Chess you never knew existed. Shooter, fighting game, time travel and other variations of the classics
Chess is more than a thousand years old, but it still remains one of the most popular games in the world. The universal rules, proven over centuries of competition, and the variety of possible game developments make chess an interesting pastime for everyone. It's also one of the most stable sports, with hardly any changes.
This has led to jokes that chess is the only game that has existed for centuries without patches or updates. However, if you pay attention to video games, you will see that developers have been experimenting with chess rules for a long time and very actively. So actively that sometimes only a shell remains of the standard rules, and the game turns into something completely new.
For this text, we have selected fifteen interesting examples in which the standard chess formula has become the basis for something new and unusual. Here you will find both a combination of familiar genres and completely non-trivial concepts. But keep in mind that almost all of these games exist only on Windows.
5D Chess With Multiverse Time Travel
Platforms Windows
Genre tactics
Year 2020
The phrase "five-dimensional chess" sounds quite surreal in itself. But it turns out that this is not just an interesting concept, but a full-fledged video game that anyone can play. Of course, if you can figure out the rules.
At first, the rules of 5D Chess With Multiverse Time Travel seem standard, and you may even be able to play a game without getting lost in the additional nuances. But you can also send one of your pieces back in time to make another move. Time travel creates additional timelines and parallel worlds, just like in a good science fiction game. But it's still chess.
You need to play in several time periods and parallel worlds at once. It sounds very complicated. Believe me, it is. Therefore, puzzles sewn into the game can help you understand the rules, which will tell you a little about the basics of five-dimensional thinking. And then you can safely go online to meet the geniuses of our time who have managed to master 5D Chess With Multiverse Time Travel.
Checkmate Showdown
Platforms Windows
Genre tactics, fighting
Year 2023
In Checkmate Showdown, it's not enough to make a sequence of correct moves to win in the end. After all, each move on the board is accompanied by a direct battle between two pieces. The game combines classic chess rules with fighting game mechanics.
Each figure has a unique set of moves, and some gameplay systems are borrowed from quite complex fighting games like Guilty Gear. Longtime fighting game fans were responsible for the development of the game, so they implemented the battles with full responsibility.
Because of this, it is impossible to say that the chess part outweighs the battles or vice versa. Both key elements of Checkmate Showdown are closely interconnected and feel appropriate. This makes the game a truly fresh experience.
Chess Evolved Online
Platforms Windows
Genre tactics
Year 2021
If you try to briefly describe Chess Evolved Online, you'll get something like "chess on the max." The pace of the game and the rules are standard, but the key feature is the pieces. There are more than 500 types of them.
The game has pieces that hit everything around them. Or they make a cross right to the end of the board. Or in even stranger patterns. At the same time, the number of pieces a player has is the same as in the usual variation of the game. Therefore, it is necessary to properly assemble a chess collection to take into account all the advantages and disadvantages of each piece.
500 pieces is a crazy number(Magic: The Gathering players are not impressed - ed. note), so Chess Evolved Online has the most understandable training, appropriate visual cues, and a single-player mode to master some tactics and gameplay nuances. But the game really reveals itself online, where, again, there are sometimes almost superintelligent players.
Chess Survivors
Platforms Windows
Genre tactics, roguelike
Year 2023
The name Chess Survivors alone eloquently hints at the inspiration behind the game's creation by solo developer Aarimous. The immense popularity of Vampire Survivors, which cost a lot of money to develop, still keeps hundreds of indie developers awake at night. That's why Chess Survivors combines roguelike elements from Vampire Survivor with chess itself.
In the game, you need to upgrade your character and build a good build to fight off crowds of enemies. Of course, all the enemies are chess pieces. The developer understood well why people really loved Vampire Survivor, so in Chess Survivors, you can also assemble a hacked build that will destroy everything around you. In addition, the game is similar to chess in that the movements of the main character correspond to the movements of chess pieces.
Game sessions of 20 minutes each make Chess Survivors ideal for a quick and relaxing, yet enjoyable, pastime. However, some people still spend tens of hours of real time playing the game.
