I continue to be fascinated with the new and creative ways people have been able to apply the roguelike formula to new experiences, if nothing else just to see how they turn out. One title I never would have thought to apply it to would be the classic board game Chess, but sure enough here we are. As the game’s title implies, while your enemy will have the typical range of pieces to work with, you’ll only have your king… but the fact that he’s packing a shotgun certainly serves to even the odds. In order to make it interesting the hook is that as you progress you’ll be able to choose perks which will make you more powerful. A smart twist is that for each perk you choose another perk is given to your opponent though, so you’ll need to be sure to weigh your options carefully for fear of accidentally giving them a collective advantage the more you pile them on. Now, at some point the question becomes whether this will sustain interest since ultimately whatever modes, cards, and variations you may throw into the mix the fundamentals remain essentially the same, so it doesn’t take long before your runs tend to feel a bit repetitive, even if the level of challenge remains. Still, for the right crowd this may be just the odd bird that has some real lasting appeal for classic strategy fans.