What do you get when you have a chess-inspired puzzler with card battler and rogue-like elements? You get Pawnbarian. If that sounds exciting, not to worry. The game is set to be released on PC via Steam this Friday, September 24.
In this game, players get a deck of cards that represents chess pieces and then play them to move the hero. The main objective is to capture all enemies on any given floor by moving into them, much like what one would expect in chess.
Once each floor or dungeon is complete, players take on new and more difficult floors. Eventually, players will reach the boss and fight it to win. In a statement by developer Jan Wojtecki, the game has been designed to offer players a short and bite-sized experience. Wojtecki went on to say that for those who can master the mechanics, it’s possible to win within 15 to 30 minutes.
It was back in August when the Pawnbarian demo was made available on Steam. This was also the time it was revealed during the Yogscast Games' Tiny Teams festival.
Here are the features that players can expect:
- Use a deck of chess pieces to hack and slash through hordes of monsters.
- Those who are familiar with chess can immediately understand the basic gameplay. For those not well-versed in chess, it’s possible to learn the mechanics in minutes.
- Be sure to plan moves carefully to navigate tricky and emergent tactical situations.
- Use treasure to upgrade cards to get additional powers.
- Players can do a blitz and have quick 15- to 30-minute runs.
- Players can take on the infinite post-run Gauntlet to see just how long they can survive.
- Choose from 3 characters and try to conquer 3 dungeons. Each one needs a unique approach.
- Progress through Chains, a series of extra difficulty modifiers.
While those are indeed exciting, some features won’t be arriving at launch. These are:
- No deep and varied builds. At its core, Pawnbarian is a puzzle game.
- Few external rewards. There are no permanent upgrades. There is not much that needs unlocking.
The official site of the game reveals a plan for a release via Google Play and App Store.
