Anyone play/played Chip's Challenge?

[Rose_et_Reine]

Click on the image for full size.​

Hey there!

I can't help but wonder if there are other people out there who either played this game, or, as I am currently doing, playing the emulator, Tile World. I play levelsets created by others.

For those of you that may or may not remember, Chip's Challenge was a puzzle game, where you play as Chip, going through many rooms in order to be able to get into Melinda's club called, The Bit Busters.

You needed to find a certain number of chips sometimes, in order to pass through to the next level. Sometimes you had to use blocks, keys, even enemies, to be able to complete the level.

I remember playing the game on Win 95 that came with the Microsoft Entertainment Pack. I really enjoyed the music for the game, and playing the game itself was fun. It could get really frustrating at times, however.

I would always call Chip, Simon, since I thought that was his name. He looked so sweet and nice.

I'm so glad that I remembered what this game was called, when I wanted to play it again. Glad to be playing many level sets at a time.

Anyone remember this game? What are your thoughts?

 

[Misty]

I played a lot of this game back in the day, when it was part of the Best of Windows Entertainment Pack (BOWEP). Shame it doesn't run on modern computers.

 

[winstein]

I am one of those people who played Chip's Challenge when I was younger, as part of the Microsoft Entertainment Pack 4. It's too bad that now Windows don't include any games into their systems, especially those that are not part of the standard lineup (Solitaire, Minesweeper, etc.). I think the best part of Chip's Challenge is how colourful it is, with all these different elements interacting together and making it a challenge to complete the levels. I remembered being distressed when Chip's Challenge is not found when the computer was upgraded to Windows 95. When it was added back in with a diskette to install Best of Entertainment Pack, all is well again.

I have fond memories with Chip's Challenge, and I would imagine making levels before there was a level editor. When somebody (on the internet) mentioned how Chip's Challenge is a game that inspires level editors, I find that to be true because its tile-based approach makes it look easy to make a level out of it.

Much like any sprite-based games in the old days, character designs are thought to be how they actually look like, despite the official art being different. I am referring to things like how people still think Pac-man is a yellow ball instead of a yellow head with arms and legs. In Chip's Challenge's case, the Windows version makes Chip look rather ordinary, and doesn't truly depict his official art traits like his glasses and hairstyle. This is the reason I thought it was funny when the ending of the Windows version depicted him as being more of a grown-up than something more plain and child-like.

Many years ago, I would play this game again, and I thought it's still as exciting as it was because I felt that being smarter allowed me to tackle the challenges I thought was harder, and it felt more rewarding as a result. Even levels where I couldn't solved before was more manageable, such as Knots (the level where you have to collect many chips, but are given a very strict time limit to do so) and Cake Walk (with enough patience).

When I found out about how Chip's Challenge has two different versions, I was curious to try it out with Tile World because the Lynx version sound intriguing. I would say that the Lynx version certain felt different, as its approach to movement makes the game feel different. Even certain behaviours work different, such as how fire acts as walls for most monsters, not just bugs. I got to try out the Level Pack 2 and Level Pack 3, but sometimes I had to resort to online help because some of those levels are difficult to figure out.

I felt that it is a loss that this game's sequel (called Chip's Challenge 2, appropriately) didn't make it into the light of day, even though it's apparently completed. It would have added new elements such as changing characters (between Chip and Melinda), platforms that disappear when you leave it, ice blocks (turns fire to water, and water to ice) and a few new enemies like ghosts (goes through walls). Here's a video about how it plays.

At a time when Chuck Sommerville (creator of Chip's Challenge) was trying to revive Chip's Challenge years earlier, I was hoping that he could do it, yet at the same time, sceptical about whether that is possible. As it turns out, it actually was a promised fulfilled because he made Chuck's Challenge, and following that, Chuck's Challenge 3D.

Recently, I got to play Chuck's Challenge 3D. So far, I think it's got most of the elements that Chip's Challenge is known for, just with different familiar elements with a few new ones added in, such as coloured toggle doors, ice blocks, platforms that become water when you leave it and a monster that you can control. In fact, some of the new elements introduced in this game are taken from Chip's Challenge 2! I always felt that the game is on the sensitive-side when it comes to controlling the character, and the levels felt smaller so far. To be fair, I haven't reached the later levels, so I can't say if this game is really just smaller in comparison. I do like that there are conveniences like rewinding, but for the sake of getting a Gold, I might as well restart the level than to retry till I solve it.

I guess my post is pretty long, but my familiarity with this subject prompted me to talk about this passionately.

Thanks for reading.

 

[Almonds]

I LOVED playing this when I was, like, 6 or so. The internet wasn't as widespread back then so there was nothing much to do as a kid other than play those preinstalled games. Chip's Challenge was one of them. I never got past level 8 or 9 though - it's where you're standing right outside the Wall but there's a monster that keeps following you on the inside so you have to really time the moment you break in otherwise its game over. I only thought of it as some puzzle game, but I learned years later that there's a story behind Chip and his girlfriend XD I wish I could play this again

 

[glow]

This and Sim Copter were my first pc games. It's a bummer that neither work on windows 7.