Chess Knights: Shinobi (2020)

Developer: Minimol Games
Platforms: Windows, macOS
Genres: Casual, Indie, Strategy
Rating: 4.1 of 5, 70 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 1.9 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 move like a ghost through samurai-infested chessboards, one mistake from failure, in a tense, quiet puzzle of stealth and precision.

stealthytensemethodicalpuzzle-likepunishingatmosphericstylizedturn-based

What players say

Players praise the relaxing atmosphere and clever puzzles that use knight moves in new ways, noting the game teaches chess fundamentals without feeling like a lesson. However, some players are frustrated by a lack of instructions, especially in a specific golden room they say is unwinnable.

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.