Every Extend Extra's explosive brand of action gameplay may be worlds away from the puzzle panic of Lumines, but the pulsing music, vibrant graphics, and emphasis on managing an ever-changing tempo make it obvious that the same developer has touched both games.

Each of the nine main levels opens with your ship entering a strange world of whirling targets and churning alien vistas. Your goal is to watch the incoming vessels, and detonate yourself nearby at just the right moment, causing chain explosions that turn targets into volatile astral dominoes, racking up combo points for "extends" that keep your suicide mission primed with a stock of replacement ships. The longer you hold down the button, the bigger the initial blast radius. Small green enemies drop point bonuses, medium-sized mini-bosses spit out time extensions, and pulse bombs help extend combination strings.