At today's State of Play showcase, Sony started the show with what I immediately described as "a Tetris Effect-ass trailer" as a silhouette of a man walked through a shifting, abstract dimension of EDM beats and lyrics about interconnectedness. Well, I was close: courtesy of Tetris Effect creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi, we're getting a new Lumines.
If you've played Tetris Effect but haven't experienced a Lumines, you've already had a strong primer for Lumines Arise. Expect falling blocks, surreal stage visuals, and an aetherial, accelerating, electronic soundtrack that'll sink you into a hypnotic mind-state where there's only you, blocks, and a ton of particle effects.
As the Steam page describes it, Lumines Arise will feature "over 30 stages of synesthetic sensory wonderlands, everything from lush jungles to buzzing Tokyo streets to more surreal experiences," including "the endless expanse of outer space."
There's also a new "Burst" mechanic, which appears to function a lot like Tetris Effect's "Zone" state. While clearing blocks, you'll build up a meter that you can spend to temporarily prevent a square from clearing, letting you build it as large as possible before the timer ends.
You can also make a customizable Lumines avatar from a variety of unlockable head shapes. I'm fond of the "egg floating in smiling square" option, myself.
Lumines Arise launches some time in 2025.
