WizardChess

About

WizardChess is a single player tactical role playing game with fantasy and comedy themes. It was developed by Two PM and was released on December 14, 2024. It received positive reviews from players.

WizardChess is a roguelike deckbuilding game that combines chess strategy with RPG elements, featuring procedurally generated maps, randomized encounters, and permadeath. Players must build and position specialized units with unique skills to defeat enemies and bosses, and can recruit, upgrade, and sacrifice units to create their ultimate army. With distinct biomes, room-types, and short runs, WizardChess offers a deeply strategic and engaging experience for players.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 66 reviews

gameplay9 positive mentions

grinding2 negative mentions

WizardChess offers a fun and chaotic blend of strategy and roguelike elements, making for engaging gameplay with unique units and team combos.
The game's art style and jazzy soundtrack add charm and personality, enhancing the overall experience.
Despite some flaws, many players find the game addictive and enjoyable, with a lot of potential for future updates and improvements.

The game suffers from balance issues, with certain units being overpowered and making optimal strategies too easy to exploit.
Many mechanics are poorly explained, leading to confusion and a reliance on trial-and-error, which detracts from the strategic experience.
The game has been criticized for its design choices, such as cumbersome controls and a lack of clarity in unit abilities, which can make gameplay feel tedious.

gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
33%
17%
The gameplay is a mixed bag, offering a fun and quirky take on tactical strategy with unique units and engaging mechanics, but it suffers from a lack of clarity and depth in its design. While the game features enjoyable, fast-paced sessions reminiscent of grid-based RPGs, many players find the mechanics overly complicated yet simplistic, leading to confusion and trial-and-error gameplay. Overall, it shows potential for growth, but currently feels incomplete and in need of more content and better tutorials.
- “It takes the fun gameplay of grid-based RPGs like Fire Emblem or Disgaea, but trims them down into sweet 30-minute bursts.”
- “There are tons of unique units to experiment with, hundreds of team combos, and fun gambling mechanics to keep runs feeling fresh. The game's simple art style keeps things readable without sacrificing charm.”
- “The art and soundtrack have so much character, and while it looks like a silly game, it has pretty deep gameplay.”
- “Lots of mechanics aren't really explained well, so there's way more trial-and-error than there should be.”
- “The mechanics of the game are a little too simple while also being simultaneously complicated, and I found that a lot of the game was spent running around the board with 1 or 2 pieces and trying to chase the piece that I wanted to capture.”
- “The tutorial is just some snarky dialogue that explains the movement mechanic but not really combat, so the three numbers under each unit are not explained. I assume one is attack, one is health, and the third is like magic or something, but as I try to figure it out, I don't have time to tease out what the tutorial doesn't cover because the entire game is timed, which I did not expect.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
86%
7%
7%
The music in the game is widely praised for its fun, energetic jazzy score that enhances the gameplay experience, adding a sense of excitement even during routine actions. While many players appreciate its charm and character, some note that it can become repetitive over time. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's unique style and enjoyment.
- “The music really surprised me; it's this fun, energetic jazzy score that never fails to make me feel like I pulled off a big heist, even when it's just another pretty average double kill.”
- “The music is excellent; I love the art style and the sense of humor the whole game has.”
- “Oh, and the soundtrack is insanely good; I can't get these songs out of my head...!!”
- “The music got a little old for me pretty fast, so I just switched to my own tunes.”
graphics
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
22%
22%
The game's graphics feature a simple and expressive art style that enhances its charm and readability, contributing to a fun and engaging experience. While many players appreciate the unique aesthetic and character it brings, some critics argue that the visuals can feel overly simplistic or even unpleasant, suggesting a lack of depth in the design. Overall, opinions are mixed, with a divide between those who enjoy the quirky style and those who find it lacking.
- “The music is excellent, I love the art style and the sense of humor the whole game has.”
- “The art style is so silly and expressive in the best way, I love how everything is simplified to its bare essentials.”
- “The art and soundtrack just have so much character to it, and it looks like some silly game with the aesthetic, but it has pretty deep gameplay.”
- “This very poor quality visual style is a method that lazy devs often use to disguise their lack of talent or interest in doing the graphics properly, trying to disguise it under the name of 'art' or 'we made it look bad on purpose', which really isn't something gamers should have to put up with.”
- “Don't be fooled by the art style and humor!”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is widely appreciated for its cuteness and charm, complementing its deep gameplay and excellent music. While the art style and comedic elements are engaging, some players find the gameplay itself to be unconventional. Overall, the humor adds a delightful layer to the experience, enhancing the game's appeal.
- “Cute and funny with deep gameplay and great music.”
- “The music is excellent, I love the art style and the sense of humor the whole game has.”
- “Don't be fooled by the art style and humor!”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to the requirement of dealing a specific amount of damage to defeat enemies, which can make gameplay feel repetitive.
- “It feels a bit tedious that you have to deal a specific amount of damage to enemies to kill them.”
- “It's regularly tedious.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is marred by a toxic environment, where the developer's inability to handle criticism leads to cyberbullying and intimidation of players who express honest opinions. This creates a negative emotional experience for users, overshadowing the game's merits.