Chime Sharp is the sequel to a 2009 charity game called Chime. It was a musical puzzler that featured 5 songs, featuring Moby, Phillip Glass, Markus Shultz, and Paul Hartnoll from Orbital. The sequel features song from nobody you’ve ever heard of. This makes sense because Sharp was funded via Kickstarter and the original Chime songs were given pro bono because it was a charity game. Fortunately for us, the game play is, ahem, sharp and fun to play. So its worth picking up anyway.
In Chime Sharp you are placing shapes on a grid to make at least 3×3 Quads that can expanded by placing pieces along one side. Pieces of the shape not in the quad are left behind as fragments. The songs progress the more coverage you get. In standard mode, you have a time limit. Thirty seconds are given to you by crossing lines on the meter. New songs are unlocked at 40%(up until the full sixteen tracks). Sharp Mode is unlocked at 60%. Challenge mode is unlocked at 100%. In sharp mode, the goal is to cover the board making perfect quads, leaving no fragments behind. You have ten lives and lose one for every fragment left behind. Lives are given for “perfect quads.”(no fragments) At 60%, strike mode is unlocked, but I never unlocked it in my play through of Chime Sharp, now or back in 2019 when I originally procured it.
The problem with Chime Sharp is the music. Nothing memorable for me except for Psychonaut by Chipzel. Unfortunately, that is nowhere to be found elsewhere. But aside for that, this is a very good musical puzzle game that should be enjoyed. I’m serious. As an aside, There was a possible third game, Chime Fat, but it failed to meet its Kickstarter goal, so it will never see the light of day. Maybe if they had gotten music people had heard of, the series might have continued on. Instead, all we have is Chime Sharp(Chime is long gone). Oh well, they got what they could for the money they had. At least the game play makes up for it.
Overall: Despite the no-name music, Chime Sharp is a good musical puzzle that should be enjoyed.
Verdict: Recommended
| Platform | Nintendo Switch |
| Release Date | 5/28/19 |
| Cost | $9.99 |
| Publisher | Chilled Mouse |
| ESRB Rating | E |
P.S. For another Decent musical puzzle game with no-name music try Ektase.
