Underplayed Gems

Petrified Pawns (2025)

Petrified Pawns cover
Developer
Bult Games
Platforms
Windows
Genres
Indie, Strategy
Rating
4.8 of 5, 20 player ratings
Typical playtime
about 2.5 hours
Where to get it
Steam
The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

You command a squad of chess pieces in tactical turn-based battles where units auto-attack after movement, requiring careful health management and strategic positioning.

turn-based tacticsstrategicmethodicalauto-battlingparty managementstylizedrogue-like progression

What players say

Players like the mix of chess and dungeon crawling, praising the randomized maps and skills. Some note the queen can solo most encounters, making other pieces feel unnecessary. A few mention achievements are unclear, and non-English speakers report no language barrier as there is no story.

Screenshots

Petrified Pawns screenshot 1Petrified Pawns screenshot 2Petrified Pawns screenshot 3Petrified Pawns screenshot 4Petrified Pawns screenshot 5Petrified Pawns screenshot 6

More games like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.