Chesses - 52 Variant Roguelike

BarkShark Games

About this game

Chess 2 (through 52).

The king of Passant lost a game of chess to a machine, and he did not take it well. To make chess unsolvable again, he invented variant after variant, and every one of them broke loose into his kingdom. Now there's a neighborhood where pieces turn into whatever they capture, one where the board is mined, and one where a goose runs the HOA. You've just arrived. Bring an army.

A roguelike campaign
Pick one of six explorers, from a werewolf whose pawns have fangs to Fred, a fragile, fragile boy with glass bones. Then cross three branching acts where every fight is a different chess variant against a different opponent. Your army is your health, so every piece you lose follows you to the next fight. Shop for new pieces, rest at the campfire, open treasure chests, solve chess puzzles, and wander into 35 strange events, like a chess clock with a note that says DO NOT WIND, or a snail who processes your pawn's promotion paperwork. Collect relics and potions that give your pieces powers: Glass pieces can chain moves but might shatter, Feral pieces hunt on their own, and Thorns hurt whoever takes them.

Lose a fight and the God of Chess may offer you his hand. Find all three pages of the king's lost journal and you can face Deep Black, the machine that started it all. It can undo its moves. You can't. Then climb eight Gambit levels with every explorer.

Four ways to play
- Campaign: the roguelike run, with a new map every time.
- vs. AI: any variant you've unlocked, from Novice to Grandmaster. The AI plays by each variant's own rules, and its opponent has plenty to say about your moves.
- Pass & Play: two players, one phone.
- Online: share a 6-character code or QR code with a friend, or host a public game anyone can join from the lobby. Turn-based, with a notification when it's your move.

52 variants
Classics like Chess 960, King of the Hill, Three-Check, Horde and Duck Chess sit beside dozens of originals:
- Identity Theft Chess: you are what you eat. A queen that takes a pawn becomes a pawn.
- Table Tilt Chess: tip the table and everything slides.
- Both Sides Chess: every turn you also make one of your opponent's moves. Make it a bad one.
- Colorblind Chess: every piece is white. Wait, which ones were yours?
- Landmine Chess: the mines are right there on the board. Watch your step.
New variants unlock as you play, and each one comes with a rules card that shows its moves on a real board, so you're playing in seconds.

A cast of characters
Every variant has its own opponent, and none of them know their chess is broken. An owl who prepared for exactly zero of 960 openings. A goose with an HOA ruling. A hyena with Horse Facts. A nervous mine sweeper in a tiny hard hat.

No ads. No in-app purchases. Only Online needs an internet connection.

Your openings won't help you here.