For me, the iPhone is the perfect gadget for quick puzzle games — ones you can start, play while standing in line for tickets or while sitting in a theater waiting for a movie to start, and turn off without worry of getting back to a save point.
A puzzle game that has recently caught my attention is Chimes. The player has five colored dots that emit a colored sound wave when tapped. The sound wave will knock out free-floating balls of the same color. The objective depends on the type of game selected. However, the main goal is to knock out the moving spheres, some of which are layered with rings of color. For these, you must knock out each layer until all the colors are gone. One challenging aspect is that hitting the wrong chime could add a layer of color to the floating spheres.
What I like most about Chimes is it is a lot deeper than it looks. At first glance, you could just try and clear the stages so that you can progress. However, there is a higher level of sophistication. If a level has 50 spheres of various types, you could send 50 sound waves to clear them, or you could wait for the optimal moment and send out a wave, taking out multiple spheres at once. This type of play is the basis for the Puzzle Mode, in which you are given a target number of waves to send to clear the board.
For me, the Puzzle Mode was the most enjoyable. However, my wife decided she preferred the Forever Mode. She just kept playing and playing, clearing spheres as best she could. She actually played for more than 40 minutes in one session.
Chimes is an addictive and fun game to play. The music is interesting, and hitting the chimes and adding to the music playing in the background was nice. The graphics in the game are nothing more than colorful spheres, which at first seem overly simple. However, here is my take on them: The game is less about flash and more about pattern coordination. If the graphics were enhanced too much, it could detract from the gameplay.
All in all, SRRN Games did a great job creating a fun, addictive puzzler, and it is well worth checking out. If you are into beat games or music games, Chimes is certainly one to pick up. Personally, I look forward to where SRRN Games is going next.
To purchase Chimes, go to the iTunes page.
