Chime Review

Ooh baby, indeed!

It’s not often that you run across a video game that’s both fun to play and something that actually serves a purpose.  But that’s what OneBigGame’s Chime does on Xbox Live.  Not only is it a classy puzzle game in its own right, but a huge portion of the game’s sales are actually being donated to charity

The gameplay combines elements of Alexei Pajitnov’s Tetris and Q Entertainment’s Lumines together into a very interesting format.  You’re given a grid with a number of squares on it, and it’s up to you to put multiple shaped pieces together into square-shaped Quads.  Once you activate these Quads, they fill up and evaporate once a passing bar touches them from overhead.  Residue is left in their wake, taking up “coverage” on the board.  Oh, and while all this is happening, you’re actually creating music.  These puzzle pieces have tones, and, put together, they form songs by such DJ artists as Philip Glass and Moby.

We’ve included a “how to” video below to explain the gameplay better, because, to be honest, not all of you will “get it”.  There may be mild confusion figuring out both the Quads and the shadows left in their wake.  However, after a few minutes in, it clicked and we really got the hang of it.  If you’re don’t make progress in the game’s Timed Mode, you can go at your own pace in Free Mode, placing puzzle pieces without sweating a ticking clock.

Besides these two modes, Chime also supports online leaderboards, so you can check how you’re doing against Friends and other players.  Sadly, that’s the extent of the game’s multiplayer component.  You can’t take on friends directly in the same grid, nor work together in co-op.  Perhaps OneBigGame can offer an add-on component sometime in the future.

Graphically, the game consists of neon-colored grids, systematically organized menus, and little else.  Really, though, that’s all Chime really needs.  The game is very comfortable on the eyes, and it’s a cinch keeping an eye on where your pieces are going. Where this game really shines, however, is music.  Several tracks are available here, including “For Silence” by Paul Hartnoll (of Orbital) and Philip Glass’ awesome symphonic “Brazil”, which picks up with each passing of the bar.  The only downside is the shortage of overall tunes.  What’s here is terrific, but why not go with a fully expansive soundtrack?  Or, better yet, letting us add our own?  Again, there’s open potential here for extra downloadable content.

It’d be one thing for OneBigGame to offer a merely average game for charity and say, “Even if you don’t like the game, you gave to a worthy cause.”  It’s entirely another, however, to offer something that’s not only worth the five-dollar cost, but is equally noteworthy when it comes to helping others out.  You owe it to yourself and these charities to pick up Chime.  It’ll warm your heart while keeping your thumbs busy.  And how many games can really do that?