[b]Estimated reading time:[/b] 3 minutes
[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/911640/ChromaSquares/]ChromaSquares[/url] is one of those games that are very easy to learn, but hard to master, meaning that one needs quite some time to intuitively start developing winning strategies. This made the gameplay very interesting for me and quite addictive. It’s a game with very simple ground rules, but at the same time one that is learned by actively playing: the more time you spend playing, the more you discover all sorts of tricks to increase your winning chances.
Each game starts with an almost empty board, apart from a few colored squares. From each of the four sides, you can launch new squares that will stop when they hit an already existing square on the grid. The objective is to make groups of at least 3 adjacent blocks of the same color, in order to eliminate them. Pretty trivial, if only you knew the color of the next square. And here’s the real twist of the game: you don’t. You only know that the next square will not have the same color as the last one (which is displayed on the screen) - this is actually the only rule of the game. Based on this, you can deduct what possible colors the next square can have and even narrow it down to one or two most probable options, if you take into consideration not only the color of the last square, but also a few more before it. Eliminating one group of blocks also makes the surrounding blocks move in the direction that they were initially launched, clearing the board further.
When all the blocks are eliminated for the grid, you can advance towards the next level. The difficulty increases by the configuration of the randomly placed blocks at the start of each level: the more you advance, the more blocks you have in the beginning of the level, making it harder to completely eliminate one color.
Since one gameplay can become pretty lengthy, there is a save feature. Upon restarting, you can choose between continuing your existing game and starting anew, from level 1. The settings menu also allows customization of the board size and number of colors (between 4 to 6), together with a color-blind scheme. Playing with 6 colors (or even 5) was very demanding for me, since it’s much more difficult to keep track of the previous blocks and thus calculate the color probability of the next square.
The game features some extremely challenging achievements, therefore be warned in advance that it will be nearly impossible to obtain 100% completion.
The solid gameplay and the pleasant minimalist interface made the time I spent in-game be very enjoyable. However, it’s a game you mostly play inside your mind (the developer’s name “Racing Thought Studios” seems very fitting in that regard), calculating your next moves, probabilities and… least but not last, hoping for some luck. One lucky square can clear almost the whole board, but at the same time a misplaced one has the potential of ruining your strategically arranged formation.
As it is, the game is a complete product. At the same time, it leaves some space for further development. For example, one could have power-ups that charge over time as the blocks are eliminated or even one-time bonuses when chaining several matches. Being able to restart a level would also help choosing an easier initial configuration. Another very useful addition would be to be able to customize the number of past blocks visible in the history (currently, only the color of last block is displayed).
[quote]More reviews on the [url=http://store.steampowered.com/curator/11354094]Lilly's Corner Curator page[/url][/quote]
