Chime is not your average run-of-the-mill puzzle game. If you take Tetris and mix it with Qix (one of the oldest games around), add music and blend it all together, you would have Chime. Chime is based around music; you must place shapes on a grid to create music.
In this respect, Chime feels a lot like Tetris. There are different types of shapes that can be rotated and placed on the grid. Placing shapes together in solid square blocks will form quads. Once created and on the grid, it will become active and begin to fill in. During this time, you will be able to create other quads around the current one, allowing you to double or even triple your score by building off the active quad.
Once the quads are filled, they will no longer be active and the overall points will be added to your total score. Each time you add shapes or form quads on the grid, you will alter and change of the music. There is something called a beat-line which is a form of rhythm or heart monitor in a manner of speaking. With each pass over, your shapes and quads will continually change the rhythm of the current song.
You can make music with the shapes, patterns, and quads you create, filling the grid with a different color. The more you fill the grid, the more the song will change. This makes it almost impossible to design the exact same beat/song you heard before. Even though it’s the same song, you can never recreate it the same way twice.
Chime is very classic in nature, but very modern at the same time. You will find yourself lost in the atmosphere of Chime for hours at a time. My eyes began to water before I realized how many hours had passed; I was feverishly trying to figure out how to place quads on the grid. This can really place a great deal of strain on your eyes.
There are a total of ten stages and songs to play, starting with only one stage and song playable in the beginning. You are have to complete each stage to fifty percent before you can unlock the next stage and song. Each stage comes with its own song and personalized grid setup; none of the stages look, sounds or remotely resemble each other in the same way. This offers a unique experience for each stage.
There are three different modes of play: Time mode, Free mode, and Multiplayer. Time mode has you rushing against the clock as you try to beat each stage. You have the choice between three, six or nine minutes for game types under this section. Free Mode allows you to take your time; you can enjoy the music while creating, and have a relaxing game without rushing or pressing time limits.
I was really excited by the multiplayer option in the main menu, but was really saddened to discover that it was for offline play only. In the multiplayer section, there are options for co-op or versus. If developer Zoë Mode Entertainment ever decides to release a sequel, I would like to see an online multiplayer feature added.
In versus mode, you must work against your opponent for score, quads, and coverage of the grid. You can steal your opponent’s quads and snatch the points for yourself. Believe it or not, Chime can be a very competitive game to play when going head-to-head with another player. This is why an online multiplayer feature would really benefit Chime. Hopefully, a future DLC will include an online feature.
The co-op feature, as the name implies, has you working with another player for the greater good, racking up high scores and trying to beat the puzzles in record time. This feature is fun and can be very challenging.
There is an online leader-board that keeps tracks of scores, so you can brag to your friends and show off your best times and scores for all to see on the Playstation Network. In some ways, the online leader-board makes up for the lack of online playability.
Chime is addicting and very challenging; it’s worth adding to your library of games. As mentioned prior, though – the lack of online multiplayer holds it back a little.
James ‘Daripp3r’ Pittaro
Platform: Playstation 3 (Available on PSN)
Developer: Zoë Mode Entertainment
Publisher: Zoë Mode Entertainment
ESRB:
Size: 189 megs
Price: $9.99
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |   |
| Done in a very stylish 3d grid; the colors are clean and vibrant. Classic feel, but yet very modern in appearance. | |
| Sound | |
| Out of this world; some of the nicest, most alluring music I have had the pleasure of enjoying in a puzzle game. | |
| Gameplay | |
| Think Tetris, but on a much, much higher level. | |
| Overall |  |
|---|---|
| Nothing like it anywhere else; simply wonderful. The fact that you create your own music adds endless replayability value to Chime. | |
