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Zen Chess: Mate in Three

Zen Chess: Mate in Three Game Cover
65%Game Brain Score
music, gameplay
stability
71% User Score Based on 42 reviews

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PCMac OSWindows
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Zen Chess: Mate in Three Game Cover

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Zen Chess: Mate in Three is a single player casual strategy game. It was developed by Minimol Games and was released on April 30, 2019. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"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.

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Zen Chess: Mate in Three screenshot
Zen Chess: Mate in Three screenshot
Zen Chess: Mate in Three screenshot
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71%
Audience ScoreBased on 42 reviews
music8 positive mentions
stability3 negative mentions
  • Zen Chess: Mate in Three features 100 carefully selected puzzles that are both challenging and satisfying, making it a great way to improve strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.
  • The minimalist design and original soundtrack create a calming atmosphere that enhances focus and concentration while solving puzzles.
  • The game is easy to pick up and complete in a single sitting, making it accessible for chess enthusiasts looking for a quick and engaging puzzle experience.
  • The game suffers from a lack of interactivity, as players are often forced to guess the specific moves required, leading to frustration and a feeling of being restricted.
  • There are reports of glitches where correct moves are not recognized, which undermines trust in the game's logic and can be demoralizing for players.
  • Some players feel that the puzzles do not offer unique solutions and that the game relies too heavily on brute force rather than strategic play, detracting from the overall chess experience.
  • music
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    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 matches the beautifully designed visuals, contributing to an overall zen experience, despite some frustrations with gameplay. The soundtrack is noted for maintaining high production quality throughout the game.

    • “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.”
    • “In this 'chapter', the challenge increases in comparison to 'zen chess match in two' but maintains the same production quality, great 'zen' music, and great fluid gameplay!”
  • gameplay
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game has been criticized for its lack of coherence and frustration due to the simplistic puzzle mechanics, which only recognize the initial setup and a fixed sequence of moves without differentiating between legal and illegal actions. While the visuals and music are praised for their quality, the fundamental gameplay logic struggles to hold up as the complexity increases, leading to a breakdown in the experience for players familiar with traditional 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.”
    • “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.”
    • “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 figure can make which move, as there's no differentiation between illegal moves and moves that don't get you to the solution.”
  • graphics
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in 'Zen Chess: Mate in Three' are praised for their beauty and lack of errors, contributing to an aesthetically pleasing experience. However, some players found the gameplay frustrating despite the appealing visuals and accompanying music.

    • “The visuals are beautiful and the music is nice to listen to.”
  • stability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users report significant stability issues, particularly with glitches that prevent the game from recognizing correct moves, leading to frustration and rendering the game unplayable for some.

    • “I've experienced glitches where the correct move isn't recognized as such by the computer, making this game useless to me.”
    • “I've encountered numerous stability issues that disrupt gameplay and make it frustrating.”
    • “The game crashes frequently, which severely impacts my overall experience.”
  • humor
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the humor in the game particularly enjoyable, especially in the puzzles that lead to checkmate, which they describe as funny and replayable. This aspect adds a layer of fun that enhances the overall experience.

    • “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 them several times.”
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Frequently Asked Questions

Zen Chess: Mate in Three is a casual strategy game.

Zen Chess: Mate in Three is available on PC, Mac OS and Windows.

Zen Chess: Mate in Three was released on April 30, 2019.

Zen Chess: Mate in Three was developed by Minimol Games.

Zen Chess: Mate in Three has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its music but disliked it for its stability.

Zen Chess: Mate in Three is a single player game.

Similar games include Zen Chess: Mate in Four, Zen Chess: Mate in Two, Zen Chess: Mate in One, KNIGHTS, Lines X Free and others.