History YMMV / ChipsChallenge

* FirstInstallmentWins: Between ''Chip's Challenge'' and ''Chuck's Challenge''. Knowledge of ''Chip's Challenge'' and its mechanics (both in the original Lynx version and the MS port) has risen dramatically over the years, and fans are still creating custom level packs to this day, most of which tend to be very well-designed. In contrast, ''Chuck's Challenge'' is mostly unknown, suffers from sketchy controls (at least in the iOS version), the built-in levels are fewer in number and are generally of lower quality than the ones in ''Chip's'', and the user-generated levels are [[SturgeonsLaw mostly terrible]].

** Level 73, ''Morton''. You're '''not''' going to beat it if you can't trap the teeth within a spot from which it can't bother you any more.

** And what's your reward for completing that block-pushing nightmare? ''Spirals'', the ''very next level'', is one of the most notoriously difficult. In case a maze filled with ever-increasing numbers of random walkers wasn't bad enough, some Microsoft versions of Chip's Challenge have a [[http://chipschallenge.wikia.com/wiki/Spirals_corruption corrupt level file]], making the level ''nearly'' UnintentionallyUnwinnable.

** And what's your reward for completing that block-pushing nightmare? ''Spirals'', the ''very next level'', is one of the most notoriously difficult. In case a maze filled with ever-increasing numbers of random walkers wasn't bad enough, some Microsoft versions of Chip's Challenge have a [[http://chipschallenge.wikia.com/wiki/Spirals_corruption corrupt level file]], making the level ''nearly'' UnwinnableByMistake.

** Level 61, ''Rink''. Did you want a SlippySlideyIceWorld where you can't tell whether a direction is open or will bounce you back until after you've slid? No? Too bad, because this level is exactly that for the entire map. "Thrash-a-thon", indeed.

* MemeticMutation: "Danny Field is the only designer to have had all of his levels rejected." [[labelnote:explanation]]One of the trivia on the page for the [=CC2=] Rejects set on the unofficial [=CCWiki=], the phrase quickly caught fire among the Chip's Challenge Bit Busters Club Discord when it was pointed out there. An article on him was written for the [=CCWiki=] composed of just that one sentence and immediately deleted on grounds of being spam, leading to another variation: "Danny Field is the only designer to have had his CC Wiki page rejected."[[/labelnote]]

* PortingDisaster: The original Windows version lacks the smooth, fluid movement and animation of the original game and its numerous other ports; most noticeably, Chip and monsters "jump" from tile to tile instead of moving between them. In addition, it has several bugs that totally [[GameplayDerailment break the way that some levels were intended to be played]] (in some cases [[GoodBadBug for the better]], in other cases [[FakeDifficulty not so much]]). Yet, in an interesting case of TropesAreNotBad, this version is by far the most well-known due to its wide distribution and has still long been adored by thousands of players; in fact, most people introduced to the game on Windows didn't even know about the original game's mechanics until they were resurrected in ''[[GameMod Tile World]]'' and later the [[VideoGameRemake remake]]/sequel. The latter even has an option that [[AscendedGlitch emulates]] the "tile jumping" for those who are more comfortable with it. It's also the version of choice for speedrunners, since several glitches allow levels to be completed much more quickly than normal.

* EarWorm: Turn the music on. [[SchmuckBait Go ahead]]. Fun fact: one of the songs the Windows version can play is none other than [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic CANYON.MID]].[[note]]Only if it's in the C:\WINDOWS folder, though.[[/note]]

* MostAnnoyingSound:
** The "Bummer!" sound heard when Chip dies. [[NintendoHard Get used to it.]]
** If you're in a level where an enemy is controlling the buttons, expect the constant BOP-BOP-BOP to drive you mad until you turn the sound off. It's even worse in the Lynx version (and, by extension, the Steam release, which takes its sound effects from the Lynx version), where the sound for pressing a button is a louder, more high pitched beep.

* UnderusedGameMechanic: There is exactly ''one'' speed boot in the official ''Chip's Challenge 2'' campaign, and only during a demonstration of how monsters can snatch blue keys.
** Similarly, the hook, which allows you to pull blocks in addition to pushing them, appears in two levels: Flea Market and Line and Sinker. (It's never even mentioned in any of the lesson levels.) Thankfully, the levels it appears in at least make proper use of it as a gimmick.

* DisappointingLastLevel: The original game has the 149th, final level (called ''Special''). The previous levels that are part of the final lineup of challenges are great (''Cake Walk'' is a deliberately-misnamed difficult level that requires careful use of blocks and the items present; ''Force Field'' is a gigantic labyrinth made of conveyor belts; ''Mind Block'' is a compact, yet tricky chamber filled with {{Cartoon Bomb}}s), but ''Special'' is anything but. The only two things you have to do to complete it (and the game) are: open the four colored doors with the corresponding keys (which is too easy), then find the exit in a hide-and-seek game involving blocks necessary to cross the water moats, but some of which are booby-trapped with fire that kills Chip instantly (which is too hard). And as with many other levels in the game, here you can see the worst side of the gameplay differences between the Microsoft and Atari Lynx versions: In the latter, you can slap the blocks to move them without touching the fire; but in the former you can't and thus you have to rely on trial and error. Have you just got burnt with ''one'' fire tile? Time to restart and open those doors yet again. Fortunately, the Level Pack {{Fan Sequel}}s as well as the official sequel (''Chip's Challenge 2'') all have ''much'' better final levels.

