Back in the late 80’s I was totally hooked on a game called Battle Chess. Having played chess in high school and missing that ability to play a game with real people any time I wanted I had turned to computer chess. Until Battle Chess arrived computer chess was pretty bland. You simply moved 2D icons of the pieces around a 2D checkerboard, but Battle Chess not only offered 3D chess, it brought the pieces to life and actually had them battle for the squares. It was totally awesome; even if the outcome was still bound to the rules of chess, and it got even better when they started doing themed boards like Star Wars Battle Chess.
When I was offered the review for Dungeon Chess on the Oculus Rift I immediately started having flashbacks to my old Battle Chess days. The only thing better than animated chess pieces based on iconic Dungeons & Dragons creatures would be my ability to virtually touch them; pick them up, and study them inches from my face…before putting them back on the board so they could engage in battle.
Dungeon Chess is a functioning chess game offering a sliding scale AI for solo matches, but if you are any type of experienced chess player you’ll want to crank that difficulty to the far right. I started off at level 1 just to see what would happen and the degree of suicidal stupidity was epic. I supposed it’s good for first time chess players who need to learn. Once you crank up the difficulty things get much better, but it’s quite clear that the designers want you to go online and play with other real humans. There is matchmaking and even a nicely integrated chat function built in.
The rest of Dungeon Chess is all about the frosting. After all, chess is chess, and there are thousands of games and ways to play on PC and mobile; some even free, so you really need to dress it up if you want someone to strap into $600 worth of hardware to play your version. Sadly, Dungeon Chess just doesn’t offer enough incentive to do so…at least not for as long as they probably want you to play.
The game offers two venues, a medieval tavern and a Japanese dojo, each with selectable artwork for the walls and various themed avatar masks you can choose to represent yourself when seated across the table from an opponent. Personally, I would have enjoyed more detail on the board itself; perhaps integrating the checkerboard into some fantasy environment. I’m not spending much time looking around the room I’m playing in once the game starts.
Where the game shines and simultaneously flickers out is the chess pieces themselves. While beautifully modeled and intricately detailed and some, even brilliantly animated, the level of battle engagement is extremely limited and what is there gets boring after a half-dozen games of seeing the same interactions. With the exception of the Dragon Queen that unfurls her majestic wings to take flight above the checkered battlefield, the rest of the pieces are rather disappointing in action.
Don’t get me wrong. I picked up all the pieces and held them to my virtual nose and studied them at length, marveling at the level of detail, the flames and smoke trailing from the mane of the nightmare and the flailing eyestalks of the beholder, but when these pieces go into battle it’s a kick of the hoof or a swipe of the sword and the losing piece fizzles out of existence. I just want a bit more zing in my VR chess game otherwise, what’s the point of playing a 15th century game on 21st century hardware.
Admittedly, Dungeon Chess is only $10, so if you are a fan of Dungeon & Dragons and/or chess then this isn’t a terrible proposition, but it could have been so much more. I have so many incredible memories of Battle Chess, with and without Star Wars pieces, and technology has come so far since 1988, but Dungeon Chess seems stuck in the past, even when exploring the new world of virtual reality.
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