Chime Sharp is a block puzzle challenge that’ll please fans of games like Tetris and Lumines. I actually reviewed the original Chime game way back in 2011 on the PS3, and even then it was a “Super Deluxe” version.  This “Sharp” version adds some new challenging gameplay modes.  It’s available for download on PS4 and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here

Just like any other good puzzler, Chime Sharp is easy to learn but hard to master. You must rotate and place shaped blocks onto a grid playfield. When a 3×3 square or larger is made, it’ll be ready to clear. Before it does, a meter will fill up in the square, which gives you an opportunity to build onto it for more points. Make adjacent squares to increase your combo score, too.

Just like Lumines, a line goes from left to right over the playfield. When it passes over the 3×3 or larger squares that you’ve made, they’ll disappear. Underneath where the disappeared square was, the tiles will change color. If you can change 60 percent of the tiles on screen, you’ll unlock new gameplay modes.  One difference between this and Chime Super Deluxe is that in the old game, if you got 50 percent, you’d move onto the next level.  Here you just keep playing the same level until your time runs out.  Although I don’t completely understand how the time limit works.  I think it goes up when you clear squares, but sometimes it still ran out for me.

Other modes you unlock include Sharp Mode, hence the name of the game.  In the regular mode, if you don’t make squares out of the blocks, they’ll disappear after a while.  But in Sharp Mode, if you let a block disappear, you’ll lose a life, and you get ten lives in all.  So you have to be sharp (sorry).  Other modes include Strike and Challenge Modes, but I couldn’t unlock them because the game is so tough!  I guess that’s the one problem I had with this game was the high challenge level.  Definitely for Chime experts only.

The songs in the game are mostly techno electronic stuff.  Some are pretty catchy if you like that sort of thing.  There are 12 songs to unlock in all, which are pretty easy to unlock by just playing levels.   Aside from the high challenge, Chime Sharp is a worthy download if you enjoy puzzlers like Lumines, Tetris, or Loopz (anyone remember that one?).

Kid Factor:

Nothing violent or objectionable here.  Reading skill is helpful for the menus, but not necessary just to play.  Younger gamers might get frustrated at the high challenge, but there is always the more casual practice mode.  Chime Sharp is rated E for Everyone.

Tags: Game Reviews