Ekstase

Genre: Falling Block Puzzle

Players: 1, Online Leaderboards

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Review:

(Note: Review code provided by the kind folks at Raskal Games)

Ekstase is a Falling Block Puzzle game released on PC in 2020 and ported to Nintendo Switch in 2021. This is a game that is strikingly similar to the Lumines series, and in fact it is so similar that it seems inevitable that a review of this game would naturally prompt a lot of comparisons between Ekstase and Lumines Remastered. Both games are Falling Block Puzzles that involve forming like-colored rectangles out of the different-colored tiles. In both games, these rectangles do not clear until after they are passed over by a bar that moves in time with the stage’s music. Both games feature a slick, modern presentation, and both games are on the Nintendo Switch with a price point of $14.99.

This is not to say that Ekstase brings nothing unique to the table. This game differentiates itself from Lumines in multiple ways. Firstly, where Lumines’ falling blocks were always 2×2 squares, Ekstase shakes things up with various shape formations consisting of 3-5 squares each. In addition, the bar that clears matches now makes separate passes for each color, only clearing the matches of that corresponding color. These differences make Ekstase a more complex game than Lumines, but also break the flow of the game somewhat, making it harder to get into a “groove”.

There are also a few unique game modes here. You of course have the standard endless Classic and the score-focused Time Attack modes, but there’s also Flow mode, which adjusts your speed based on how well you’re doing, and Beat mode, which requires players’ movements to be in time with the beat. Personally, I didn’t find that Flow mode seemed much different than the Classic mode, and I found the Beat mode to be frustratingly restrictive. In addition, I felt like the difficulty level in the Time Attack mode seemed absurdly high – as of this writing, only 8 people are on the leaderboards as having completed the minimum score for this mode on any time limit, and four of the ten available time limits don’t seem to have any scores for completion. Oh well, at the very least the Classic mode still works well enough.

However, there’s another game option that’s a bit more interesting here – Each game mode also offers two different ways to manipulate pieces – Play Style “A” does not allow players to change the orientation of the falling blocks, but they can cycle its colors through different patterns to get the colors where they want it. Meanwhile, Play Style “B” is more traditional and Tetris-like, allowing players to change the orientation of the piece as they like, but they’re stuck with the colors in the block as they are. This makes for some interesting variety in play that almost makes this feel like two different types of games in one.

However, while there are some good options here, one rather important one that is absent is the ability to play in multiplayer. Other than the online leaderboards, this is entirely a solo experience, I’m sorry to say.

Finally, there’s the presentation to consider. This game makes use of some colorful backgrounds that animate hypnotically, backed by techno beats that fit this game’s look quite well, but are a bit too repetitive for my tastes. And unfortunately, there are only five of these “skins” to choose from, a far cry from the 40 that come in Lumines Remastered.

Ultimately, while Ekstase does definitely do some things that are unique, in nearly every way that it is similar to Lumines, Lumines is the clear victor. Compared to that game, Ekstase has a lack of audiovisual variety, a lack of multiplayer play, and more complex mechanics making for a somewhat less accessible experience. As a result, Ekstase doesn’t quite measure up to its competition and presumably its direct inspiration. However, if you’vealready played Lumines and are looking for something similar but more challenging, Ekstase’s twist on that game’s formula may make it worth a try.

tl;dr – Ekstase is a Falling Block Puzzle game that strongly resembles Lumines, having players create like-colored rectangles with the falling blocks, and only clearing them when a like-colored bar passes over them. This game is mechanically a bit more complex than Lumines, but it lacks much of the audiovisual variety of that game, and there’s no multiplayer here either. However, if you’ve already played Lumines and want something similar but a bit tougher, Ekstase is well worth a look.

Grade: C+

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