Chessarama (2023)

Developer: Minimol Games
Publisher: Minimol Games, Hawthorn Games
Platforms: Windows
Genres: Casual, Strategy
Rating: 4.4 of 5, 180 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 3.5 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

It feels like solving thoughtful, diorama-like puzzles in a calm and cheerful setting, reimagining chess rules with light strategy.

relaxingcozypuzzlingstrategiccolorfulatmosphericwholesomecute

What players say

Players are split on Chessarama. Many praise its creative chess-based puzzle modes like Soccer Chess, but a loud chorus warns that the game is buggy, with crashes, broken achievements, and missing collection items. A near-universal complaint is the lack of an undo button, a basic feature for puzzle games.

Screenshots

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More by Minimol Games

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.