In some ways, Chameleon's entertainment value is inexplicable. If you took one quick look at it, you might think you were in for some kind of anime-invaded rip-off of Hexic. But once you actually start playing it, you'll realize there are barely any modes, the presentation is as generic as generic can get, and the gameplay really only has one gimmick going for it the whole way through. And yet, in spite of these issues, Chameleon is actually kind of fun. The simplicity of the game's color-swapping mechanic and the minimal amount of strategy required to navigate the game board are somehow enough to be captivating in short bursts.
The game's normal mode starts off by asking you to choose a character from five different ridiculous-looking anime girls then plops you into competition against one of the girls you didn't pick. The game itself simply presents a game board filled with colored hexagons and two hexagons bearing player symbols on opposite ends of the board. On each turn, your goal is to swap the color of your player hexagon with the color of a surrounding piece, at which point the surrounding piece is claimed by you. You and your opponent keep doing this until one of you has collected a majority of the board.
Along the way, characters can collect star pieces, which allow them to pull off special attacks. Each character has a different attack, but they're all pretty simple. These include forcing the opposing player to skip his or her next turn, limiting the number of colors a player can choose from for a turn, and blowing up sections of an opposing player's claimed pieces, which turns them neutral again. While playing through the game, you'll also have to avoid bomb pieces on the board, which do the same thing.
