ChessLocke

About

ChessLocke is a single player tactical role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Taylor Hatton and was released on March 4, 2021. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

ChessLocke is an indie strategy game that adds RPG elements to Chess. Your pieces gain experience points, level ups, and new abilities to unlock and upgrade as you progress through a campaign where every game is unique.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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80%Audience ScoreBased on 40 reviews

music2 positive mentions

story2 negative mentions

ChessLocke offers a unique and innovative take on chess, introducing special abilities for pieces that add complexity and challenge to the gameplay.
The game is highly addictive and enjoyable, providing a fun way to spend time and hone strategic skills across a hundred stages.
The community is supportive, and the developer is responsive to feedback, which enhances the overall experience for players.

The user experience is unintuitive and overwhelming, particularly regarding the introduction of abilities and lack of a proper tutorial.
The graphics and design are considered unattractive, with issues like uncentered pieces and limited customization options.
The game suffers from inconsistent AI performance and a grindy XP system, making progression feel tedious and frustrating.

story
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The story aspect of the game is intertwined with its mission structure, where players navigate through various dungeons with unique starting positions and limited special abilities. While this adds strategic depth, some players feel that the mechanics can detract from the narrative experience, as quicker victory conditions may overshadow the story-driven elements. Overall, the narrative is engaging but may be overshadowed by gameplay mechanics.
- “Now that I've played through the whole game (and beat it like it owed me money). All dungeons and missions done in 38.8 hours, with about 10 hours of breaks.”
- “However, I think this mechanic is also a drawback when sometimes it's much faster to end the mission by landing on the opponent's throne than to capture all enemy pieces.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The graphics are noted for their artistic quality, complemented by great music, making the game a worthwhile purchase. However, some users feel the graphics are overly 'professional' and may detract from the game's originality, suggesting that those less concerned with visuals might still enjoy the experience.
- “Great artwork and music, a great deal totally worth buying!”
- “I wish the graphics weren't so 'professional'.”
- “If you're not worried about graphics, it's definitely an original game.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in the game is highly praised, with reviewers highlighting a "killer soundtrack" that enhances the overall experience. Coupled with great artwork, the music contributes to a compelling atmosphere, making the game a worthwhile purchase.
- “Great artwork and music, a great deal totally worth buying!”
- “Killer soundtrack, wide variety of maps/layouts, achievements to unlock for extra XP... oh, did I mention you get XP and can upgrade chess pieces to have abilities?”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game excessively tedious and frustrating, often describing it as "too grindy" and noting inconsistencies in the AI that exacerbate the experience. Overall, the grinding is seen as a significant drawback that detracts from the game's enjoyment.
- “Much, much too grindy and the AI is inconsistent.”
- “As it is, it's just the far side of too grindy and irksome to be worth it.”
gameplay
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players note that while the gameplay mechanics offer strategic depth, they can also lead to situations where quickly ending a mission by targeting the opponent's throne is more efficient than engaging in the intended tactical gameplay of capturing pieces, which some view as a drawback.
- “However, I think this mechanic is also a drawback when sometimes it's much faster to end the mission by landing on the opponent's throne than to capture all enemy pieces.”