Cham Cham Review
Help Cham Cham, a rambunctious chameleon, to catch insects and fruit, using ricochets, explosions, and more!
Help Cham Cham, a rambunctious chameleon, to catch insects and fruit, using ricochets, explosions, and more!
I don’t know about you, but I’m having trouble transitioning to tablet games. I had grown to love the rich graphics and involving stories of the PC-based hidden object adventure games. So, like a hopeful little car shopper, I keep test-driving tablet games to see if I can find one that grabs me.
Cham Cham was the game I most recently took for a spin. Unfortunately, before I could even play the first level, I became obsessed with the proper pronunciation of the game. On the face of it, it seems like it should be called CHam CHam. You know, a soft “ch” sound like in children or chime. But if this little creature really is a chameleon, maybe it’s Kam Kam. That little poser will bother me for awhile.
I classify Cham Cham (pronounce as you see fit) as a sort of Angry Birds-esque type game. Basically, you are using your finger to move a ramp that allows the rolling of fruit into Mr. Cham’s mouth. Sometimes I wonder how many different variations can be made from the “aim and shoot” principle. The answer, apparently, is more than currently exist.
The game comes with two scenarios: desert and jungle. As you progress through the hundred challenging levels, you’ll encounter stunning ricochets and unexpected solutions as you assist the cute chameleon in hunting and exploring unknown insects and plants with his very long tongue. Other features include creative, destructible buildings and explosive and strange plants.
The artwork boasts bright colors and cartoonish images. It’s also a cute touch that Cham Cham changes colors as the mood strikes. The audio is slightly repetitive music that makes ample use of xylophone tracks.
Every time you play a level, you use a fruit to feed Cham Cham. Once you run out of fruit, you wait until your fruit bush grows fruit for you, which takes you out of the game. You can win fruit by completing a certain number of levels or, alternatively, you can buy fruit ranging in price from $2 to $50. The $50 deals will give you more fruit and no ads. To get more fruit or to grow fruit you can use light bulbs, which also range in price from $3 to $50. (That whole growing vegetation with light bulb thing reminds me of the moneymaking schemes several friends had during college. I’ll let you figure that one out on your own.)
If you leave a level without using the fruit, you forfeit the fruit when you return to the level, which can be pretty annoying. Every time you complete a level, Cham Cham walks to the next level. A good three seconds go by before you can begin that level; this can be an unnecessary delay when you simply want to move forward in the game. This game could really benefit from a next level button.
You can skip levels that are too tough or watch video solutions from experienced game players, but be warned it will cost you in terms of light bulbs. To get a better score on levels, you need to collect all the stars. Certain stars are placed in front of Cham’s mouth, and he’ll stick his tongue out before the fruit gets there, which causes you to not get the star. That can be a bit infuriating.
While Cham Cham seems easy to play, it can be difficult to master. Learn to predict trajectories, calculate moves, unlock level-by-level and collect all stars.
Until I can find a game that provides the more complex storylines I crave, Cham Cham can serve as an amusing little pastime for me and my kids.