Gambonanza

Stray Fawn Studio

About this game

Gambonanza is a turn-based chess roguelike set on a tiny board with huge stakes. Master tactical twists, invest your winnings, and discover rule-bending Gambits plus wild tile and piece combinations. Face off against challenging bosses and get lost in all the ways you can break traditional chess!

But be careful, if you waste too many moves the board will crumble around you…


FEATURES

• Snackable, high-impact runs
Play fast, punchy chess battles on smaller starting boards where every decision counts.

• 150+ rule-bending Gambits
Combine your chess pieces with Gambits to unlock devastating combos and strategic surprises.

• Dynamic reserve system
Store extra pieces off-board and deploy them at the perfect moment to swing the game.

• Strategic board upgrades
Enhance your chessboard with golden squares, blessing tiles, protective surfaces, and more!

• Fight epic boss battles
Take on big encounters that reward smart builds and punish strategic mistakes.

• Retro aesthetic and quirky ambiance
Immerse yourself in vibrant pixel art and the playful excitement of a fairground.

• Mini-games for power boosts
Test your luck and skill in challenges inspired by pachinko, slot machines, and Gachapon.


WHY PLAY GAMBONANZA?

Gambonanza takes the tactical clarity of chess and turns it into a roguelike playground: stack Gambits, sculpt the board, manage your reserves, and discover ridiculous combos that “shouldn’t work”… until they do. If you love smart strategy, replayable runs, and the thrill of breaking the rules (legally), this one’s for you.


JOIN THE CHESS REVOLUTION!

Download Gambonanza and start rewriting chess.


ABOUT THE TEAM

Gambonanza is developed by Blukulélé and published by Sidekick Publishing and Stray Fawn Publishing.
Mobile Port by Ateo

Ratings and reviews

Gambonanza is a poor imitation of Balatro. Bosses are EXTREMELY unbalanced. they always have a piece that can't be captured until every other piece has and it's always a high value piece like a queen- so they move around the board capturing pieces with impunity. On top of that they will grant effects like "stasis" which prevents OTHER pieces from being captured until you skip your turn 3 times. Might as well just have an ability that captures all of my pieces at once, it's ridiculous.

Been waiting for this game to come out for a little while, and it's well worth the wait. Obviously very Balatro inspired, but unlike most games which rely on their inspiration to be familiar and fun, this game really does a good job being creative (e.g. mini games in the shop to decide luck based purchases). Incredibly in depth settings menu as well, so you can maximize the hell out of all the satisfying effects. The sound track is an absolute banger as well. 10/10 will probably end up addicted.

I never write reviews, but had to for this game. My new addiction! Scratches that Balatro itch in all the right ways!!! Every round is like a puzzle, but it's easy to learn because you use chess rules. The Rogue lite mechanics are well done as well, you can really get some killer combos. I put hours into the demo on Steam™ and now I can play it anywhere. Goodbye productivity. Highly recommended, and a steal for the price!

What’s new

- Fixed restart/quit bonus exploits
- Fixed shop save overwrite bug
- Various gambit fixes and unlock corrections
- Fixed UI resolution and difficulty page glitch
- Fixed gamepad navigation issues
- Fixed medal display and bonus sort order
- Localization fixes