Lumines’ genius speaks out
Game designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi talks about the inspiration behind his game
His game Lumines has been a huge success both in Japan and the US and seems certain to continue the trend when it’s released on 1 September in the UK, so what makes game designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi tick?
Q: What was your inspiration for Lumines?A: The first thing that came to my mind when we started designing Lumines was to make a very original game that would make the best use of the PSP's features. This brand-new experience is realised by combining a simple but very high quality puzzle game with music and beautiful graphics. I believe users are excited about such new elements Lumines can provide.
Q: How come music is such an important part of the gameplay?A: Working with my development team together we thought out potential combination of music, graphics and gameplay. That's why Lumines has a ‘call & response’ that lets you feel music with not only your ears but your eyes and body too. Thus, we could make a game that satisfies physiological feelings such as ‘feel good’ and ‘is fun’.
Q: Why did you choose to develop the game for the PSP?A: When I saw PSP for the first time, I got an impression of PSP as an "interactive visual walkman". Lumines couldn't have been realised without PSP's sound quality, graphic capabilities, and widescreen. Lumines has all the good things only PSP can realise.
