With games like Okami and Crayon Physics Deluxe, "drawing" has become a popular tool for game play mechanics. Chalk joins the ranks as a fun, challenging indie game and is today's spotlight:



Chalk
shmup, action - free
createdy by Joakim Sandberg
originally released 2007

Chalk is an innovative shoot-em up that requires the player to draw lines to solve puzzles and defeat enemies. The player controls a piece of chalk with the left mouse button and the character by holding the right mouse button. The chalk has a limit so players will have to draw lines quickly while protecting the character from harm's way. The player starts the game with 3 lives and 3 continues with extra lives awarded after earning enough points. Although the game features no actually shooting, you can redirect enemy attacks, destroy obstacles, and grab objects using your trusty piece of chalk. Chalk features hand-drawn backgrounds and character sprites that look as if they were created using chalk - very fitting of the game.

The game features 6 levels, each with its own unique boss, background art, music, and orientation (for example level 1 moves from left to right, level 2 moves from bottom to top, etc). Each level also introduces new types of enemies. After playing through the game, the player can revisit any level of the game. The game records the players high school and the player's performance is ranked in each level on a F, D, C, B, A, S scale. The music in the game is catchy and appropriate. Each time the chalk is used, the iconic "chalk hitting a chalkboard' sound is reproduced.

Joakim Sandberg went the extra mile in deliver a unque, fun, and addictive game experience. It is clear from Chalk's presentation, that Sandberg wanted the gameplay and style to reinforce one another and he certainly achieved his goal. Unfortately, the game is on the short time clocking in at around one hour. Despite its short length, the game is fairly difficult forcing the player to think hard on how to solve certain puzzles and defeat bosses. Chalk is a great mixture of old school arcade features such as timers and scores with an innovative control scheme.

Direct Download