Check vs. Mate
2011
Audio: French, English
- strategy
- turn-based strategy (tbs)
- card & board game
- action
- fantasy
- single player
- multiplayer
The story
Commanders, assemble your armies! CHECK vs. MATE calls for an interactive feather duster, chartering the successful chess game principle into the present day multimedia world. Animated fantasy figurines assemble in magical worlds and await your command! As a Commander, execute skillful maneuvers on the game board and catapult yourself directly into the battle with devastating attacks, chessman vs. chessman. After a 2012 lawsuit from Interplay Entertainment over IP infringement, "Battle Chess" against "Battle vs Chess", the game and its DLCs/Editions were renamed Check vs. Mate and released digitally in North America. Although the content is the same, the game was given a second listing on Steam for the new title, as Battle vs Chess has Steam trading cards not linked to the NA title. This also lead to their being Steam key differences across online stores for the game and its DLCs/Editions causing some problems at the time.
What it’s like
Bright, storybook-style figures of knights, bishops and castles stand on chessboards set in medieval fantasy realms, with a glossy, toy-like sheen rather than gritty realism. Turns on the board feel calm and deliberate, and when pieces clash the action breaks into brisk, animated skirmishes, punctuated by quick-time button prompts and bursts of cartoonish impact. The sound is light and busy, with clattering pieces, fanfare-style medieval music, and playful thuds of combat. The vibe is cheerful and tactical, a comfortable afternoon game rather than a grim war story, suited to a relaxed evening at the desk or a controller session on the couch. Pacing alternates between slow strategic planning and short, bouncy fights that resolve quickly. Violence is stylised and bloodless, with no gore, and battles are never frightening. Difficulty ranges from easy to demanding, so the mood stays low-stakes for newcomers. It suits players who enjoy chess logic with a dash of fantasy spectacle, and fans of gentle tactics who want a light sense of competition, whether solo or in a few friendly online matches.
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