Chrono & Cash (Game Review)

The people at Orange Pixel are definitely maniacs. They've created a handful of insane games that are challenging but ultimately crazy fun! I'm a big fan of pixel art and they do it really well. And the worst part is that they have catchy tunes that stick in your head and then you can't remember where you heard it on the radio and then you realize that it's not on the radio, but in a demented game.

They also are clever at porting their games. At last count, they do games for iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Chrome, and ... now Firefox. All with creamy pixel goodness. I even remembered their company name (Orange Pixel) from a crazy game on iOS called Heroes of Loot. Not in the Firefox Marketplace yet, but I'm hoping. But today's game is pretty bizarre, too, and is called Chrono & Cash.

The story is about a thief who jumps around and grabs bags of cash before the guards can get him. The game is very fast-paced and will challenge you but will stick in your mind and make you want to come back for another go.

Before you start, check out Options.

First of all, you can change the pixel looks of the master thief, Chrono. But you have to unlock disguises by getting higher scores.

You can also mute the sound or just the music.

Also you can adjust the distance between the left and right buttons on the game screen, a feature I haven't seen before, but is very handy for letting you manipulate the direction of the character the way you want. By the way, I find it easier to keep the two direction controls close together so you can slide your left finger back and forth as you change direction.

And of course, you can find out who are the lunatics that made this game:

And here are the directions on how to play:

You need to rob things by grabbing bags of cash, but you need to avoid guards and do it very quickly. Here's a typical screen.

The two circles on the left move your character left or right, and the red circle on the right makes the thief jump. Simple, but hard. The guards are after you and you don't have much time! And the music is fast and catchy. This reminds me of an arcade game and if it was, I'd be putting quarters in all day!

For each screen, you start at the bottom and work your way to the top, grabbing as much loot as you can. But you'll get caught and when you lose enough lives (you start with three) you're done! You get a high-score screen and you can play again, without any of those annoying quarters.

This game is fast-paced and unforgiving, but if you keep at it, you'll keep getting better and then you'll find the next screen a little tougher. But that's part of the fun and this game works just great on the Firefox OS phone.

Orange Pixel is based in the Netherlands but makes games in a way that makes me want to play the rest of their work and I can't wait for more of them to be in the Firefox Marketplace. Oh, did I say their music won't leave my head, no matter how hard I try to think about something else? These are people to watch!

Cost: Free

Genre: Arcade
Score: 6 (out of 5)
Tested on: ZTE Open (Firefox OS)
Get it at: Firefox Marketplace