Chess is one of the oldest games still played today. With the resurgence of Chess in 2021, it seemed inevitable that someone would make a roguelike version of the game. However, is this a match made in heaven or a failed experiment?

Pawnbarian is the first steam release from Polish game developer j4nw. The game is described by the creator as a “chess roguelike”. The game isn’t much more complicated than that. However, the simplicity of the game opens up interesting choices that the player has to make.

In Pawnbarian the player has to select one of three classes to take on four dungeons with their own little gimmick. However, after each floor is conquered the player is awarded gold based on how many turns it takes to dispatch the foes. This can then be used to buff your pieces.

Pawnbarian feels like a match of the turn-based elements of Into the Breach and the deck-building aspects of Slay the Spire. Despite this, the game feels fresh, but at the same time familiar.

You get what you get

This is a game made by a one-person development team. This means that the content is small, as the game only has 3 characters and 4 dungeons that are 7 floors long. However, the player can then unlock additional handicaps to make the game harder.

I was able to get about 10 hours of playtime before I felt that I was ready to write a review. However, I was completely satisfied in those 10 hours. This is short for a roguelike, but I digress.

2021 has had a Roguelike drought after the amazing year of 2020. However, games like this remind me why the genre is great. Pawnbarian is rewarding, challenging, and inventive.

Concerns of replayibility

This game would be great on mobile. I played it on my Mac, but it feels like a game that would be great on the go. Each run is short and could be played on a bus or train ride.

The problem is that each run feels the same after a while. Once you learn the tricks you can easily complete the dungeons on your first try. I am not an amazingly talented player, and I was able to decipher the best strategies quickly.

In Conclusion

Pawnbarian is fun, and the developer has a great future ahead of them. Releasing a game this good on your own, and as your first project is amazing. However, I struggle to give this game an amazing score due to some of the problems I addressed.

5.9

The content is small, but as a proof of concept is fantastic. This developer has a great future ahead of them, but this game is lacking the content and balance I want.