Review: Chime Super Deluxe

Posted by Ben on April 1st, 2011 | 1 Comment | Tags: Chime Super Deluxe

I haven’t enjoyed a puzzle game quite as much as I’ve enjoyed Chime. It is what I would call a perfect fusion of music and gameplay, with an outstanding soundtrack and a core mechanic that, while uninventive, works extremely well.

In a nutshell, Chime has you placing a variety of shapes on boards of various shapes and sizes, in hopes of making “quads”, larger shapes that add to your multiplier and allow you to clear spaces. You are only allowed to move on to the next track once you’ve cleared a certain percentage of the board, with a 100% clearing of the board allowing you to move on to the next shape, which usually raises the challenge by a considerable amount. However, none of these boards would be as interesting without the music the game contains. The tracks that play during your sessions are downright transcendental, putting you into some sort of Zen-like puzzle state, in which the more blocks you place, the more interesting the track becomes, creating a scenario where you are creating music through shapes, and it is certainly the most inventive thing about the game.

Rarely have I seen gameplay and audio work together so well, but Chime Super Deluxe pulls it off wonderfully. There are 10 songs to play, and they can go on endlessly if you’re good enough, although the game certainly does its best to ensure that you don’t spend too much time playing a single round. All the tracks in the game also have local multiplayer support, be it co-op or simple versus, the modes are fun, and make for a worthy diversion. The game does a good job of signposting each player, and the multiplayer is certainly a lot of fun.

Chime Super Deluxe is, in my mind, the perfect puzzle game. The gameplay is fun and challenging, whilst remaining easy to pick up and play in short sessions, and the music will now never leave my head. It might just be the most addictive game I’ve ever played. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some quads to form.

A copy of this game was provided by the publisher for review purposes. For more info on our review policy click here. This review is for the PlayStation 3 version of the game.