Skip to main content

Passant: A Chess Roguelike

Passant: A Chess Roguelike Game Cover
80%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:gameplay, humor
Most mentioned negative aspects:graphics, replayability
80% User Score Based on 302 reviews

Platforms

PCWindows
Buy Nowfrom $11.99
Buy NowGet on Steam $11.99
Passant: A Chess Roguelike Game Cover

About Passant: A Chess Roguelike

Passant: A Chess Roguelike is a single player tactical turn-based strategy game. It was developed by Marc Makes Games and was released on August 11, 2025. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Passant is a chess roguelike. Gather powerful pieces, items to win unwinnable games and badges which can provide power-ups and change how the game is played.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Passant: A Chess Roguelike screenshot
Passant: A Chess Roguelike screenshot
Passant: A Chess Roguelike screenshot
Passant: A Chess Roguelike screenshot
Passant: A Chess Roguelike screenshot
Skip Games Like Passant: A Chess Roguelike

Games Like Passant: A Chess Roguelike

Looking for games like Passant: A Chess Roguelike? Here are top tactical turn-based strategy recommendations, selected from player-similarity data — start with The Ouroboros King, RACCOIN: Coin Pusher Roguelike or Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate.

The Ouroboros King Image
88%504reviews

The Ouroboros King

2023Tactical Turn-based Strategy
Nintendo SwitchLinuxXbox Series X|S+9
Games like The Ouroboros King
RACCOIN: Coin Pusher Roguelike Image
84%2.7kreviews

RACCOIN: Coin Pusher Roguelike

2026Casual Turn-based Strategy
PCSteam DeckWindows
Games like RACCOIN: Coin Pusher Roguelike
Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate Image
88%6.1kreviews

Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate

2022Tactical Shooter
Nintendo SwitchAndroidPlaystation 5+15
Games like Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate
Dice & Fold Image
82%1.5kreviews

Dice & Fold

2024Tactical Hack and Slash
LinuxPCMac OS+2
Games like Dice & Fold
Black Jacket Image
93%682reviews

Black Jacket

2026Survival Turn-based Strategy
Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPC+8
Games like Black Jacket
Nordhold Image
86%1.5kreviews

Nordhold

2025Tactical City Builder
LinuxPCMac OS+1
Games like Nordhold
Die in the Dungeon Image
93%1.8kreviews

Die in the Dungeon

2023Tactical Role Playing
PCMac OSSteam Deck+1
Games like Die in the Dungeon
Cursed Words: The Word Game That Isn't Image
97%577reviews

Cursed Words: The Word Game That Isn't

2026Casual Strategy
PCWindows
Games like Cursed Words: The Word Game That Isn't
My Card Is Better Than Your Card! Image
95%729reviews

My Card Is Better Than Your Card!

2025Tactical Turn-based Strategy
PCWindows
Games like My Card Is Better Than Your Card!
Drop Duchy Image
91%1.5kreviews

Drop Duchy

2025Tactical Simulation
Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPC+7
Games like Drop Duchy
More games like Passant: A Chess Roguelike
Skip User Reviews

Reviews

80%Audience ScoreBased on 302 reviews
gameplay5 positive mentions
graphics3 negative mentions
  • Innovative and fun combination of chess with roguelike elements, offering a fresh and highly replayable twist on traditional chess.
  • Wide variety of unique and creative chess pieces, badges, and modifiers that add depth and strategic diversity to gameplay.
  • Accessible to players of varying skill levels, including those new to chess, with adjustable difficulties and an undo system to ease learning.
  • Chess AI is often unchallenging or frustrating, with repetitive moves and poor decision-making which can diminish the strategic experience.
  • Visual presentation and UI have been criticized for being basic, unclear, and occasionally confusing, with piece distinction issues especially on the 3D board.
  • Game balance issues exist, including overpowered items and strategies that trivialize gameplay, along with a lack of compelling meta-progression and content variety at higher stages.

  • gameplay

    27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    19% positive mentions, 70% neutral mentions, 11% negative mentions

    The gameplay offers a fresh and creative twist on traditional chess by integrating roguelike mechanics, multiple victory conditions, and fairy pieces, resulting in an exciting and strategic experience that rewards adaptable play. While some players find the mechanics challenging to master and the interface unpolished, the gameplay itself is engaging, providing a unique balance between classic chess strategy and innovative metagame elements. However, balancing complexity and accessibility remains a concern, especially for chess purists and those seeking smoother progression.

    • “You have to play decent chess in the early game, where material is equal, and you have to interact with roguelike mechanics because your opponents will have 70 points of material in the later game.”
    • “Gameplay-wise, I really like the attempt to balatrize chess, multiple victory conditions makes it very exciting, and makes you feel like you could reasonably come from behind in a match, which is a big deal.”
    • “It adds creative new mechanics and fairy pieces both novel and based on popular chess variants, which you'll discover and combine over a series of chess matches against increasingly difficult opponents who also have nontraditional setups.”
    • “If your game is 95% chess then grandmaster level players will breeze through your game without having to interact with your roguelike mechanics at all, and at that point they might as well play chess.”
    • “If the roguelike mechanics are so powerful that chess novices can rely on them for support, and playing correct moves is no longer important, then your game becomes just about the metagame and the chess is trivialized.”
    • “Somehow pinpoints having too many unique options without meaningfully changing the gameplay loop.”

