Arise is NOT Tetris Effect Connected, and once you make that distinction, you'll enjoy this one. The effects can be overwhelming, but turn the ones that affect you off, and connect to the ones that allow you to enjoy the game. See what I did there?
From coconuts to black holes and watch parts, Lumines is back in fine voice.
The concept of Tetris Effect is iterated on with confidence, paired with a singular use of technology that seeks to evoke emotion at every turn.
The musical puzzler returns with Lumines Arise. Does this music experience delight the senses? Or does it miss a beat?
Like Tetris Effect before it, Lumines Arise lives up to the franchise's legacy. It's slick, stylish, and as addictive as ever. Despite my complaints and critiques of the game, especially those level transitions that take you out of the rhythm you've established, I look forward to spending hundreds of hours with Lumines Arise over the next decade or so. There was nothing quite like Lumines back in the day, and even though there are similar titles available today in 2025, there's still only one Lumines. A must-own for any puzzle game fan.