Chip’s Challenge is back!
If you’re somewhere in your mid-20’s or older your probably know Chips Challenge. If you were in diapers or still two separate cells in the 90’s, let me catch you up. Chip’s Challenge is a top-down tile based puzzle game. You take the role of Chip, a high school nerd trying to meet up with the beautiful and dorky Melinda. Chip has to navigate Melinda’s clubhouse, a series of puzzle rooms, to be admitted into the Bit Buster Club.
The looks haven’t aged well, but Chip’s Challenge holds up as a solid puzzle game. Today marks the launch of the long awaited Chip’s Challenge 2! This sequel was caught up in legal limbo for quite a while. Back in 1992, game creator Chuck Sommerville finished Chip’s Challenge 2, but was unable to release it because the “Chips Challenge” trademark had been sold. After years a wrangling, the trademark has come home, and Sommerville’s sequel is live and for for sale.
Chip’s Challenge 2 retains the old style of graphics and even the same jaunty midi music. It deviates in it’s level design. The game kicks off with a long tutorial and oddly sprawling levels, where the original was very tight and concise in its design. It does, however, offer an expansive level editor. It will be interesting to see what wild levels the community comes up with and how they will be surfaced for others to play.
As it stands, Chips Challenge 1 and 2 are both sitting at “Positive” on the Steam review aggregate. The original game is going for $1.99 and Chip’s Challenge 2 retails for $4.99. Early reviews on the sequel’s page are saying that the game starts fairly weak, but eventually picks up momentum. Why not check both of these old games out? They’re super cheap and they’re a part of game history. Educate yourself!