ChessLocke

About

ChessLocke is a single-player Fantasy Role Playing game, with a campaign where every game is unique, based on standard Chess movements with RPG elements. Your pieces gain experience points, level ups, and new abilities to unlock and upgrade. The goal is to land on the enemy Throne and stay there for 1 turn, and XP will be accumulated to spend on new abilities and upgrades, with each power piece having 3 unique abilities for capturing, defending, and utility. The game continues even if the King is captured, and the Knight has a Joust ability for straight-line attacks.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

81%

Audience ScoreBased on 21 reviews

music2 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

ChessLocke offers a unique and innovative take on chess, incorporating 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 while honing strategic skills, with a variety of maps and layouts to explore.
The community and developer support are commendable, with a great soundtrack and engaging artwork enhancing the overall experience.

The user experience is unintuitive, with overwhelming mechanics and a lack of effective tutorials, making it difficult for new players to grasp the game.
The AI performance is inconsistent, leading to unpredictable gameplay, and the game lacks essential features like the ability to rewind moves or track captured pieces effectively.
There are limited profile features and achievements, which detracts from the overall sense of accomplishment and progression in the game.

story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The story aspect of the game is intertwined with its mission structure, where players navigate unique starting positions and limited special abilities, adding strategic depth. However, some players feel that the mechanics can detract from the narrative experience, as quicker victory conditions may overshadow the intended storytelling elements.
- “Now that I've played through the whole game (and beat it like it owed me money), I found the story lacking depth and engagement.”
- “The missions felt repetitive, and the story didn't evolve in a meaningful way throughout the gameplay.”
- “While the gameplay mechanics were interesting, the overall narrative failed to captivate me.”
graphics
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The graphics received mixed feedback, with some praising the artwork and music as impressive, while others felt the graphics lacked a professional polish. Overall, the game's originality was highlighted, suggesting that players who prioritize gameplay over visuals may still find it worthwhile.
- “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
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is highly praised, with reviewers highlighting a killer soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. The combination of great artwork and diverse gameplay elements, including achievements and upgrades, makes it 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
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game excessively tedious and frustrating, with some noting that it detracts from the overall experience due to inconsistent AI behavior.
- “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
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
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 all enemy pieces.
- “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.”