Chessaria: The Tactical Adventure (Chess)
Platforms Windows
Genre tactics, role play
Year 2018
Some screenshots of Chessaria: The Tactical Adventure may resemble full-fledged turn-based tactics or old-school role-playing games. Indeed, for another variation of chess, this game looks surprisingly expensive. There is even support for 4K resolution.
In Chessaria: The Tactical Adventure, instead of the usual figures, you will find knights, wizards, and other classes that are typical of classic fantasy. That is, associations with the conventional Final Fantasy Tactics or Tacticc Ogre cannot be avoided. A variety of races and epic battles are constantly present in the game.
But at the same time, the game does not let you forget that it is based on the rules of chess, because the developers took the movement of the fighters directly from the original source. The combination of a classic board game and a modern turn-based RPG was successful.
Chessformer
Platforms Windows
Genre tactics, platformer
Year 2022
Obviously, chess is very convenient to combine with role-playing games, strategies, tactics, and other similar genres, because some similarities between them are present from the very beginning. But developer Robert Alvarez decided not to look for easy ways. So in Chessformer, he combined the rules of chess with a puzzle platformer.
You need to checkmate the enemy king, it's obvious. However, to do this, you first need to get to him, using the nuances of the movements of different pieces. No one has canceled gravity, so you need to think through every step to avoid being left without a piece.
As in real chess, in Chessformer you have to think carefully about each move, but in order to plan the right path to the king. Sometimes this requires the interaction of different pieces. The game seems to be simple, but it is tactilely pleasant and has an interesting concept, so it is worth a look.
Chessplosion
Platforms Windows
Genre tactics, arcade, roguelike
Year 2021
This game uses the rules and aesthetics of chess in many ways, but its main source of inspiration is different. After all, the central gameplay, which revolves around various bombs and explosions, is more reminiscent of Super Bomberman.
In Chessplosion, you need to use the explosion patterns of different pieces and their movement patterns to trap your enemy and destroy them. It sounds simple, but even here you have to calculate each step and assess the situation on the board.
In addition, roguelike elements were added here. It seems that they are indispensable in modern indie gaming.
FPS Chess
Platforms Windows
Genre tactics, shooter
Year 2022
In FPS Chess, your skill in playing chess is not so important, because any successful move can be destroyed by an accurate shot from an enemy piece. The game combines the rules of chess with shooter duels. That's why shooting is more important than thinking.
To remove an enemy piece from the board, you must first shoot it. At these moments, FPS Chess turns into a full-fledged first-person shooter in which you need to be fast, accurate, and use the features of the environment. Each piece has a unique weapon, so you will have to master it as well.
If you want, you can change the number of certain pieces on the board if you are more skilled with a certain weapon. And the game is completely free, so there's no reason not to at least try it.
King of the Bridge
Platforms Windows
Genre tactics, puzzle
Year 2024
In King of the Bridge, you need to cross a bridge guarded by a troll. He won't just let you through, so you have to play chess with him first. The main nuance is that the rules of this chess differ significantly from standard chess, but how exactly is a mystery.
This is what you will gradually have to figure out. For every rule violation, you immediately lose, but sometimes you can outsmart the troll or use its rules against it. That is, you are not just playing chess, but a kind of puzzle to understand the deeper nuances of the game. It's a one-time pleasure, but it's definitely not standard.
Because, for example, in King of the Bridge, you can take a piece completely off the board to use it in a more interesting way. At such moments, the game is reminiscent of the outstanding Inscryption, and such a comparison is already a high honor.
Lazy Chess
Platforms Windows
Genre tactics
Year 2021
In standard chess, you almost always have many options for your next move. This variety can be confusing for beginners, as it's very easy to get confused and overlook a winning tactic. Lazy Chess solves this problem because you will always have only two possible next moves.
The game engine analyzes the situation on the field and offers you a couple of options. The nuance is that the game does not indicate which move is better than the other. That is, you can always choose the wrong option with a 50% probability. Which is still enough to win some games.
