Chime Super Deluxe

Posted 2 years ago By - Michelle Gonzales

At first glance, Chime looked like it could be a knockoff of Tetris. However, it proved to be much more than that when it was released last year. Now, Developer Zoe Mode has taken that same formula and expanded upon it for Chime Super Deluxe.

Players will rotate and combine irregular shapes on a set board while also creating a unique music remix depending on their placement. The goal is to put together “quads” of blocks in an attempt to cover the game board completely within a set time limit. Obtaining fifty percent coverage on the current board unlocks a subsequent one and for this version, the number of available boards are double from previous iterations (a total of ten).

Zoe Mode also upgraded the visuals with blocks that are more luminous, making the game look crisper overall. Despite that, the main hook is still in its audio presentation. A basic track loops in the background and depending on how the player covers the board, they modify the soundtrack. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of joy and anticipation with each pass of the timeline to hear how I affected the track. That is exactly where the Chime games succeed best.

Unlocking all of the boards is fairly easy and the difficultly increases at a steady rate, which is an improvement over its predecessor. Each board features a unique layout and the puzzle piece bank changes sometimes, so there is variety between the tracks. Like all puzzle games, the challenge comes from climbing to the top of the leaderboards, so the replay value boils down to how much you want to be on top.

Variety is key and there are three time variants per board as well as a Free Mode (no time limit) that allows for a more leisurely pace. While Chime was a solo affair, Chime Super Deluxe comes with a couple of multiplayer modes for up to four players. Both co-op and versus modes are local multiplayer only, which is somewhat disappointing, but they are fun nonetheless. The modes are similar to the single player, but I enjoyed the team aspect and versus matches proved to be a bit more thrilling by having an opponent. Multiplayer is fun if you have the extra controllers, but there are plenty of good times to be had even if you are a lone wolf.

Conclusion

Chime Super Deluxe offers enough variety and improvements over Chime to easily recommend it to puzzle fans; especially to those who missed out on the XBLA release. The improved visuals, gameplay tweaks, additional modes, and increased amount of tracks make this the best version of the game yet. Even owners of the original Chime should find enough here to justify the purchase.