A deeper look at Lumines Arise’s packed puzzle offerings

Lumines Arise is set to release in less than a month! That November 11 release date on PlayStation 5 is coming up fast, so it’s time to share more of the incredible content this latest entry of the addictive block-dropping color-matching puzzle series contains. From different single-player modes to extensive leaderboards to Survival runs to Training Missions to customizable Playlists and more, this game is packed with content to keep you coming back for more.

A quick reminder that a Demo of Lumines Arise is available from now until release day on the PlayStation Store—you’ll find it on the Lumines Arise PlayStation Store page.

.Journey of survival

The main single-player mode is Journey—an over 35-stage trek featuring stunning visuals, thumping music, and powerful vibrations from the DualSense controller that all blend perfectly, immersing you and evoking intense emotions.

For those new to Lumines, here’s a quick refresh of the basics: blocks drop into the playfield, often containing two different patterns. The goal is to form Squares of 2×2 or larger, all of the same color/pattern. In larger matches, the game counts the number of 2×2 Squares that make up the match. The Timeline then sweeps across to the beat of the music and clears Squares you’ve made. There’s a tutorial in-game (and in the Demo) that’ll show you that and the new Burst mechanic.

Finish Journey, and you unlock Survival, a run-based mode that goes from stage to stage without stopping. See how far you can get and compare your scores with other players around the world on a leaderboard. It’s a fun way to test your skills and harkens back to previous Lumines titles.

Get better everyday

Yes, Lumines Arise is a very chill puzzle game, and you can play it in a relaxed way without worrying about time pressures. But if you’ve always wanted to get a better grasp on its puzzle mechanics and improve, the Missions hub is for you. It’s got 60 Training Missions with repeatable scenarios to help hone your skills and teach you ways to approach various playfield configurations. Practice making Squares of different sizes, keep that Combo up, use Chain Blocks more effectively, and use the new Burst mechanic to the greatest impact. Spending time here will definitely improve your game.

Also found within the Missions hub are 25 Challenges. You can think of these almost like different single-player modes: they take the core Lumines gameplay and add wild twists. Sometimes more than one! These include blocks only falling to the beat of the music, portions of the playfield being completely walled off, or you’re using huge versions of the blocks to generate massive combos. They’re all fun ways to mix up the core Lumines gameplay, and they’ll help you get a deeper understanding of some of the more advanced mechanics in the game, too.

Take me to your leaderboards

Within the Multiplayer Hub, there are several ways to compete on leaderboards in addition to the multiplayer Burst Battle mode, which we introduced previously on PS Blog. While you wait for a multiplayer game, you can try your hand at Quick Burst, an arcade-style challenge to create the largest single Burst match you can muster. (Burst is a new mechanic where you keep one match on-screen for several passes of the Timeline and build it as large as possible.) Then over at the Leaderboard League, you have 60, 180, and 300-second score challenges. This is a great place to track yourself improving if you’ve been working through Training Missions.

New to Lumines Arise is a Dig Down mode, which constantly raises the playfield stack from the bottom, requiring you to lower it as quickly as possible. It’s another fun test of your skills that will challenge both new players and seasoned pros. Playing Dig Down, Quick Burst, or any Time Attack modes during the Weekend Loomii-Live events will contribute points towards a community goal and unlock Loomii avatar customizations if the goal is met. 

Wait, we didn’t mention the Loomii? How can we forget! They’re your in-game avatar, accompanying you from the Journey mode to Training Missions and the Multiplayer Hub—every part of Lumines Arise. You can customize them with different parts, like those you’ll get as rewards from the Weekend Loomii-Live event.

Playlists to match your mood

You’re sure to have favorite stages and songs (all by Hydelic, btw—the same composer as Tetris Effect: Connected, you’ll find info on the game’s soundtrack, including links to streaming services here). As you work your way through Journey mode, you’ll unlock songs you can then use to construct playlists of your favorite tracks and stages in the Playlist hub. Set a mood or play a single stage you really love a dozen times in a row. You can even set it to Theater mode, sit back, and just experience the vibes without playing.

We hope you’re as excited as we are to finally get your hands on Lumines Arise on November 11. You can pre-order Lumines Arise right now on PlayStation Store, in Standard and Digital Deluxe variants. The Digital Deluxe Edition comes with 4 premium Loomii avatars based on Enhance’s previous titles (Tetris Effect: Connected, Rez Infinite, Humanity) and Astro Bot. The game features optional PS VR2 compatibility, allowing you to play the full game in VR and get even more immersed.