Time crunch level

A time crunch level is a Chip's Challenge level theme where the primary puzzle is to identify and race through a valid path to the exit before the time runs out. In many cases, time crunches are made artificially difficult by the tight time limit and become trivial if additional time were to be granted. There are only a handful of time crunches in the original game, whereas the theme is significantly more common in Chip's Challenge 2.

In Chip's Challenge 2, more complex time crunches are possible due to time modifiers: the Time bonus, Time penalty and Time toggle tiles. These tiles add 10 seconds to the game clock, deduct 10 seconds to the game clock and pause or resume the game clock respectively.

Some hallmarks of time crunch levels include:

• the level becomes unsolvable if a precisely timed path is not followed.
• the player runs out of time attempting to figure out the puzzle.
• Chip is killed by a monster or obstacle if the correct path is not followed at the correct pace. Missteps and player hesitation are often fatal mistakes.

CC1 Examples

• Brushfire - 80 seconds to navigate through a maze and exit the level
• Knot - 29 seconds to collect 118 chips and exit the level
• Glut - 20 seconds to complete the level, multiple correct paths to exit exist
• Problems - While Chip has 200 seconds to complete the overall level, there are two separate time races built into this level where you must collect a significant number of keys or chips before a wall of pink balls are released.
• Nightmare - This level contains many very short time races where Chip releases a monster from a trap behind him and must race a short distance to safety. In the original Microsoft version of the game, the Controller and Boss Glitch prevents several traps from releasing monsters as intended. This glitch behavior is not present in the Steam edition of CC1.
• Totally Unfair - 60 seconds to complete a complex, hidden puzzle

CCLP1 Examples

• Chip Kart 64
• Shuttle Run

CCLP2 Examples

• How Goes?
• Mads' Rush I
• Ray of Light
• Hurry Up, Chip!
• Just a Minute!!
• Mads' Rush II
• The Walker Machine

CCLP3 Examples

• Cheap Shots and Dirty Tricks
• Countdown
• Shattered

CCLP4 Examples

• Shemozzle
• Air Bubble

CC2 Examples

• All Shook Up - 20 seconds to solve an ice and force floor puzzle
• Tumblers - 33 seconds to solve an ice puzzle
• Run-Around - 32 seconds to traverse from the southeast corner to the northwest corner and back while evading teeth
• Quick Time - an introduction to time bonuses
• Quick Time II - an introduction to time penalties
• Quick Time III - an introduction to time toggles
• Freeze Frame - a maze involving time modifiers
• You Must Be Joking - 5 seconds to collect 5 chips (time modifiers available to extend level duration)
• Quickchip - 25 seconds to solve a puzzle involving rovers
• Quick Thinking - time modifiers are hidden under blocks
• Feeding Time - a non-standard race where you must collect as many blue keys as possible before they are erased by walkers. You must collect 8 keys to reach the exit, but quick Chipsters who obtain 9 keys can grab a bonus flag before exiting
• Grab Bag - 50 seconds to solve a well-rounded puzzle
• Electric Trap - 40 seconds to solve a puzzle involving wired toggle doors and various monsters
• Strict Process - as alluded to by the name, Chip must follow a strict path to reach the exit within 50 seconds
• Avalanche - a 50-second puzzle involving ice block cloning
• Scrambled Eggs - a non-standard maze using a wide variety of game tiles with a maximum of 20 seconds allocated
• Closet - a compact 30-second puzzle
• Monster Race - while the level grants 50 seconds to reach the exit, Chip must also beat all the monsters to the blue key toward the end of the level before it is erased by a monster
• Apartments - Chip has 50 seconds to dodge four purple balls and snatch 15 chips from the level's four quadrants
• Easy? - Chip must navigate a compact railway puzzle within 15 seconds
• Wing and a Prayer - 50 seconds to dodge waves of gliders in various formations
• Sdrawkcab - Chip must race through a maze of keys taking care not to pick up keys which will bar him from reaching the exit. In addition, while Chip has 75 seconds to beat the level, he must get to the exit before the wired counter tiles reach 99 otherwise a block is cloned to obstruct the path to the exit
• Bowl to Freedom - 15 seconds to solve a puzzle involving thieves, railroad tracks and a bowling ball
• Chaoslands - Chip has 50 seconds to dodge ice blocks and reach the exit before it becomes blocked
• Yellow Brick Road - portions of this 12-second level are time races, but Melinda can step on time toggles at various points to pause or resume the game clock
• Ice Threat - Chip must rush through this maze before too many ice blocks are cloned to get all three chips
• On the Run - As the name implies, Chip must run through most of this 80-second level with monsters directly on his tail
• Fish and Chips - 80 chips to be obtained in 50 seconds, while also solving a yellow teleport puzzle
• Factory - Quick movements and monster dodging is required to reach the end of this 80-second level safely
• Tank Rush - Chip must position yellow tanks over three black buttons within 50 seconds to unlock the exit
• Rush - requires Chip to continuously pick up time bonuses while solving puzzles to extend the initial 10 seconds. Also has a built-in "practice route" that disables the timer, but does not allow access to the final part of the level
• Pattern Buffers - a compact 35-second puzzle with opportunities to pick up time bonuses
• Dodgeball - Chip must dodge purple balls while running toward the exit, with very little time available to pause between sections
• Cross-Circuit - Chip must cross an ice path several times while dodging a steady stream of circulating gliders within 40 seconds
• Mine Challenge - starting with 100 seconds, Chip must blow up walls, pick up time bonuses and collect 44 chips in the correct order to reach the exit in time
• Deadmeat - several portions of this level could be considered time races, as there are very small margins of error between releasing monsters from traps and reaching safety
• Island - a teeth monster must be lured through a water maze to clear a bomb obstructing the exit, with a very small error margin
• Boiler Room - Chip must position ice blocks correctly before the level's 63 chips are destroyed, while also reaching the exit within 150 seconds
• Spare Me - with 123 seconds available, Chip will struggle to grab all the bonus flags before running out of time
• Chip Off the Block - Chip has limited time to uncover 44 chips from beneath blocks

CC2LP1 Examples

• Cave Diving
• Ball of Blocks
• In a Minefield
• Ruin Rush
• Bringin' Down the House