Chesscade is a game I prototyped over the course of a week. The original task was to have an increasing difficulty while tracking the player's high score.
The concept I used as my starting point was to combine chess's turn-based movement with retro arcade elements. Since chess already has point values assigned to each piece, I decided to determine the player's score by granting them an according amount each time they defeated an enemy. The difficulty curve would spawn increasingly challenging opponents as the game progressed.
At first, I resisted the arcade trope of power-ups, but eventually decided to add them in on the condition of including a twist, where enemies could benefit from the power-ups as well if they reached them first. The power-ups in the current version include hearts, as well as blue potions, which allow a character to deal an extra point of damage when attacking. What initially drove me to include these was the idea that even a harmless pawn—with 1-2 more lives and perhaps an attack power-up—could become a far more serious threat if left unaddressed. This would create the illusion that the enemies have an interest in self-preservation. Taking them out would then feel more satisfying, as the opponents would feel more like intelligent adversaries, and less like... well, just pawns.
Reflecting on this prototype, I feel that the proof of concept is there, and deserves to be explored more. My primary criticism of the current version is that it's too easy. If I were to return to this project, I would begin by reworking the potion power-up, and perhaps capping lives. Rook movement could be improved, and having the enemies actively seek out the power-ups would go a long way to making them seem more goal-driven and intelligent.
Unity | C#
September 2025
Turn-Based | Arcade