Chess is a classic game, and more popular than ever—also, crucially, fiendishly hard to innovate on. That hasn’t stopped people from trying, and you’d be surprised at how many chess-themed indie games are out there on Steam. From 5D Chess With Multiverse Time Travel for a sugar high to notable puzzle games like Chessformer and Chessarama, or outright roguelites like Pawnbarian and Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate, it’s tough to stand out.
Our latest contender is Gambonanza, an indie game that aims to take some Balatro-esque gambling theming and apply it to a chess roguelike formula. Unfortunately, it creates way too many blunders along the way to make it worth recommending, even for the most casual chess fan.
