Promini Review

What you see is almost exactly what you get when you look at Promini by Eltima Software. In gameplay and style this is yet another take on the Lumines gameplay, however its few added twists might just enough to soften even jaded gamers in to giving this title a try.

There are no virtual sticks or buttons in sight for Promini, which means you'll be relying on the good old swipe and tap combinations to quickly navigate your puzzle piece in to place. Matched blocks of 2x2 or greater will fuze and are burnt away by the slowly sweeping laser that swings past the screen. As matches are made, players earn points and 'coins' that can be exchanged to activate special items such as bombs, or even slowing down the laser to create larger matches.

Promini's presentation is fairly static and doesn't emulate the interactive visual or aural experience of its source title, but the orange and blue tiles are visually distinct and do make matches easier to spot. The swipe-to-move controls may be overly sensitive for some, so thankfully there is an option to tune it to your tastes, however swiping to rotate feels clunky and players will probably spend more time swiping than dropping tiles in to place.

Earning these coins just doesn't have the same appeal of having large numbers or combos pop up in your face, however bonuses give players a chance to play on their terms, especially once their skills improve. Promini is an interesting homage, but doesn't quite stand up on its own just yet.