ChromaGun

I love a good puzzle game, but this just isn't it. The idea is really cool, and the core mechanic has a lot of fun things that could be done with it. Unfortunately almost every puzzle is not an actual in-depth exploration of the mechanic, but is a series of pass/fail knowledge checks where you are going to fail the puzzles the first time you see them because you lack critical information. Essentially all the puzzles boil down to are moving the little balls around using the gun, but most levels will either obscure the path the ball needs to take, or which colors the ball will be, and since you can't remove paint, you end up softlocking because you didn't know you needed to save the 1 red ball in a level to make an orange one.

[b]My Playtime:[/b] 3.2h (100% achievement, finished the game) [b]Grindy Achievement(s):[/b] Yes (1 achievement that takes 0.1h). [b]Optional Achievement(s):[/b] Yes (9 achievements). [b]Difficult Achievement(s):[/b] No. [h1]Intro[/h1] [i]ChromaGun[/i] is a 3D puzzle game where you are armed with a gun that can shoot colored paint. The main mechanic relies on moving WorkerDroids around by shooting walls with the same color as the droid to pull them in. It has 57 levels in total, spread over 8 chapters. [b]Pros:[/b] - 57 levels with a new mechanic in each chapter - Most levels are easy to figure out [b]Cons:[/b] -Some levels are timed [b]Specs[/b] AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, 16GB RAM, AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT [h1]Should you buy this game?[/h1] [i]If you enjoy 3D puzzle games like [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/400/Portal/]Portal[/url], buy it on a sale.[/i] [hr][/hr] [h1]In-Depth Review[/h1] [h3]The Game[/h3] Playing [i]ChromaGun[/i] feels like playing [i][url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/400/Portal/]Portal[/url][/i]; it starts off with you signing up for a testing program with a narrator accompanying you. You get a gun, but instead of making portals, the gun shoots colored paint, which will pull WorkerDroids if their color matches the color of the wall. You can paint either the WorkerDroid or the wall, provided that it's not covered by a certain armor. The game uses the RYB color wheel in its gameplay. You need to know what a color will become if you place another color on top of it. The game might give you this information randomly, but it'll be better to have it memorized during the playthrough. Some levels can be timed and require speed to solve, which will be impossible to finish if you don't know about the color wheel already. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3676149765 There are 8 chapters in total, separated into 7+ levels each, totaling to 57 levels. The first three chapters are easy to finish, although the difficulty will increase as you play. It's never got to the point where it's impossible to solve, but I did get stuck on some levels a few times. That being said, I still find it to be at the right difficulty for me. You don't need to think too hard or think out of the box to solve them, but they aren't exactly easy either. Some levels are timed. Although there are only a small number of these levels, I hate it when the game forces you to finish a level in a limited time. I prefer to solve the puzzles at my own pace, and having a timed puzzle like this just means that I have to die several times until I remember everything that I need to do. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3646519861 The game tries to keep the levels fresh by introducing new mechanics, although they still feel the same after a while. However, I hated the last chapter's mechanic. It requires you to use the gun's ricochet to paint somewhere else. The thing is, it's hard to aim in the direction that you want, and it can be hard to see which wall was colored, especially when the view is obstructed by a wall. [b]Length and Difficulty[/b] I finished the game in 3.1h. During that time, I got all but one grindy achievement, which I obtained after 0.1h of grinding. The game's difficulty is at the right difficulty for me. You don't need to think too hard to solve most of them, especially since they are quite easy to figure out. [h1]Conclusion[/h1] The [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/400/Portal/][i]Portal[/i][/url] influence feels strong in [i]ChromaGun[/i]. However, it still tries to separate itself from [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/400/Portal/][i]Portal[/i][/url] while still trying to give the same feeling. The puzzles are not hard, but there are plenty of them to keep your mind occupied. However, since the game is very short, I'd rather recommend buying it on sale.