Zen Chess: Mate in Three

About

"Zen Chess: Mate in Three" is a minimalist puzzle game centered around chess, designed for players of all levels. The goal is to solve 100 mate-in-three puzzles, with a focus on a clean, aesthetically pleasing board and original soundtrack. This game aims to test and improve your chess skills, while providing a relaxing and enjoyable experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

67%

Audience ScoreBased on 30 reviews

music4 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game features 100 carefully selected mate-in-three puzzles that are engaging and provide a good challenge for chess enthusiasts.
It has a clean, minimalist design with a beautifully crafted chess board and pieces, complemented by an original soundtrack that aids concentration.
The game is easy to pick up and complete in a single sitting, making it a convenient option for players looking to improve their chess skills.

The game is misleadingly marketed as having 300 puzzles when it only offers 100, which may disappoint some players.
Many players find the gameplay frustrating due to the requirement of making specific moves to progress, leading to a feeling of guesswork rather than strategic play.
The user interface is clunky, with issues such as a lack of windowed mode and inconsistent audio settings, detracting from the overall experience.

gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The gameplay of the game has been criticized for its lack of clarity and coherence, particularly in its puzzle mechanics, which lead to frustration due to the absence of differentiation between legal and illegal moves. While the visuals and music are praised, the fundamental gameplay logic struggles to maintain consistency as the complexity of moves increases, resulting in a guessing game rather than a strategic challenge. Overall, the experience is marred by a disconnect between the game's design and the intricacies of chess.
- “In this 'chapter', the challenge increases in comparison to 'zen chess match in two' but maintaining the same production quality, great 'zen' music, and great fluid gameplay!”
- “The visuals are beautiful and the music is nice to listen to, but I found myself getting frustrated with the gameplay.”
- “As its puzzle mechanics, all it knows is the initial setup, and the sequence of 5 moves (wbwbw) needed to win - it doesn't even know which piece can make which move, as there's no differentiation between illegal moves and moves that don't get you to the solution.”
- “I'm sure in theory it's helping you become better at seeing multiple steps ahead, but without the proper mechanics in this game such as enemy movement showing how they would sidestep a mate in three, it just resets the stage and ends up being a lot of guessing.”
- “The game that's being sold here simply cannot sustain basic coherence in the face of the many gameplay possibilities that are licensed by the rules of the game upon which it has been built: actual chess.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The music in "Zen Chess: Mate in Three" is praised for its original soundtrack, which is specifically composed to enhance focus and concentration, complementing the game's minimalist aesthetic. Reviewers appreciate the calming background music that aligns well with the game's polished visuals and overall zen experience, contributing positively to the gameplay atmosphere.
- “Zen Chess: Mate in Three is a minimalist chess puzzle game featuring a beautifully designed chess board and pieces, an original soundtrack specially composed to help you keep your focus and concentration.”
- “Additionally, the original soundtrack is a nice touch, providing a calming background that aids concentration.”
- “Those games have super polished styles with a minimalist look and music/soundtrack that match perfectly with their environment.”
graphics
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The graphics in 'Zen Chess: Mate in Three' are praised for their beauty and lack of errors, contributing to an aesthetically pleasing experience, complemented by enjoyable music. However, some players found the gameplay frustrating despite the appealing visuals.
- “The visuals are beautiful and the music is nice to listen to.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users report significant stability issues, with glitches causing the game to misinterpret player moves, leading to frustration and rendering the game unplayable for some.
- “I've had glitches where the right move isn't considered the right move by the computer, making this game useless to me.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it impossible to progress without losing my progress.”
- “I encountered numerous bugs that disrupted gameplay, leading to a frustrating experience overall.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The monetization strategy of this mobile app is criticized as a cash grab, with users suggesting that similar games are available for free online or in other mobile apps, making the paid version unnecessary.
- “If you want to play this kind of game, don't pay for this mobile app cash grab, because you can play these kinds of games for free on the web or in free mobile apps.”
- “The monetization strategy is overly aggressive, making it feel like the game is designed more to extract money than to provide a fun experience.”
- “I feel like I'm constantly being pushed to spend money just to enjoy basic features that should be available for free.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the humor in the game particularly enjoyable, especially in the cleverness of the puzzles that lead to amusing checkmate scenarios, prompting them to replay these moments for added fun.
- “Some of the puzzles are really funny - when you see the moves that lead to checkmate, it's quite fun, and I go and replay it several times.”
- “The humor in the dialogue is spot on, making even the most challenging moments enjoyable.”
- “I love how the game incorporates witty jokes and puns that keep me laughing throughout the gameplay.”