Perfectly matched with a dynamic soundtrack, this is a beautifully designed and addictive game, which is sure to live up to the series’ fan’s expectations, and draw in some new ones.
Chime Sharp recreates familiar puzzle game mechanics and merges them with a contemporary soundtrack to create calming and addictive gameplay. It is the sequel to the much beloved 2009 indie game Chime, and redesigns the original with a clean minimalist design and a more 3D style which is in keeping with its futuristic soundtrack.
The introduction to the game encourages the player to explore each track without any tutorial. This acts both to the game’s favour and detriment, as familiar players are not tasked with completing a tedious tutorial, and it is encouraged youdive right in to get a feel for the game. However for those who are unfamiliar could possibly feel quite lost. There is plenty of room to experiment as each track boasts four game modes and an additional practice mode. This allows the player to develop their own method to cover the most ground as quickly as possible to a range of tempos which subtly affect timing and gameplay, and adapt this to each game mode. These alternate modes are unlocked through completing previous ones on the same track. Although it may become tedious to play multiple modes with the same track consecutively, the number of tracks available allows for alternation and prevents tedium.
Chime Sharp’s primary charm is in its refreshing approach to the integration of gameplay and music in order to create the overall experience, as opposed to the soundtrack being resigned to the background or serving as a gimmick. The game features work from renowned artists such as Kavinsky. This may not to be everyone’s tastes but with the game’s aesthetic it has enough variety to not become boring or repetitive. Each track’s bpm is indicative of the speed of the gameplay and the feel of the track. Standard mode depends on the creation of quads- the player is given a time limit on each quad to enlarge it for a larger score and larger coverage of the board. Access to the next track is dependent on reaching a certain coverage percentage on the previous track. Dependent on one’s competitiveness the game has a large capacity for replaying with a platinum trophy available for PS4 and a full 1000 points available for Xbox players offering plenty of play time.
The largest draw backs of the game are dependent on the player, as those who become easily frustrated may not enjoy the grind which may be required to unlock all the stages, whilst others would welcome the challenge. Alongside the lack of tutorial there is also no explanation of how one can achieve multipliers, so it may take longer master the game and achieve all trophies or achievements.
The fast loading times and frantic gameplay mean that the game is easily picked up and played even under a time limit, so one gets the most gameplay possible out of their time. Overall Chime Sharp may not compete with larger games but is perfect for light gameplay and relaxation. Perfectly matched with a dynamic soundtrack Chime Sharp is a beautifully designed and executed addictive game which is sure to live up to the series’ fan’s expectations and draw in some new ones.
Chime Sharp is available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows.
