"Chime Super Deluxe" Review (PS3/PSN)

Not only is Zoe Mode's "Chime Super Deluxe" and excellent puzzle game, but it's one of those rare titles that is very easy to pick up but also rewards you for learning new tricks and techniques. If I had to label the beautiful music game, I'd go for "core casual." You can play it for three minutes or three hours and still find tons of fun in "Chime Super Deluxe."If "Tertis" ran off with "Lumines" and had an ultra-hip baby, it's probably play "Super Chime Deluxe"... wait, well crud, I always get confused when it comes to the punchlines of fictional game relationships. Regardless, you get the point. "Chime Super Deluxe" is the upgraded version of a music puzzle game from Zoe Mode originally released on the PC through the One Big Game charity initiative.

"Chime Super Deluxe" differs from "Chime" in not only is the game no longer a charity project, but it's twice as big as the original, and the scoring/time bonus systems have been radically overhauled to make the game slightly more challenging, but also a lot more fun.

Like many puzzle games, "Chime Super Deluxe" has players fitting shapes together in an attempt to make 3x3 squares out of pieces deemed too evil to hang out in "Tetris." Once a player makes a block, they will receive a score multiplier, the blocks will be cleared from the board (though a shadow of where they were remains), time will be added to the clock, and most interestingly, the music will build. The goal is to fill the entire board with shadows of completed boxes.

Much like "Lumines," you hear the foundation of a song, then as you build blocks, more and more of the song is played. It's very satisfying and highly motivating to not only see your progress, but to hear it as well.

"Chime Super Deluxe's" soundtrack is enough reason to play in and of itself. The game features tracks by Sabrepulse, Moby, Orbital and the human beatboxer Shlomo, with his excellent "The Looping Song," made specifically for the game. Songs like Phillip Glass' "Brazil" show that "Chime Super Deluxe" is more than fun, it's smart.

Really, that's the selling point of the game. There are lots of puzzle games on the PlayStation network, but "Chime Super Deluxe" isn't just about matching skills, but there's deep strategy. You only need to use one stick and two buttons, but the whole time I played I kept experimenting with new strategies and techniques. Any game that rewards you for trying different play styles shows thought well beyond most puzzlers."Chime Super Deluxe" is easily the best version of the game to date and offers a host of welcome improvements to a game that was already quite good.

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