Chime Super Deluxe

Tetris is a game that’s been around for many years, it’s so old that many gamers today are actually younger than the system it was first released on! It’s been re-released a number of times over the years with minimal changes, after all; how can something next to perfect, be perfected. It would seem though, that the people over at Zoë Mode have thought about and then used as an inspiration for their latest PlayStation Network game, Super Chime Deluxe.

To say that Super Chime Deluxe is a rip from Tetris would be doing the game an injustice, as it’s a completely different game. Yet, it’s impossible to look at the game without immediately thinking of Tetris, because the game uses blocks that need to be linked together before they’ll disappear. That’s where the similarities end.

The premise of Super Chime Deluxe is somewhat simple. The player is presented with a grid, a number of shapes, both in various sizes and combinations and the entire grid must be covered with the shapes inside of the time-limit. Fortunately it’s not a case of trying to fit shapes into the grid like a puzzle, if the gamer can make the shapes form a 3 x 3 block, it will disappear and the background colour on the grid will change. The change in colour represents that part of the grid has been completed. Once the grid has been changed colour 100%, a new grid will load and the process starts again.

Each level has an almost unlimited number of grids and each of the levels designs vary quite dramatically, as the music for each level is completely different. Music is a key element to the game and there are various different established artists’ tracks that contribute to the game. There are some well known songs are sampled and adjusted to make them fit for purpose, even artists like Moby have allowed their tracks to be used. Of course, the songs themselves may be familiar to some but due to the changes of the tracks, they are now significantly different. At the start of most levels the music is fairly relaxing and at the end of the levels they are very good as well; however, part way through the grid, some of the levels’ music can be somewhat grating due to the repetitious nature of the cycle.

In the first instance, there is little but background music of the song, with few notes or delicacies to indicate that it’s a true song. As the player adds shapes to the grid, the music starts to change and when a block has been completed, the music changes again. This is achieved by a tracking bar that scans the grid continuously and the music changes as the grid hovers over it. By the end of the grid the player can hear what the music for the game truly sounds like and with each level being different, from classic dance to beat-boxing there’s a plethora of music to listen to.

Although Super Chime Deluxe can take a little time to get used to, the game itself is incredibly enjoyable. This enjoyment is only increased as we go into the multiplayer mode. There is a co-op mode and a challenge mode, where up to four players can battle or help each other complete the grid. Unfortunately if you’re playing in the co-op mode, if a level is completed the points are saved, but it’s a good way to try and get some of those unachievable trophies. The challenge mode is exactly the same as the regular mode of play, except each player needs to get as many blocks as they can and own the majority of the grid and they can steal other player’s blocks from them as well. In the challenge mode the colours used can sometimes conflict with the background on the grid and make it hard to understand what needs to be completed and how far along in the game you are.

The actual gameplay itself is very basic and easy to understand, it might take a few turns before you fully understand the game and what to do. Even with the very good instructions and basic tutorial it can still take a while before it all sinks in. Chime also has a good number of Trophies to collect, great interface and just plays and it plays for hours.

Final Verdict
9/10

Chime Super Deluxe is an amazing game, with tons of music, great gameplay and a brilliant multiplayer option Chime is a must for all PlayStation 3 owners. It’s just a real shame for other console owners that they can’t experience this great title.