  • graphics

    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    25% positive mentions, 37% neutral mentions, 38% negative mentions

    The graphics are generally seen as minimal and placeholder-quality, significantly detracting from the overall experience. Users suggest that a visual overhaul with improved aesthetics and zoom features could greatly enhance the game's appeal.

    • “I'd like to hover over it and see that graphic blow up or zoom in.”
    • “If I could change one thing it would be to clean up the visuals a little.”
    • “Here, the graphics significantly hinder the gameplay experience.”
    • “If the game ever receives a graphical overhaul, I will strongly consider purchasing it.”
    • “If I could change one thing, it would be to clean up the visuals a little.”

  • replayability

    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 50% negative mentions

    Passant offers strong replayability through its roguelike format, varied modifiers, unique chess pieces, and different starting scenarios, making early gameplay especially engaging. However, the lack of online multiplayer and some balance issues may limit long-term appeal for some players. Overall, it provides a fresh, fluid take on chess with good initial replay value.

    • “Passant: a chess roguelike is a bold and inventive reimagining of one of the most studied games in history, taking the rigid structure of chess and deliberately bending it into something fluid, unpredictable, and endlessly replayable.”
    • “The sheer variety of modifiers and piece interactions gives Passant remarkable replay value, but it also introduces balance challenges.”
    • “You play vs the AI only, it doesn't have online multiplayer, but it has a bunch of cool new chess pieces and the unique board setups you can choose from that offer a lot of replayability.”
    • “But don't play this game looking for a ton of replayability.”
    • “You play against the AI only; it doesn't have online multiplayer. Although it has a bunch of cool new chess pieces and unique board setups, the replayability is limited.”
    • “The sheer variety of modifiers and piece interactions gives Passant remarkable replay value, but it also introduces balance challenges that can affect repeated play.”

  • humor

    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The humor in the game is a mix of hilarious and chaotic elements, blending fun with occasional aggravation. Its comedic charm comes from the quirky, historically inspired chess pieces and the unpredictable, wild gameplay that encourages creative and amusing strategies. However, too much chaos can sometimes detract from the complexity and enjoyment of the game.

    • “Hilarious, aggravating and fun all in one.”
    • “I don't know how that happened but that was funny af.”
    • “Game is somehow funny but can become very chaotic very quickly maintaining the complexity of chess rules.”

  • music

    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    25% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 75% negative mentions

    The music is generally relaxing and enjoyable, though some users feel it could be more engaging or varied. However, there are issues with the music continuing to play even after closing the game, indicating a need for better audio management. Overall, the soundtrack shows potential but could benefit from improvements alongside enhanced visuals.

    • “Music is relaxing.”
    • “Also somehow the game music is still playing even though I closed the game already?”
    • “Need better visuals, music, and a few tweaks but potential to be as fun as Balatro.”
    • “I'm a sucker for a banger soundtrack, and if I had a little more eye and ear candy I would have zero notes here.”

  • grinding

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    Grinding in the game is described as excessively time-consuming and monotonous, turning strategic play into a dull battle of attrition with repetitive piece trading and tedious endgame cleanup. Players find the process of achieving goals overly grindy and boring.

    • “The achievements are extremely grindy and boring.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Instead of strategic play, late games become a battle of attrition, where I mindlessly trade pieces until only queens remain, followed by tedious cleanup and checkmating.”

  • optimization

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 50% negative mentions

    The game's optimization is poor, leading to performance issues despite its simple chess gameplay. However, its challenging nature drives players to keep playing and improve, contributing to its addictive appeal.

    • “This game is terribly optimized and barely runs even though it is just a chess game.”

  • story

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 50% neutral mentions, 50% negative mentions

    The game has no story, with users noting the complete absence of any narrative elements.

    • “No story”

  • emotional

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    Users find the game emotionally challenging, often feeling increased frustration or self-doubt, particularly due to its difficulty and complexity. The experience can amplify feelings of inadequacy or frustration beyond what they felt with similar games like chess.

Skip Game Offers

Buy Passant: A Chess Roguelike

Play Times

25h Median play time
20h Average play time
10-30h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs
Skip Videos

Videos

Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Passant: A Chess Roguelike is a tactical turn-based strategy game. Common tags for Passant: A Chess Roguelike include turn-based, 3D, indie, roguelite, choices matter and others.

Passant: A Chess Roguelike is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 20 hours playing Passant: A Chess Roguelike.

Passant: A Chess Roguelike was released on August 11, 2025.

Passant: A Chess Roguelike was developed by Marc Makes Games.

Passant: A Chess Roguelike has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked Passant: A Chess Roguelike for its gameplay but disliked it for its graphics.

Passant: A Chess Roguelike is a single player game.

Similar games include The Ouroboros King, RACCOIN: Coin Pusher Roguelike, Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate, Dice & Fold, Black Jacket and others.