Key and lock

A key is an item in Chip's Challenge that Chip can use to open a lock (or door) of the same color. Each key can only be used to open one lock after which it disappears, with two exceptions: the green key as Chip and the yellow key as Melinda in Chip's Challenge 2 can be used an indefinite number of times.

Locks

Lock

MSCC Image(s)
CC2 Image(s)
Found in	Chip's Challenge 1 Chip's Challenge 2
MSCC Index	22 (B) 23 (R) 24 (G) 25 (Y)
Steam ID	34 (R) 35 (B) 36 (Y) 37 (G)
Multi-directional?	No
Moves?	No

In the MS ruleset, a lock on top of a clone machine will refuse to open even if Chip has the required key, as with all other tiles on top of a clone machine. If a block is on top of a lock and Chip pushes on the block without the correct key, the block is flicked just as with any other acting wall under it. If the key is in Chip's possession, the block is pushed just as if it were a normal block with nothing underneath it.

An interesting behavior is when a transparent tile is located on top of a lock. While Chip cannot step on it without the proper key, stepping on the lock itself does not use the key. In the case when Chip is killed from stepping on a monster in this manner, the lock will disappear although the key was never used. (Since a lock is not transparent, the Transparency Glitch does not occur here.) However, Chip is unable to step on another Chip on top of a lock, just as if it was a normal non-moving Chip tile.

Keys

In MS, the key is a transparent acting floor tile, and monsters will not "collect" the key. In Lynx and CC2, however, keys work differently: the blue key is erased by monsters and blocks, and the yellow and green keys are monster-acting walls. In all rulesets, a lock remains an acting wall as long as Chip or Melinda does not have a key of the same color; if Chip has a key of the same color, the lock will then be acting dirt.

Note that more than one key of the same color may be collected, which can then be used to open that number of locks. In the Microsoft edition black and white mode, keys will have 1-4 dots to the right of them instead of using colors.

In CC2 and pedantic Lynx, each player character can hold up to 255 keys of each color; picking up a 256th key resets that color's inventory back to 0. MS and Tile World Lynx do not have this restriction.

In CC1, there is no way for the player to know how many keys of a certain color they have, other than manually keeping count. In CC2, if the player has between 2 and 9 keys, the appropriate number will be displayed in the inventory. If the player has 10 keys or more, a + sign is displayed instead; if the player has 128 keys or more, no symbol is displayed.

Blue key

Blue key

MSCC Image(s)
CC2 Image(s)
Found in	Chip's Challenge 1 Chip's Challenge 2
MSCC Index	100
Steam ID	39
Multi-directional?	No
Moves?	No

The blue key is transparent in MS, and can be picked up only by Chip and Melinda, who can use it to open one blue lock. In Lynx, in addition to Chip, blocks and monsters will erase blue keys after stepping on their tile. In CC2, the same holds true as in Lynx, but ice blocks and directional blocks do not erase blue keys, and monsters erasing blue keys are treated as collecting them, thus becoming unable to pass blue key blockers.

If a dirt block collects blue keys and transmogrifies into an ice block, it can then use the blue keys to open blue locks.

In Monochrome mode, blue keys/locks are represented by one square.

Red key

Red key

MSCC Image(s)
CC2 Image(s)
Found in	Chip's Challenge 1 Chip's Challenge 2
MSCC Index	101
Steam ID	38
Multi-directional?	No
Moves?	No

The red key is transparent in MS, and can only be picked up only by Chip and Melinda, who then can use it to open one red lock. It is the only key in Lynx to act the same as its MS counterpart.

In CC2, Chip, Melinda, and their mirror counterparts are the only entities that can pick up red keys. All other entities will pass right over them, including ghosts and rovers which can normally collect anything.

In Monochrome mode, red keys/locks are represented by two squares.

Green key

Green key

MSCC Image(s)
CC2 Image(s)
Found in	Chip's Challenge 1 Chip's Challenge 2
MSCC Index	102
Steam ID	41
Multi-directional?	No
Moves?	No

The green key is transparent in MS, and can be picked up only by Chip, Melinda, player mirrors, ghosts, rovers, and bowling balls. In all versions of the game, Chip can use it to open any number of green locks. In CC2, Chip mirrors can also use green keys indefinitely, while all other movable objects can only open one green lock per green key. In Lynx, green keys are acting walls to other objects. In CC2, green keys are acting walls to all movable objects except ice blocks, directional blocks, and any movable object that can pick them up normally.

In Monochrome mode, green keys/locks are represented by three squares.

Yellow key

Yellow key

MSCC Image(s)
CC2 Image(s)
Found in	Chip's Challenge 1 Chip's Challenge 2
MSCC Index	103
Steam ID	40
Multi-directional?	No
Moves?	No

The yellow key is transparent in MS, and can be picked up only by Chip, Melinda, player mirrors, ghosts, rovers, and bowling balls. In all versions of the game, Chip can only open one yellow lock per yellow key. In CC2, the same is true for all other movable objects except Melinda and Melinda mirrors, who can use them indefinitely. In Lynx, yellow keys are acting walls to other objects. In CC2, yellow keys are acting walls to all movable objects except ice blocks, directional blocks, and any movable object that can pick them up normally.

In Monochrome mode, yellow keys/locks are represented by four squares.

See also

• Transparency Glitch