MSRP: $4.99
Platforms: PC / XBox 360 / PS3
Release: 2/3/10
Chime is an odd creature – it’s both a puzzle game and a music game. You place Tetris-esque pieces on a game board while a beatline crosses the screen. The ultimate goal is to have “covered” the entire gameboard with quads.
Quads are 3X3 or larger rectangular shapes that increase your score. Once you complete a quad, a line starts moving up from bottom to top, filling in the shape. Until the line hits the top, you can keep adding to the quad and increasing your score.
But how it is a music game? Well, that beatline that keeps moving from left to right triggers audio when it hits shapes and quads. This isn’t a game you want to play with the sound off. Basically, you’re remixing some fantastic music as you’re playing a puzzle game.
You have to play at least one game in timed mode to unlock the free mode. Timed modes come in 9, 6, and 3 minute varieties, and require you to achieve 50% coverage or better to move onto the next level. Each different level features a new piece of music and different shapes and colors.
Chime is reasonably priced, offers a really neat concept with a pretty fantastic execution, has endless replayability, and is published by OneBigGame, a non-profit game publisher. You can’t go wrong here.
366 Days of Gaming 