Chyma and the Toll of Time

I really enjoyed this game thoroughly, it feels like it was made with love. The game's mechanics are for the most part very smooth. I think the only gripe I have is the pathfinding on dust storms sometimes being a little janky to fuse and launch off of. Other than that, the game's mechanics are smooth and simple (at least on keyboard and mouse) WASD and 1234 are all that's needed. The in-game lore gives a short and interesting backstory that was pleasant to read. Only takes about an hour to beat but honestly feels perfect for a one-session playthrough. Leaves you wanting more levels and mechanics at the end of it. TL;DR Charming graphics, nice soundtrack, fun puzzles, easily worth a playthrough.

[h1] Y'know, when they showed me "ball" in the trailer, I could hardly believe my eyes. And then "fallen obelisk"?? I thought it was too good to be true. But I played, and wouldn't you know, the trailer really did tell the truth. [/h1] [hr][/hr] [b] OK, but being real for a sec, I've finally got around to playing this, start to credits! [/b] Before digging into this review, I think I should preface a couple things. First, I know several people who worked on this game personally and I know *a little* of the development process from what I've heard through the grapevine. Second, this game being a college project, means that I would not expect AAA levels of polish, so some things that are minor flaws/bugs I'm probably not gonna mention. [h2] Gameplay [/h2] So there's roughly a couple hours of gameplay if you're going through blind and getting stumped on one or two of the later levels. Which is pretty solid for FTP game, no complaints there. I think the difficulty of said levels are pretty polar, with the solutions either being incredibly obvious or not fully understanding the solution even if you get through the level. It's not easy to design a puzzle game like this I'd imagine though, so kudos for being able to design that many levels. My main critiques with gameplay though are the following: [olist] [*] NPC AIs, such as the hostile enemies and the sandstorms play essential roles in some levels. However, they way they behave can be erratic or unpredictable, and when you're trying to figure out a solution to the puzzle at hand that's frustrating. Things like the sandstorms need to have more set in stone patterns so you're not trying to force these two non-controllable entities to merge. And hostile enemies either do not function, getting stuck on terrain, or they lock you into corners and because they lock on so hard to Chyma (looking at you weird snake dudes) they'll take you out easy. Forcing you to redo any earlier part of the level. [*] That brings me to my second point, which is that redoing setup for earlier parts of certain puzzles can be rough. It's mainly due to the main record/replay function. There are a number of times where you only need to record one action, like reversing sandfall in order to get back up on a platform to retry a platforming section, and you have to wait the [i] entire [/i] duration of the recording period and the playback before being able to overwrite it. That feels tedious after doing a couple times. [*] The D-pad abilities, which allow you to use certain bells on command, don't feel super great. You can't switch from one to another without either moving Chyma or hitting the input for the active ability, which I think it would feel better if you could just press the D-pad and have any previously active ability auto-cancelled when a new one is active. It's also not explained, at least from what I can remember, that you can record/playback your D-pad abilities. So when I expected them to be active for a duration or indefinitely, I thought that the abilities were bugged. [/olist] [h2] Story [/h2] I'm gonna be so real... I didn't bother reading half the lore things. Why might that be, you ask? Generally, I'm a sucker for good story in games. And the best way you can do that is the same with most mediums: [i] show, don't tell [/i]. I'll use Monument Valley as an example here: the text in the Monument Valley games are pretty sparse, only being used at select points in a level and maybe only a couple short sentences max. The rest of the world building is done with the environment and how the protagonist interacts with it. It allows for the players to draw connections themselves while still guiding them through integral story beats. Never overexplains itself. In Chyma and the Toll of Time however, there are massive text blocks almost right out the gate. It doesn't really relate back to Chyma personally or any character we would know, as far as I know. The accompanying images aren't the most clear usually, and what it usually results in is an information overload. And then I just skip through it. So my advice for the folks in charge of that bit: be very selective about the information being communicated. What are the main story beats you want to hit, that are really important for Chyma as a character or the world? [h2] Conclusion [/h2] This is a strong start for the folks who made the game. The art, especially character designs, are great and the puzzles are solid. I hope my pals who had a hand in development continue to develop their skills, and wish them the best of luck!

This is a really fun cozy game to just sit back and enjoy for an hour. The puzzles scale really well as you learn each step, the dynamic music is really fun and immersive, and overall for a free student game really impressive. Definitely a great game to check out if you want a fun 1-2 hour adventure

The Prophet Maze level is difficult. Hear me out, Sand Storm Studio. Your work is one of the op tiers in gameplay and world building for a puzzle game. There are intricate level designs that has a leveraging and progressive challenge that makes me grab a manual after that "Prophet Maze" level. The walkthrough is a bit helpful with line by line instruction and it is understandable, but to any age group could be a challenge. So might as well record the level just like how you let players record their bell character - that would add fun or you could let players earn hints after winning some levels maybe that would be a hint coming from an ancient bell's help. Indeed, the play and record with reverb mechanics makes this game whimsical and it stretches the idea of what puzzle could be if Portal has an ancient story to tell. The introduction could have started about the aftermath of the meteor that strikes - that way, the story would have a bit of a heavy feeling. The character could have been better with inferior gesture or showing that he is in doubt but could face the adversary ahead. This game is not heavy on text but it is mind-buggling at times that sometimes you would sip a cup of coffee and think about how a chicken would cross the road without dying from that electrical wire. Overall, the vision for a student game is promising and looking what you got in the table soon maybe adding level design editor by players themselves or having fun as a bell and playing music in the lobby would make a day a little better other than just puzzle and story. Technically, zooming in could make some areas visible, just my take on this. Again, the level designs and game mechanics captured the heart of Chyma and the Toll of Time.

What a blast of a game! The mechanics are incredibly unique, yet intuitive! Whilst short, it feels well paced and provides some challenging puzzles! Super excited to see what speed running potential this has as well!

Absolute Chyma, I'd call it fire but it's cold at the peak

Super cool game!!! There are some questionable things like having super lacking keyboard support, no voice acting or motive to do the storybuilding, a lot of buggy stuff; but the art and music are incredible and it is quite fun to play. There are definetly a lot of cheesable mechanics and puzzles, but overall super cool.