*** Though not as vicious as their counterparts from previous sets, the levels of [=CCLP4=] can catch unprepared players off-guard, as they rely less on out-of-the-box thinking like those of [=CCLP3=] and more on multi-layered puzzles and compositions (meaning that you'll often see elements that seem useless at first, but come into play later), and occasionally on difficult instances of dodging or redirecting enemies. Good luck conquering levels like ''The Longest Track'', ''Paradigm Shift'', ''Japanese Game Show'' and ''Gimmick Isle''.

*** [=CCLP3=], despite eliminating the unintuitive and debug-like elements from its predecessor, has its second half often regarded as '''nothing''' but That One Level back to back to back to back [[OverlyLongGag to back to back]]. Special mention goes to ''You Can't Teach an Old Frog New Tricks'' ([=CCLP3=] 144) for being harder than the already ridiculously difficult levels surrounding it. Solving it requires setting up no less than 5 rooms ''flawlessly'' so that one tooth monster can navigate through them in sequence to release Chip from a trap, so said tooth monster can control a toggle switch and then be trapped on ice so Chip can walk to the exit. Interestingly, in playing back the solution in Tile World, the focus switches to that of the tooth monster when Chip enters the trap. And like all fan-made level packs with more than 144 levels, [=CCLP3=] treats this one as a DiscOneFinalDungeon only, so you'll still have to tackle five more levels, including the formidable duo ''Suspended Animation'' (146) and ''Avalanche'' (147).

* GeniusBonus: The message for completing Level 144 in the Steam version of [=CC1=] is "That was totally gross, Chip! Now, just five more!" This may sound like an emulation of the TotallyRadical slang in the original decade messages, but it also references the ''noun'' "gross", meaning twelve dozen (or 144).
* GoddamnBats:
** Teeth monsters, due to their habit of permanently going after Chip.
** Walkers and Blobs, due to their erratic movements which makes them unpredictable.

* GeniusBonus: The "[=eProm=]", at first glance, sounds like a typical attempt to make something sound digital by adding the letter "e" to the front. However, it gains a new level of hilarity once you know that there's a certain type of memory chip called "EEPROM".

* GeniusBonus: The message for completing Level 144 in the Steam version of CC1 is "That was totally gross, Chip! Now, just five more!" This may sound like an emulation of the TotallyRadical slang in the original decade messages, but it also references the ''noun'' "gross", meaning twelve dozen (or 144).

* EarWorm: Turn the music on. [[SchmuckBait Go ahead]]. Fun fact: one of the songs the Windows version plays (in some releases) is none other than [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic CANYON.MID]].

* EarWorm: Turn the music on. [[SchmuckBait Go ahead]]. Fun fact: one of the songs the Windows version plays is none other than [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic CANYON.MID]].

* EarWorm: Turn the music on. [[SchmuckBait Go ahead]].

*** "Crazy" in the sequel, with lots and lots and lots and lots of sliding block puzzles in ''very'' tight quarters. The only saving graces you get are that there's no official time limit and if you just want to beat the level you only have to complete four of the puzzles to proceed (and you can pick and choose which ones you want to complete). If you're looking for a high score, though, you have to complete ''all'' 26 of them with no mistakes, while racing against a logic gate timer that locks you out of some multiplier flags after 10 minutes. [[spoiler:Even worse, you have to do it ''twice'', since a different version shows up as the final level.]]

** "Crazy" in the sequel, with lots and lots and lots and lots of sliding block puzzles in ''very'' tight quarters. The only saving graces you get are that there's no official time limit and if you just want to beat the level you only have to complete four of the puzzles to proceed (and you can pick and choose which ones you want to complete). If you're looking for a high score, though, you have to complete ''all'' 26 of them with no mistakes, while racing against a logic gate timer that locks you out of some multiplier flags after 10 minutes.

* IAmNotShazam: While ''Chip's Challenge'' does star Chip, ''Chuck's Challenge'' doesn't star Chuck; you play as Woop, playing through puzzles ''created by'' Chuck.

** And what's your reward for completing that block-pushing nightmare? ''Spirals'', the ''very next level'', is one of the most notoriously difficult. In case a maze filled with ever-increasing numbers of random walkers wasn't bad enough, some Microsoft versions of Chip's Challenge have a [[http://chipschallenge.wikia.com/wiki/Spirals_corruption corrupt level file]], making the level nearly UnwinnableByMistake.

