Last week was one of those weeks where there didn’t ever seem to be enough time for everything. Come Friday evening I needed a temporary escape. Chime had just been released on XBLA. It seemed the perfect excuse so I turned on the Xbox360 and it must have been fate, as sitting in my account was exactly the 400 points needed to purchase it. I had played a demo a few months before so I had a rough idea what to expect. Examining the menu screen, I was faced with the only option of the timed stages, free play mode was locked, so I hit A and the first block appeared on screen.

Now, I love Tetris as much as the next person. I grew up with it, but it’s not a game I instantly think of playing when I want a quick play fix. The blocks reach the bottom of the screen and you had limited control of where they can go. Chime has solved this problem. Not only can you rotate the blocks, you can place them where you like, as long as there is spare space on the grid. I love the freedom of placing that first block, knowing that it could set the pace for the rest of the game, or turn into a mistake and force repositioning the next blocks further away in the hope new blocks will come in other sequences to solve the problem. More blocks appear and the momentum of the game increases, with the soundtrack to the level growing with each block placement and the expanding quads I’m now forming out of the joined up block pieces. It’s this combination of events that keeps me coming back for more. I actually enjoy the timed element. The 3, 6 or 9 minutes can grow as coverage bonus’ reward you and extra seconds are added to the clock. 3 minute games can turn into 2 hour gaming sessions, as the desire to press A and continue with the next level takes over in an attempt to beat previous level coverage and/or highscores.

The game itself is perfect escapism. For the moments the blocks are appearing, that is all I care about. Nothing else matters, but I would question whether I’m in a ‘state of flow’[1]. Although I’m never bored or anxious, I am aware of my fingers moving across the xbox controller, pressing buttons to rotate the blocks, position the blocks and place the blocks. I’m aware of my brain processing the information, and my eyes quickly scanning the screen trying to find the next best position to create another quad. I think it is the combination of sensory information that keeps me playing. It’s like a strange sensory addiction that draws you back wanting more.

Chime has also, for me anyway, removed the title of being a ‘casual gamer’ by playing a puzzle game. Whereas flirtations with Tetris may see me playing for an hour or so (if that), then turning it off, Chime continues to entertain me. Opening up new sound combinations, beating my highscore and finding new block configurations keep me playing again and again. Even though I’ve unlocked all the timed levels, there is still enough to keep playing. There is nothing casual about this, it requires as much dedication as playing a platform game or an RPG, but maybe that’s the beauty of it. For me it’s become a new challenge amongst my pile of games, but for others it may just take the edge off a hard day, and a quick play in amongst life’s other challenges. It appeals to both ends of the spectrum, not defining the gamer, but creating new experiences for different types of players.

So I think it’s for all of these reasons (and maybe more to come) that I <3 Chime.

To find out more about Chime go here: http://www.chimegame.com/

[1] Csikzentmihayli, M., (1992) Flow. London, Rider