CHESST

Fair warning: this is NOT standard chess - it's mischievous fantasy chess with completely different rules. I'm a casual chess player (at best) and this game won me over, but do yourself a favor and read the rules first (linked on the store page). At first, I jumped in assuming standard chess rules and got frustrated. For instance, I completely misunderstood the Bishops being replaced by the Sage and Sorcerer and how it totally changes the game. Once I had a basic understanding, the how-to section made more sense. The ? in the upper nav bar was a lifesaver mid-game while learning the pieces. The gold/blue GO scroll flips color by turn. I figured that out after thinking it was the computer's turn when it was mine. Before each match you arm up to three of your pawns with hidden items. My favs so far are the Dragon Egg (promotes to a dragon) and Bribe (hijacks an enemy piece). Since you have no idea which of your opponent's pawns are carrying what, I spent half a game carefully avoiding a pawn that turned out to be carrying nothing. The pixel art is retro-futuristic-medieval and radiates charm. So much detail! Even a super cute tiny castle takes you to the home/menu. The one thing I…

With so many Chess variants out there, I was a bit skeptical at first that the space needed another. Boy was I wrong! It's refreshing to see what the folks at what appears to be a brand-new indy-game start-up (gotta love the Moai nod in their name, lol) have achieved with their premiere offering: a genuinely cozy, charming, atmospheric little gem of a game. Is it perfect? Probably not. Chess purists need to apply, likely. But, for my perhaps more whimsical than average taste, CHESST sure beats the vast majority of Chess variants that I have seen hitherto, in terms of of the unique combo of sheer elegant invention and integration of fantasy theme on the one hand, and practical replay-ability depth add that the genius little pawn twist offers up. I can see myself playing this one for quite some time to come. So rock on, Moai people!

Very fun and creative variant of 2D chess. It can be a little confusing at first if you don't read the rules, but they're easy enough to understand and there is an easy to follow in-game guide with graphics. There are some really fun buffs for pawns that you can choose, multiple ways of winning (and losing) and the buffs don't make it overly-easy because some of your regular chess pieces are also nerfed. The graphics are nostalgic, the audio is chill and regal. Once you understand the rules, this game is really addicting!