Hands On With Lumines Arise: Demo Out Now for PS5 and Steam

This morning I woke up to exciting news about one of my most anticipated titles for 2025. Lumines Arise now not only has a release date of November 11th, but we have also been treated to the surprise release of a demo for the game, available for PlayStation 5 and Steam! The demo offers a taste of the reinvigorated puzzle classic from Enhance and Monstars Inc. With stunning visuals, a pulsating soundtrack, and interesting new gameplay mechanics, Lumines Arise is already shaping up to be an excellent puzzle experience for players.

Hands On with the Demo

The demo introduces players to Lumines Arise with a quick tutorial that quickly explains the core gameplay—matching 2x2 blocks to clear them with a timeline synced to the beat—and unveils the new Burst Mode mechanic. This feature lets you hold a matched square, building it larger over multiple timeline passes for massive clear combos, adding a strategic layer to the experience. Journey Mode offers three single-player stages that flow into each other, showcasing different background environments with interactive elements. The music and gameplay are intricately connected, much like Tetris Effect, but now the screen dynamically zooms in and out as you play, creating a visually engaging rhythm—though it might take a moment to adjust. The demo also includes a multiplayer 'Burst Battle' mode, but we had some connectivity issues with it in our initial testing. We'll try to report back on that experience later.

Hands-On Impressions

Having jumped into the demo this morning, I immediately started the tutorial and then the single player Journey Mode. The music-gameplay sync felt reminiscent of Tetris Effect, but the screen’s new dynamic zoom added a unique flair that was a little strange at first, but had me nodding my head along to the music by the second level. The Burst Mode also integrates beautifully with the traditional Lumines gameplay, and I think I may prefer it over Tetris Effect’s Zone Mechanic; the wider play area makes chaining combos easier, and each time you increase the size of your Burst Combo blocks of the other color float off the screen to give you more placement options. Once the Burst Combo is cleared, the missing blocks all rain back down on the screen and create combos of their own. It's a very powerful mechanic, and it feels like it could have always been a part of Lumines.

While I wasn't able to try out the multiplayer mode yet, the single player levels have already amped up my excitement for Lumines Arise, and I can’t wait for November 11 to dive into the full game.

Release Details and Beyond

Lumines Arise is set to launch on November 11, 2025, for PS5 (with PS VR2 support) and PC (via Steam with SteamVR), priced at $39.99, with a Digital Deluxe Edition at $44.99 including exclusive avatars. While the demo includes only 3 Journey Mode levels, the full game is set to have a 35-stage Journey Mode as well as multiplayer and endless modes. You can grab the demo from the Playstation Store or Steam, and once you have a chance to try it out, let us know what you think over on Facebook or X/Twitter.

We'll have more details on Lumines Arise as they become available so keep checking in to GameMinr.com for all the latest as we get closer to launch.