The developers of Lazy Chess created the game to popularize standard chess among beginners. That's why the rules are also standard, but with almost no thought and stress factors. However, the game still found a place for a rating system and some additional modes.
Master of Chess
Platforms Windows
Genre tactics, role-playing game, puzzle
Year 2024
This is perhaps the only game among all chess simulators that focuses more on the player than the piece. In Master of Chess, you have to build a career as a successful chess player. To do this, you need to constantly train and improve your character's skills, while also keeping an eye on his condition.
There is also chess in the game, but the developers have approached it in an interesting way. You can turn on a mode in which the AI will play all the games for you, and you will only have to continue to manage the life of the protagonist. However, if you want, you can also play all the chess matches yourself. Or at least with comments and help from your character.
Steam reviews compare the game to Football Manager in the world of chess. And this is really the best description.
Pawnbarian
Platforms Windows
Genre tactics, puzzle, roguelike
Year 2021
Pawnbarian adds not only roguelike and puzzle elements to the chess rules, which is not surprising after the other games on the list. The most interesting thing is that it has found a place for elements of collectible card games like Hearthstone.
Each turn you will receive cards of chess pieces. It is with the help of them that you will walk and try to overcome other pieces. Cards and the main character can be upgraded to be more deadly. Yes, the word "deadly" sometimes applies even to chess pieces.
Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate
Platforms Windows
Genre tactics, roguelike
Year 2022
In Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate, all the black pieces betrayed their king. The king didn't like it at all, so he decided to take revenge. And his trusty shotgun will help him do it.
The game combines standard chess moves with the ability to shoot at enemies. But don't expect fast gameplay, because in one move you can either make a shot or move the king. After firing a shot, you must move to reload your weapon.
Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate has roguelike elements, meaning that the king and his weapons can be upgraded to open up new possibilities. One session lasts about twenty minutes, so the game won't take much time.
The Ouroboros King
Platforms Windows
Genre role-playing game, tactics, roguelike
Year 2023
Standard and not-so-standard chess pieces, roguelike elements, the ability to level up your army and get useful bonuses. The Ouroboros King seems to take all the gameplay achievements of indie games in recent years and transfer them to the chessboard. And it does it quite successfully.
The game even found a place for a simple story. It also has Ukrainian localization, which is something we always support.
Zen Chess: Mate in Two
Platforms Windows
Genre tactics, puzzle
Year 2019
This is probably the closest game to classical chess on this list. Because it looks like chess and works like chess. There are no combinations of genres here, everything is as close to the real rules as possible.
Instead, Zen Chess: Mate in Two offers a set of 150 puzzles, i.e. chess pieces in which you have to checkmate your opponent in two moves. This is pretty standard entertainment among chess fans who practice their skills in this way. However, beginners can also enjoy the game, and at the same time, it will help them better understand "great" chess.
Zen Chess is a whole series of games. There are also versions where you need to checkmate in one, three, and four moves.
Honorable mention
Teamfight Tactics
Platforms Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Genre tactics
Year 2019
This is the farthest game in our selection from standard chess. But the automated horror genre was so popular at the time that we couldn't do without it. What started as a fan-made modification for Dota 2 attracted the attention of Valve and Riot Games. However, the former has given up on its Dota Underlords, but Teamfight Tactics is still showing signs of life.
In the game, you need to place hero figures on the battlefield and watch them defeat enemies. The figures gradually level up and become stronger. Fighters can also find useful items that will come in handy during battles.
It sounds standard and almost boring on the surface, but Teamfight Tactics attracts with its combination of simplicity and depth. It is definitely worth a try.
Of course, there are more unusual variants of chess than are listed in this article, such as hexagonal chess, three-player chess, chess on a 10×10 board, 3D chess from the Star Trek series, and others. Plus a bunch of video games starting with the classic Battle Chess.
Do you know how to play chess? Do you have a favorite example of an interactive version of this game? Share your options in the comments. They don't have to be unusual. The main thing is that the game implementation itself is worthy.