ChromaGun 2: Dye Hard PC Review
Summary: The world needs colour... or at least you need to spread some colour, in specific places in order to survive!
4.3
Painterly Portal
To be honest, ChromaGun never really showed up on my radar… but when I saw the opportunity to give ChromaGun 2: Dye Hard a try, I must have been in the right frame of mind because a new puzzle game seemed like a bit of fun.
From the get‑go, looking at the preview images, I got a very distinct “in the vein of Portal” vibe. I think this was largely due to the mechanic of using your gun to change the environment and the prevalence of test‑chamber‑style platforms. That vibe was pretty accurate. Not only are the mechanics similar to Portal, but the constant narration as you make your way through the test chambers (also sound familiar?) that swaps between encouraging and abusive is very similar. None of this is a negative, though — it’s just clear where ChromaGun 2: Dye Hard gets its inspiration.
But what of that gameplay? Well, indeed it centers around your ChromaGun (surprise!). You are temporarily limited to one colour, but after completing some tasks you regain the use of the primary colours Red, Blue, and Yellow. With these, you can make the secondary colours Purple, Orange, and Green… beyond that you just make grey (which is also useful, as you can “neutralise” connections). Where and what you apply this colour to will determine your success. Paint a wall panel the same colour as a droid (or paint the droid the same colour as the panel) and the droid will move towards the panel. Paint a second panel the same colour and the droid will find the midpoint between them and stay there. Certain inanimate objects can also be moved or removed via colour matching. So progress isn’t so much made by placing and traveling through portals (though there is a portal in the game), but more about using colour matching to move obstacles either out of your way or into position to clear the way for you.
There is one other massive similarity to the Portal series: puzzles that stump you for ages only to have you slap your forehead when you find the solution. Without being too detailed, I entered an area in which I was sure I knew what was required but couldn’t figure out how to facilitate the actions needed to move on. The solution proved to be extremely simple and actually involved paying more attention to my surroundings than I had — there was an easily missed passageway that I had, funnily enough, missed. This can lead to moments of great satisfaction when you finally do complete the puzzle.
Final Thoughts:
The simplest way to put this is: if you enjoyed Portal and would like more logic puzzles — and don’t mind swapping your portal gun for a paint gun — then this is likely to be right up your alley. Some elements are a bit more threatening than Portal (i.e., foes that will pursue you), but they can be stopped reasonably easily (at least for a moment). The narration also provides an amusing overarching story, which is a nice little addition. Certainly worth a play if you enjoy puzzle games and like the vibe of Portal.
About the Author
Chris O'Connor Father of four, husband of one and all round oddity. Gaming at home since about 1982 with a Sinclair ZX Spectrum. Moving on to the more traditional PC genre in the years that followed with the classic Jump Joe and Alley Cat. CGA, EGA, VGA and beyond PC's have been central to my gaming but I've also enjoyed consoles and hand helds along the way (who remembers the Atari Lynx?). Would have been actor/film maker, jack of many trades master of none.
Related Posts
Reigns: The Witcher Review →
Star Trek Voyager: Across The Unknown PC Review →
The Sims 4 Royalty & Legacy Review (PC) →
