Spigot
01-10-2010, 06:30 AM
Every so often a small game comes out of nowhere and catches you by surprise. It's even better when that game is cheaper than a cup of coffee and lasts a lot longer.
Chains
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4037/4261688259_595185ce4c_o.gif
Year: 2008
Platform: PC
Rating: Infuriatingly Addictive
# of Players: 1
Chains is an indie puzzle game that seems simple at first but reveals its true colours once you've dug a little deeper.
At first Chains comes off like yet another one of the Match 3 style puzzle games that are so popular these days. The basic mechanic of the game is to match 3 or more of the same colour of bubble by linking them together with a chain. When you do this, they disappear and more bubbles fall in (usually).
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4032/4262442340_2a73ea299a.jpg
What makes Chains stand out from the crowd is a combination of brilliant lo-fi aesthetics, bubble physics and a wild variety of puzzle types that shows how versatile such a simple gameplay mechanic can be when you apply a little bit of imagination.
The simple 2D graphics with eye-popping contrasting colours, simple geometric shapes and strange floral patterns will be the first things to grab your attention when you fire up the game. This is married to a brilliant ambient score that worms its way into your brain, esp. on the more maddening levels.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2747/4261688299_70628cc5fe.jpg
You'll have to clear a board of a set number of bubbles in one level, keep a river of bubbles flowing without getting clogged on another and balance a teeter-totter while trying to clear 300 bubbles and not let a set amount fall into the ether on another level. Some levels have a timer that will count down while you try not to violate a particular rule of that level. Others task you with linking an enormous number of bubbles in one continuous chain, which can be tricky when they're jostling around in the gravity well in the middle of the screen. You never know what is going to be thrown at you from one level to the next, which really keeps things from growing stale.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4039/4262442286_dbf535d8fd.jpg
There are twenty levels in Chains. Depending on how good you are, you might be able to clear them all in a few hours of play or, like me, you'll get stuck on a particular level for days before finally having a lucky streak and blasting free. You can also replay levels you've finished and try to beat your best time or break a record for the longest chain on a level.
mWCunRoZM2w
Chains is available from the developer's site (http://www.2dengine.com/chains/) (complete with a demo) for $6.25, on Steam (http://store.steampowered.com/app/11360/) for $4.99 or Impulse (http://www.impulsedriven.com/chains) for $7.99.
Chains
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4037/4261688259_595185ce4c_o.gif
Year: 2008
Platform: PC
Rating: Infuriatingly Addictive
# of Players: 1
Chains is an indie puzzle game that seems simple at first but reveals its true colours once you've dug a little deeper.
At first Chains comes off like yet another one of the Match 3 style puzzle games that are so popular these days. The basic mechanic of the game is to match 3 or more of the same colour of bubble by linking them together with a chain. When you do this, they disappear and more bubbles fall in (usually).
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4032/4262442340_2a73ea299a.jpg
What makes Chains stand out from the crowd is a combination of brilliant lo-fi aesthetics, bubble physics and a wild variety of puzzle types that shows how versatile such a simple gameplay mechanic can be when you apply a little bit of imagination.
The simple 2D graphics with eye-popping contrasting colours, simple geometric shapes and strange floral patterns will be the first things to grab your attention when you fire up the game. This is married to a brilliant ambient score that worms its way into your brain, esp. on the more maddening levels.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2747/4261688299_70628cc5fe.jpg
You'll have to clear a board of a set number of bubbles in one level, keep a river of bubbles flowing without getting clogged on another and balance a teeter-totter while trying to clear 300 bubbles and not let a set amount fall into the ether on another level. Some levels have a timer that will count down while you try not to violate a particular rule of that level. Others task you with linking an enormous number of bubbles in one continuous chain, which can be tricky when they're jostling around in the gravity well in the middle of the screen. You never know what is going to be thrown at you from one level to the next, which really keeps things from growing stale.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4039/4262442286_dbf535d8fd.jpg
There are twenty levels in Chains. Depending on how good you are, you might be able to clear them all in a few hours of play or, like me, you'll get stuck on a particular level for days before finally having a lucky streak and blasting free. You can also replay levels you've finished and try to beat your best time or break a record for the longest chain on a level.
mWCunRoZM2w
Chains is available from the developer's site (http://www.2dengine.com/chains/) (complete with a demo) for $6.25, on Steam (http://store.steampowered.com/app/11360/) for $4.99 or Impulse (http://www.impulsedriven.com/chains) for $7.99.