Gambiteers is Battleships with a little more depth, strategy, and a sprinkling of luck

• Gambiteers pitches itself as a board game made for mobile
• It mixes strategy, psychological warfare and luck into a surprisingly fun package
• The developer is currently testing the game ahead of launch

A few weeks ago, Steel Media hosted PGC London, which is, for the most part, a B2B affair with folks spending a couple of days networking and attending talks. However, we tend to tag along just in case any developers want to chat with a B2C journalist. And I've seen some interesting stuff over the years, including Risho Games' Gambiteers. 

Pitched as a board game designed for mobile, it sees you going head-to-head with another player, trying to collect the most gems by the end of the round. Win three rounds, and the match is yours. The developer described it to me as turbocharged Battleships, and having spent some time with it, I can understand why.

At first glance, it's pretty simple: Claim tiles on a shared board to earn gems, with some spaces offering a larger bounty of them. However, you don't immediately know what's been captured, so there's the potential of wasting a turn. Sounds entirely luck-based, right? Well, that's not entirely true. Although it's certainly one element.

Crystal balls can also be put on the board to gain knowledge of what your opponent is up to. With it, the status of tiles within a certain radius will be revealed. Then, whenever three turns pass, the crystal ball's power increases, providing a wider view of the board. It's a great way to gain more intel, allowing you to make slightly more informed decisions. The only issue is that if a tile with a crystal ball is captured, it breaks, and the vision disappears along with it.

Oh, crystal ball, crystal ball

Even so, it doesn't provide a perfect view of the board. The crystal balls themselves remain undetected until their hiding place is found, and chests work the same way. They can be placed down to gamble a few gems, with the potential payout increasing with each turn. There’s a balance to strike, though. If your opponent captures the tile it's on, they'll snag those gems, introducing some risk and reward to proceedings. 

As mentioned, these elements make Gambiteers sound largely luck-based, and I would probably agree if not for the multiple rounds aspect. Playing the same person several times brings an important psychological element to the table. Over a potential five rounds, you'll really get to know each other's playstyles, meaning everyone needs to adapt if they want to pull ahead. It means second, third, and fourth-guessing become a big deal, leading to some excellent moments, like successfully stealing a stacked chest or eliminating their crystal ball before it has a chance to provide any useful information. 

I must admit, I was surprised by how fun I ended up finding Gambiteers. The concept seemed almost too basic to have any legs, but throwing in the social angle makes it a different beast entirely. It's certainly best played in person with a good friend or relative, since this leads to some amazing moments, which could see it carve out a solid niche on mobile. Certainly, don't be fooled by the fairly uninspired look. 

And here's where I should point out a potential elephant in the room for some. Yes, the current build includes AI-generated assets. Speaking with the developer, they assured me this was to get Gambiteers into a playable state and that they have plans to hire an artist to create a more distinctive look in the future. That is good to hear and definitely needed, as the art style doesn't blow me away. 

If you're interested in learning more, check out the developer's Linktree, where you can follow them on social media or sign up for their newsletter.