Lumines: Electronic Symphony (PS Vita)

Lumines: Electronic Symphony continues the stylish music puzzle game series. This title retains the same base gameplay of the previous games: there are 2×2 square stacked blocks vertically descending that are either of one color or another. The player’s goal is to match the four segmented blocks to make up a square stack of the same color, however it is possible to match more than four blocks. Stacked blocks do not disappear until a timeline moving horizontally from the left side of the screen sweeps over them, so it is possible to match more blocks of the same color until then. The larger amount matched will increase the amount of points received.

The 2×2 square blocks can be controlled via the traditional method with the d-pad or by using the touch screen, and the player can rotate the blocks as they descend. Once a block hits a stack on the playing field it will break into two columns if the stack is uneven, otherwise it will it simply stop as it hits a stack or the bottom of the field. If the blocks stack up to the point where new blocks will not fit in the field the game will end. Also returning is the changing skins as you play, which will completely change the graphics, sound effects, and music as you progress. These skins also change the speed of the timeline moving over the field.

Another major gameplay feature of Lumines are the special block segments. There is a chain block that will allow any segments of the same color connected to disappear with the next sweep of the timeline. A new block introduced in Electronic Symphony is the shuffle block, which randomly rearranges the layout of the stack it touches. Another new feature is the avatar power, which is activated by simply tapping the avatar on the bottom left of the screen. There are various avatars that can be chosen for both single-player and multi-player modes and they each do something different.

Electronic Symphony has several different modes to play in. The main mode is called Voyage where the player keeps going until they reach the end or a game over. The others include Playlist, Stopwatch, Master, along with the multiplayer only Duel mode. Experience points are gained from all game modes which will allow the player to unlock new skins and avatars.