Best of July 2022

Ep. 07 - Shotung King: The Final Checkmate

Simplicity can be such a convincing attribute of a game, as we saw recently in the Review for Stacklands. But simplicity does not equal simple or easy, does it? We are now looking at a game called Shotgun King. A tactical roguelike, played on a chessboard with ‘a few’ altered rule-sets compared to the original game of chess. Just a tiny few changes. Really fun ones as well! 

You are, in fact, the King, black side of the chess board and all alone, except for your trusty shotgun. Yes, indeed, Shotgun Chess. In a way. Let’s roll with it for now, shall we? So, there THEY are, the opposition. A team. Multiple. Strength in numbers. Here WE are, on our own, going turn by turn, trying to survive against all odds! Shotgun at the ready, checking our remaining ammo and health, looking for a gap in their defense.

I was a little bit surprised by how challenging a simple looking game like Shotgun King could become in a matter of minutes. The Demo already offers a taste of what’s to come with upgrades to try out (for example a wider spread or more shells in the gun etc.), enemies to overcome and different strategies to experiment with. The best twist, in my opinion, was that you could get a defeated enemies movement skill as a power-up for one turn. So instead of moving as a King you moved as a rook for one turn. Very enjoyable and satisfying gameplay altogether! Graphics are, as said before, very simple, but work well for what the game does. The sound effects are also kept simple, but do provide enough satisfying moments when you shoot an enemy or beat a level.

From what I could glean from the Demo, the game is a satisfying tactical brain-burner type of challenge that offers a lot in short sessions, for those that are into chess and tactics.