Chu Chu Rocket

You’d be forgiven for thinking Chu Chu Rocket’s a game that involves a train but actually it’s a race to save a bunch of space mice from a lot of space cats.

There are two types of game that you can play with this title, puzzle and challenge. The basics of the puzzle game remain the same throughout the entire game, you have at least one mouse (but can be dozens at a time). The start of the game sees every Chu Chu (mouse) and Kapu Kapu (cat) frozen in position. You can either place your arrow/signpost whilst they’re frozen and then start the game or place these markers down in active play (when the mice and cat’s are moving). In either case you must assess the level, see where obstacles are, try to figure out the route the mouse or mice will take and see where you should place a signpost which will change the direction of the mouse and eventually lead them safely to their space ship.

The rules are simple, as your mouse hits a wall or border it will turn 90 degrees (clockwise) and head in a new direction. By doing this, you can calculate the logical route that it will take throughout the various level mazes and try to get your mouse to safety without being caught by the cat(s). There are a total of 50 levels to try and master, half are easy the other half is nearly impossibly hard.

Controls are simple, you choose the square you wish to signpost and use the d-pad or number pad to signify the direction you wish for it to point in. You only have a limited number available at any one time and they are in a set direction – so use them wisely.

In challenge mode, you get to play games like saving the mice to even helping them feed the cats! In actuality, this mode is often very tricky to do well as the controls, although are simple, are somewhat cumbersome and awkward to use in active play, and as some games are purely for playing live, you’ll find it difficult to get a half decent score, regardless of how many times you play.

All in all though, this game has two distinct modes of play which offer suitably enjoyable and challenging puzzles and action games to play. Only hampered by the screen saving function (which can kick in on your phone whilst playing) due to the time spent watching your mouse or mice navigating their way round the course.

The graphics are a bit of a let down; particularly as some of the team behind some of the Sonic games were behind the making of this game. The chequer board tiling is clear but rather dull and animation of the mice and cats are rather poor too. It’s very frustrating when playing a level which is nearly impossible to solve, and does make you wish that you could get some help by nudging the AI to give you a clue from time to time. However, that’d be cheating and in many ways I’m glad you have no way to circumvent the level and move onto the next until you’ve solved the level.

Overall then, if you like your puzzles and never got to play this game on the Dreamcast, then you can get to play the game in the comfort of your handheld phone. Equally, if you have played this game before (if so, why are you reading this?), you should be downloading this game now!

Rating 82%

Positives

Hours of frustrating puzzle solving fun

Even more hour’s worth of challenges to get stuck into

Unlimited attempts at clearing a level

Negatives

Frustrating game at times, with no shortcuts to leap to the next level

Poor graphics

Awkward controls when playing live

Lack of any music whilst playing