Who doesn’t love a good tactical game? There’s this timeless quality to turn-based strategy games that tickles that nostalgia bone, yet when done right, they always manage to feel new and exciting. Although the core principles remain fairly stable across tactical games, it’s the clever mechanics that often keep them unique. Today, we’re diving into WizardChess. Now, don’t be misled by the name—this isn’t chess as you know it, but I’ll walk you through why that’s the case. I’ve been playing WizardChess quite a bit and while there are plenty of elements I genuinely appreciate, I’ve got my reservations too—starting with the game’s name.
WizardChess only loosely resembles chess; the pieces move and attack in a similar spirit, but that’s where the similarities end. If you approach this expecting a chess clone, you’re in for a surprise. WizardChess indeed delivers on the strategy front, but its distinctive ruleset and fluid gameplay set it miles apart from traditional chess, making it a unique experience of its own. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing unless, of course, you’re coming in with specific expectations. In that case, you might find yourself a tad confused—or worse, slightly miffed.
Once you begin WizardChess, you’re plunged into a dungeon setting where you face various encounters and ultimately confront a tutorial boss over several rounds. The tutorial is quite detailed—which, frankly, is essential to understanding the game’s mechanics. There are numerous unlockable units here, and figuring out what each does is crucial to mastering the game. A downside is that the tutorial doesn’t save progress. I had to exit the game and abandon my run, which forced me to skip ahead. Jumping directly into another mode was a bit disorienting, but such is life in the gaming world.
In tutorial mode, WizardChess leans heavily into turn-based strategy. You play units from collected cards and have ample time to strategize. While you can only move one unit per turn, this does add to the challenge of positioning everything perfectly, given enemy movements. Some units have special powers that cost movement to activate, so there’s a delicate balancing act involved. Once you attack by moving next to an enemy unit, combat takes care of itself, relying on each unit’s stats. Once I got the hang of it, I found the pace agreeable—except for the frustration of having to start over.
Arcade mode, on the other hand, delivers a different beast entirely. Here, you start with a set of units already placed on the board, battling against a clock. You aim to defeat as many opponents as possible before a boss spawns. The limit on in-game currency means you’re not making as many upgrades as you might hope, forcing you to speed through rounds. While this quick pace is necessary, it can dilute the strategic depth that fans of turn-based games might expect.
The Shop in WizardChess offers a neat twist: besides acquiring new units, you can also choose to boost the stats of current units. Initially, though, I advise focusing on expanding your roster rather than just enhancing existing units.
Plus, there’s an intriguing layer where you can imbue units with elements, influencing their behavior in battle. Fire makes them aggressive, water turns them defensive, and so on. This gives you more subtle control over your forces.
However, I couldn’t defeat the first boss in Arcade Mode. My army was overwhelmed each time, leaving my support-only hero to meet the same fate. With Arcade Mode seemingly being the main attraction here, the lack of a campaign mode is a missed opportunity. The narrative potential is there, spurred by the characters introduced during the tutorial—but no narrative development is possible without a campaign structure.
WizardChess is a game that encourages short play sessions. It hooks you with the challenge of seeing how far you can push within a single run rather than over a prolonged campaign. Yet, for long-term engagement, I wonder if the same intensity would hold up.
Control-wise, the game operates simply. It’s point-and-click, with each unit having its specific movement pattern. This can feel a touch clunky, especially since the terrain can complicate movement further, which doesn’t entirely sync with the game’s timed nature.
To sum up, WizardChess feels like a mixed bag. The developers have put some commendable ideas into play, even if they don’t all harmonize perfectly. A game that fuses real-time and turn-based elements is ambitious—but combining these distinct styles introduces more challenges than solutions, at least in its current form.
I really admire the bold vision behind WizardChess and appreciate the creative risks taken. It potentially clicks well for some, offering an exciting experience. But for now, I might be browsing for something else to scratch my strategy itch. The ideas are plenty, but whether they coalescence successfully is still up in the air.