*** [=CCLP3's=] second half is often regarded as '''nothing''' but That One Level back to back to back to back [[OverlyLongGag to back to back]]. Special mention goes to ''You Can't Teach an Old Frog New Tricks'' ([=CCLP3=] 144) for being harder than the already ridiculously difficult levels surrounding it. Solving it requires setting up no less than 5 rooms ''flawlessly'' so that one tooth monster can navigate through them in sequence to release Chip from a trap, so said tooth monster can control a toggle switch and then be trapped on ice so Chip can walk to the exit. Interestingly, in playing back the solution in Tile World, the focus switches to that of the tooth monster when Chip enters the trap. Ande like all fan-made level packs with more than 144 levels, [=CCLP3=] treats this one as a DiscOneFinalDungeon only, so you'll still have to tackle five more levels, including the formidable duo ''Suspended Animation'' (146) and ''Avalanche'' (147).
*** [=CCLP2=] has levels that rely on unintuitive tile placements and a bigger focus on booby traps and random-working hazards and enemies, resulting in levels like ''Block Away!'', ''Exit Chip'' and ''Blocked Trap'' where it's almost impossible to foresee a deadly trap on the first attempt. This reaches its zenith (nadir for the less experienced players) with the 93th level, ''Exit Chip'', which does a ''deliberate'' attempt to troll players in every possible opportunity. Even then, there are more traditional levels that are still infamous for their difficulty, such as ''Mazed In'' ([[SchizophrenicDifficulty which for some reason is put as the 12th level]]), ''Warehouse II'', the two ''Oracle'' levels and ''Cloner's Maze''.

** "Crazy" in the sequel, with lots and lots and lots and lots of sliding block puzzles in ''very'' tight quarters. The only saving graces you get are that there's no official time limit and if you just want to beat the level you only have to complete four of the puzzles to proceed (and you can pretty much pick and choose which ones you want to complete). If you're looking for a high score, though, you have to complete ''all'' 26 of them with no mistakes, while racing against a logic gate timer that locks you out of some multiplier flags after 10 minutes.

** Level 73, ''Morton''. You're '''not''' going to beat it if you can't trap the teeth within a spot from which it can't bother you anymore.

** Level 131, the aptly-titled ''Totally Unfair'', which requires you to memorize the layout of a previous level, titled ''Totally Fair'', and do the puzzle part of it while effectively blind.

** The "Bummer!" sound heard when Chip dies.

** Level 131, ''Totally Unfair'', which requires you to memorize the layout of a previous level, titled ''Totally Fair'', and do the puzzle part of it while effectively blind.

** If you're in a level where an enemy is controlling the buttons, expect the constant BOP-BOP-BOP to drive you mad until you turn the sound off. It's even worse in the Lync version (and, by extension, the Steam release, which takes its sound effects from the Lynx version), where the sound for pressing a button is a louder, more high pitched beep.

** Level 61, ''Rink''. Did you want a SlippySlideyIceWorld where you can't tell whether a direction is open or will bounce you back until after you've slid? No? Too bad, because this level is exactly that for the entire map. Thrash-a-thon, indeed.

** Level 87, ''Cityblock''. You thought you hated block puzzles before? Get ready to despise them as you have to contend with ''four'' of them in one level (one of which could technically count as a KaizoTrap, since it's located after the chip socket and can block you from reaching the exit if you do it wrong). With a long completion time, even for a perfect run, and the game's trademark airtight window for error when it comes to block puzzles, you'll likely have had more than your fill of block puzzles by the time you finally finish this beast.

*** [=CCLP3's=] second half is often regarded as '''nothing''' but [[ThatOneLevel That One Level]] back to back to back to back [[OverlyLongGag to back to back]]. Special mention goes to ''You Can't Teach an Old Frog New Tricks'' ([=CCLP3=] 144) for being harder than the already ridiculously difficult levels surrounding it. Solving it requires setting up no less than 5 rooms ''flawlessly'' so that one tooth monster can navigate through them in sequence to release Chip from a trap, so said tooth monster can control a toggle switch and then be trapped on ice so Chip can walk to the exit. Interestingly, in playing back the solution in Tile World, the focus switches to that of the tooth monster when Chip enters the trap.
*** [=CCLP2=] has levels that rely on unintuitive tile placements, resulting in levels like ''Block Away!'', ''Exit Chip'' and ''Blocked Trap'' where it's almost impossible to foresee a deadly trap on the first attempt. Even then, there are more traditional levels that are still infamous for their difficulty, such as ''Warehouse II'' and ''Cloner's Maze''.

* PortingDisaster: The original Windows version lacks the smooth, fluid movement and animation of the original game and its numerous other ports; most noticeably, Chip and monsters "jump" from tile to tile instead of moving between them. In addition, it has several bugs that totally [[GameplayDerailment break the way that some levels were intended to be played]] (in some cases [[GoodBadBug for the better]], in other cases [[FakeDifficulty not so much]]). Yet, in an interesting case of TropesAreNotBad, this version is by far the most well-known due to its wide distribution and has still long been adored by thousands of players; in fact, most people introduced to the game on Windows didn't even know about the original game's mechanics until they were resurrected in ''[[GameMod Tile World]]'' and later the [[VideoGameRemake remake]]/sequel. The latter even has an option that [[AscendedGlitch emulates]] the "tile jumping" for those who are more comfortable with it.