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Chimparty review

Chimparty is a family friendly party game from NapNok that uses the PS4’s PlayLink technology. PlayLink titles are focused on social gaming and they allow players to use their smartphones or tablets as controllers. I’ve had the opportunity to try out a fair few of the PlayLink games now with Hidden Agenda being my favourite.

Chimparty is most similar to the Mario Party games from Nintendo. The game allows 1-4 players to take control of a bunch of colourful chimps and participate in a digital boardgame that is jam-packed with fun but competitive mini-games.

Before you can start, each player needs to have their own Android or iOS smartphone or tablet. They also each need to download the Chimparty app for their device. With the game running on PS4 and each smart device running the Chimparty app then players need to each connect in order to play. To do this you need to have your devices on the same Wi-Fi network as the PS4. Alternatively you can also turn on the PS4’s Wi-Fi hotspot should you not have a Wi-Fi network available.

Watch the Chimparty trailer below:

Previous PlayLink titles I’ve tried have often ended in some frustrations getting everyone up and running. I didn’t have any of those problems with Chimparty, it just worked. Once each player is connected the game has four modes to choose from – Board Game, Solo Challenge, Random and Custom. If you grant the game access to your device camera you can also take a photo to represent you in-game.

If you’re playing on your own then Solo Challenge is for you. Here you need to race around the game board as fast as you can with Orangutan Bob in pursuit. Each time you stop there’s a mini-game to play and how well you do determines how far you move. This is a good mode to get to grips with the mini-games on your own. Here you play against AI chimps which I found to be rather easy to beat.

Board Game is for 2-4 players and it’s where you’ll spend most of your time when playing with others. The aim is to race across the game board and the easiest way to do that is to win the mini-games. In all there are 18 mini-games with 90 levels to tackle based around Jungle, Haunted, Pirate, Wizard and Alien themes.

View some Chimparty screenshots in our gallery:

The mini-games are the star attraction of Chimparty and there’s a nice variety on offer. Each is played using a single button which usually involves making your chimp jump, swing or run. The games on offer include crazy takes on volleyball, tag, basketball, endless runners and more. The controls on all seem to be purposely designed to be a little frustrating to try and level the playing field. Often the key to getting your chimp to do what you want involves timing your button presses and holds.

Other modes on offer include a random mode that gives you 10 random mini-games to beat. The winner is the chimp who performs best to get the most stars. Finally a custom mode lets you customise the selection of mini-games that you’ll be playing so you can choose your favourites. The more you play the more you accessories you unlock for your chimp.

Chimparty is actually rather fun in short bursts and works best with a mix of ages. The crazy mini-games will have younger kids laughing out loud and keep them entertained for a while. More skilled players will likely get bored quite quickly due to the lack of challenge on offer. It’s a good example of a PlayLink game and shows the potential of the technology.

Chimparty was reviewed using a digital code supplied by the publisher.

Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment Developer: NapNok Release Date: November 14th, 2018 Reviewed On: PS4 / PlayLink

author avatar
Greg Ellwood
Greg is the Deputy Editor of Entertainment Focus. He writes about Games, Tech and TV. You can find him on Xbox/PSN/Steam as Tahllian.

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