Chessaria: The Tactical Adventure
- March 8, 2018
- Pixel Wizards
- 50h median play time
Expanding on the turn based nature of the Chess Board game and giving it a fantasy setting Chessaria has a chance to bring Chess to the masses.
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Get on itch.io StoreChessaria delivers for the first time ever, classic Chess combat backed with an epic fantasy quest. Challenge your tactical skills as you battle for Chessaria's destiny.
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Reviews
- Great graphics and art style, with a charming fantasy theme that enhances the chess experience.
- The adventure mode offers a variety of engaging puzzles that challenge players and provide a unique twist on traditional chess.
- Smooth gameplay with a good learning curve, making it enjoyable for both casual players and those looking to improve their chess skills.
- Lacks essential features like an undo move button and the ability to play as black against AI, which can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- Performance issues on various systems, causing overheating and lag, which detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- The campaign can be confusing and poorly designed, with some puzzles feeling illogical or requiring specific moves that aren't intuitive.
- graphics19 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 32 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful artwork, vibrant colors, and attention to detail, particularly in the fantasy-themed environments and character animations. However, some users criticize the game's optimization and animation quality, suggesting that it does not meet the expectations set by its promotional materials. Overall, while the graphics are generally appreciated for their aesthetic appeal, there are concerns about performance and consistency across different hardware setups.
“The attention to detail in the graphics is gorgeous and the animations are cute.”
“Graphics and environments are great!”
“As if that isn't everything, the graphics are colorful, fun, and the world and the chess boards are seamlessly integrated.”
“Graphically, it is nothing special.”
“As to why something as poorly animated and drawn requires an i7 only speaks to poor optimization - this is not some marvel like Assassin's Creed - in fact, this is not graphically near the standard of the first AC.”
“Restarting the game and getting past the opening screen reveals that it is running websites in the background, and the graphics do not reflect what was shown in the previews, despite having a very good graphics card and everything maxed out.”
- story14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is described as lacking depth, with some reviewers noting that while it features a colorful cast and engaging voice dialogues, the overall narrative is minimal and not particularly original. The campaign offers a variety of challenging missions and chess puzzles, but the lack of a meaningful storyline may detract from the experience for some players. Overall, the game is seen as a solid choice for those seeking a blend of chess puzzles and a light story mode, though improvements in narrative depth and mission design are desired.
“Not truly original, as many chess games have featured puzzle modes and campaigns, but this one is well done, and the campaign has a good amount of variety to its mission structure.”
“Overall, if you want this game so you can play solo chess puzzles through a long and detailed story mode, then it may just be worth it.”
“A variety of setups, number of pieces, and interesting missions, alongside a fun story, where characters speak and progress it forward, this is truly a hallmark in chess games.”
“The worst part though is they put in beat the stupid clock missions, so it's not a casual game, it's rush!”
“There really is no meaningful story to speak of, but the colorful cast and voice dialogues could appeal to kids.”
“One mission after the tutorial, basically the first mission, I get an impossible chess puzzle.”
- music8 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality, enhancing the overall experience with a soothing ambient soundtrack that complements the fantasy setting and challenging puzzles. Reviewers highlight the epic orchestral themes that elevate the narrative, making it engaging even for those who typically prefer to mute in-game music. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature that adds depth to the gameplay.
“The ambient music is soothing and adds to the puzzles as you think your way through each one of the different challenges presented to you in a fantasy world environment.”
“Lots of content, often challenging, wonderful art style, and great music/sound.”
“The music is superb.”
“Normally, I don't like music, and I usually switch off in-game music.”
- gameplay3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The gameplay features a puzzling mechanic centered around protecting "civilian" pieces from advancing pawns, which some players find frustrating and questionably designed. However, overall, the gameplay is generally regarded as enjoyable.
“The gameplay is great.”
“Most of these puzzles revolve around this moronic 'civilians' mechanic, meaning that your objective will be to shamble one or two pieces all over the board, trying to keep a group of slowly advancing pawns from capturing these useless 'civilian' pieces that just sit at the back of the board.”
“There are a few design choices in terms of gameplay that I found a little questionable.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that "Chessaria" suffers from significant optimization issues, requiring users to install additional software or adjust system settings to manage performance. This has led to a less smooth gameplay experience, suggesting that potential players should be cautious regarding its performance capabilities.
“My friend had to install specific software to limit the performance consumption of Chessaria, though that caused it to run less smoothly.”
“Just be aware that if you want to get Chessaria, there is some sort of performance issue.”
“If you're looking for a fantasy RPG with decent optimization, you might want to reconsider getting this.”
“My friend had to install specific software to limit the performance consumption of Chessaria (though that caused it to run less smoothly), and I had to edit power settings to force it to only run off one of my computer cores.”
“So just be aware if you want to get Chessaria that there is some sort of performance issue.”
“If you're looking for a fantasy RPG with a decent plot, any character advancement, decent dialogue, or decent optimization... don't get this...”
- grinding2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, as it focuses on repetitive mobility puzzles without teaching essential skills or techniques. While the pace of the computer's moves keeps the game from feeling slow, the lack of variety in early levels contributes to a monotonous experience.
“The computer doesn't take long in making its move, so it is not tedious waiting for it.”
“Rather than teaching you any fundamentals or useful techniques, within the first dozen levels, you will have played that many tedious mobility puzzles.”
“The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
“I spent hours doing the same tasks over and over again, which made the experience feel more like a chore than fun.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its impressive attention to detail in the surrounding scenery, which enhances the overall experience without being intrusive. The ambiance effectively complements the theme and setting, creating an immersive environment for players.
“The detail that has gone into the surrounding scenery is impressive and really helps add to the atmosphere.”
“It is atmospheric, not too intrusive, and really suits the theme and setting well.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Many users find that certain aspects of the game significantly hinder its replayability, leading to frustration and a diminished desire to revisit those sections.
“This is frustrating and seriously detracts from the replayability of some parts of the game.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Initial versions of the game faced significant stability issues, including numerous typos, glitches, and subpar AI, which detracted from the overall experience. However, subsequent updates have addressed these problems, leading to a much more polished and stable gameplay experience.
“I have to admit, the early version was a bit embarrassing: typos everywhere, glitches, mediocre AI, poor game customization, and no option to skip cutscenes that you've seen a thousand times because that stupid boss keeps defeating you... all fixed and then some.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times. It's frustrating to lose progress due to stability issues.”
“I encountered numerous bugs that disrupted my gameplay experience, including freezing and random crashes that forced me to restart.”
