Pocket Chess – Chess Puzzles
"Pocket Chess – Chess Puzzles" is a game that offers hundreds of chess puzzles and problems to help players improve their chess skills. The game provides a fun and interactive way to learn and master different chess strategies and tactics. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced chess player, this game offers a challenging and engaging experience to enhance your chess game.
Reviews
- The game offers a unique approach to chess puzzles, focusing on endgame scenarios that help improve strategic thinking.
- The graphics and design are appealing, making the game visually enjoyable while playing.
- The puzzles are engaging and progressively challenging, providing a good learning experience for both beginners and experienced players.
- The game is plagued by excessive ads, often interrupting gameplay and making it frustrating to enjoy the experience.
- Some puzzles are incorrectly designed, leading to stalemates when checkmates are possible, which can confuse players.
- The hint system is expensive and often requires watching multiple ads, which detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- monetization773 mentions
- 5 % positive mentions
- 1 % neutral mentions
- 95 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game heavily relies on ads, which players find excessively intrusive and frustrating. Many users report that they spend more time watching ads than actually playing, with frequent unskippable ads appearing after nearly every level. While some players acknowledge the necessity of ads for a free game, the overwhelming volume and length of these ads significantly detract from the overall experience, leading many to consider purchasing an ad-free version or uninstalling the game altogether.
“Highly recommend paying for no ads if you want the best experience.”
“The ads were a pain, but the no ads charge is pretty modest.”
“No ads make it so much better.”
“I was really enjoying the game until it started spamming with ads.”
“You spend more time watching ads than playing the actual game.”
“The frequency and duration of the ads makes this game practically unplayable.”
- graphics36 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics of the game have received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many users praising the beautiful artwork, polished visuals, and pleasing aesthetics. The game's art style and animations are highlighted as standout features, contributing to an enjoyable gaming experience. However, a few users noted potential performance issues, suggesting that the graphics may impact device processing.
“I think it's the most beautiful chess game in artwork - because all other chess games do not look good, plus, it's fun to play.”
“The game is simple and the graphics look polished.”
“Pleasing aesthetics on the eyes and cute pieces.”
“I don't know if my phone is getting hot because of bad graphics implementation or if the app is using my processing power for something else.”
“It feels more like a game app rather than a chess app like other developers have with weird old software-like graphic interface.”
“Ok graphics.”
- gameplay15 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally praised for its smoothness, engaging challenges, and accessibility for beginners, allowing players to dive right in without being overwhelmed by complex mechanics. Many users appreciate the hundreds of levels available, which provide a good brain exercise and opportunities for improvement, although some express frustration with intrusive ads that disrupt the experience. Overall, the game is considered fun and well-designed, making it a valuable tool for enhancing chess skills.
“The challenges are interesting, the gameplay is smooth, and there are hundreds upon hundreds of levels to play.”
“I've been using it for a long time and it really helped me improve my gameplay.”
“The gameplay is really smooth and has helped me improve.”
“To engage in gameplay beyond a brief 15-minute session, one must either possess substantial financial resources or demonstrate exceptional chess skills.”
“Fun and well made, the awkward x button ads cause you to accidentally open them; I wouldn't mind if they were non-intrusive, but they get in the way of the actual gameplay.”
“Pretty good puzzles, but there are 45 seconds of ads between 10 seconds of gameplay.”
- stability10 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, frequently freezing during gameplay and after ads, which disrupts the user experience. While the puzzles are enjoyable, the excessive and buggy ads contribute to a sluggish performance, often requiring users to restart the app to continue playing.
“No glitches.”
“It freezes on the lessmore screen.”
“Great puzzles, but it is buggy and sluggish.”
“Game freezes often; needs reboot to continue.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is subtle and often arises from the player's own experiences, such as the irony of being stumped by simple chess problems despite years of experience. Users find the game's approach to chess both amusing and enlightening, with some noting the humor in the timing of ad prompts. Overall, the humor enhances the enjoyment of the learning process.
“They ask you to rate before showing the ads between levels... funny that.”
“Funny game with quick and simple chess problems.”
- music3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users express frustration with the game's music management, noting that it stops music during ads and mutes other apps, preventing them from listening to their own music. Many feel that the game lacks sufficient music content and would benefit from a more integrated audio experience.
“The game mutes all other apps, so you can't listen to music.”
“Stops music during ads.”
“Needs music, though.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find grinding to be tedious, particularly when they get stuck on levels or face repetitive tasks, such as formatting and exiting the application. This aspect can detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
“Tedious when you get stuck on a level.”
“Fine, but the grinding is tedious.”
“Exiting the application is tedious.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for causing significant frame rate drops and stuttering animations, particularly after a recent update. Players also report that the app is power-hungry and inundated with ads, detracting from the overall experience.
“However, I'm not sure if it's the new update, but I'm noticing significant frame rate drops and stuttering animations.”
“Great concept, but you will spend more time watching ads than solving puzzles. Also, the app is poorly optimized and power hungry.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players report that the game evokes a sense of accomplishment and intelligence when solving puzzles, enhancing their emotional engagement. However, there are frustrations related to accidental interactions during ad mode, which can detract from the overall experience.
“I have never been good at chess, but this game made me feel smart when I solved a puzzle.”