You probably haven’t played a game of chess quite like this before. Imagine commanding a chess army that is not bound by the traditional constraints of the board. Envision your pawns imbued with arcane powers, your rooks armed with devastating gadgets, and your queen capable of warping across the battlefield. This is the premise of The Ouroboros King, a game that enables all of the above by reinventing chess through the lens of roguelike mechanics. But in this new strategic landscape, does careful planning reign supreme, or does the luck of the draw ultimately determine victory? Read on to find out!

A Serpent’s Invitation

The Ouroboros King is a captivating blend of classic chess strategy and roguelike elements. It presents a unique challenge: command a chess army enhanced with relics and gadgets against the formidable Coven. The core question arises: Can the timeless tactics of chess intertwine seamlessly with the unpredictable nature of roguelikes?

The Dance of Kings and Pawns

At its heart, The Ouroboros King retains the fundamental rules of chess. Anybody who has ever played chess will immediately be familiar with the environment and pieces…well, most of the pieces. The Ouroboros King introduces a roguelike layer where each run presents procedurally generated encounters and opportunities to acquire relics and gadgets. These additions significantly alter the dynamics of traditional chess, creating fresh strategic possibilities.

Each “game” that you play isn’t a full game at all. Rather, each one is in fact a scenario where you must pit your pieces against the enemy’s pieces in an attempt to usurp them whilst working your way along your chosen path.

There are several pieces that you will have never seen before, each with their own specific set of abilities, much like the original pieces have their own abilities. For example, certain pieces can move X-number of squares in one direction and Y-number of squares in another. Similarly, other pieces can grant immunity to your king, provided they are within a certain number of squares of it. Other pieces can traverse the board with near-immortality. There are also literal obstacles, such as rocks, which prevent you from passing through or over them. Instead, you must find a way around them.

In addition to the unique, new pieces, The Ouroboros King takes the original game of chess and throws in some roguelike elements too, such as relics and gadgets. These allow you to bestow unique abilities upon your pieces as well as grant you the option to set traps and even teleport pieces should you wish to do so.

You see, The Ouroboros is still very much chess at its core, but just not as you know it.

Despite all of these new pieces and their respective abilities, this backdrop provides context for the strategic battles but doesn’t delve deep into lore or character development. This is indeed a shame as a deeper story would enhance the experience further still.

The Arsenal of Strategy

The mechanics of The Ouroboros King revolve around a cycle of adaptation and strategic growth. Each game begins with the familiar framework of chess, but quickly diverges through the introduction of the aforementioned relics and gadgets.

Relics permanently enhance your pieces, granting them special powers that reshape their roles on the board. These enhancements force players to reconsider traditional chess strategies and find new synergies within their augmented army.

Gadgets, on the other hand, provide immediate tactical options that can be used strategically during each turn. These tools add an extra layer of complexity to decision-making, allowing for unexpected plays and counter-strategies.

Underpinning this whole system is procedural generation, which ensures that every run presents a unique combination of challenges and opportunities, demanding players to constantly adapt their strategies based on the available relics and gadgets. In other words, it is highly unlikely that you will ever have the same experience twice. Each game is unique and challenging in its own way, and it’s up to you to decide which options best suit your chosen style of play.

A Lone King’s Journey

Unfortunately, The Ouroboros King is a single-player experience, which is a shame because this is exactly the kind of game that would be great to play with others. Naturally, the scenario-based approach won’t work in multiplayer PvP matches, however, the option to have a full chess game whilst employing the new pieces, relics and gadgets would make for a fun and fascinating experience!

Strategic Clarity

Graphically, The Ouroboros King adopts a clean, crisp and functional aesthetic. The pieces are designed very well and are easily distinguishable from one another, whilst the board itself is clear and concise. In short, the visuals serve their purpose without being overly flashy, which suits this game perfectly.

The audio, like the visuals, is neither too flashy nor too dull. It complements the gameplay with fitting sound effects and a subtle soundtrack that doesn’t distract from the strategic focus.

The Eternal Cycle (in a Good Way)

Along with the unique pieces, the roguelike elements of The Ouroboros King inject significant replay value. The procedural generation of encounters and the vast array of relics and gadgets ensure that no two runs are the same, which encourages players to experiment with different strategies and army compositions.

Conclusion

The Ouroboros King successfully marries the strategic depth of chess with the replayability of roguelikes. While the narrative is minimal and the lack of multiplayer feels like an outright mistake, the core gameplay loop is engaging, challenging, and most importantly, fun! The Ouroboros King offers a fresh take on chess that will appeal to both seasoned strategists and newcomers to the genre and is certainly worth check-ing out (pun most certainly intended).

Grade: 8/10