Odezza brings a tantalising mashup of poker and chess to iOS TestFlight

• Odezza is an exciting new blend of poker and chess coming to iOS TestFlight
• Take on quick eight-round runs and build your poker hands by competing in chess
• Make bets and aim to come out on top without being ruined

It would seem the Gods of Mobile Gaming have heard my prayer, whether I made it or not, and delivered a surprising blessing today. Because coincidentally, as I was writing about Gambonanza earlier today, another chess roguelike mashup was waiting in the wings. In this case, the blend of tabletop strategy and poker, Odezza!

Yes, rather than doing what Gambonanza did and simply taking some of the elements of the Balatro formula to another tabletop pastime, Odezza cuts out the middleman. Odezza mashes up chess and poker with a roguelike format, with eight-round runs that see you attempting to make the best hand possible as you play.

It's a little hard to grasp from a glance, but as far as I can tell, it involves playing through each chess match and making bets with your poker hand. Your goal is to gain as much via betting that you win without being ruined. And since it's coming from Valley of Architects dev Whaleo, it's also a treat for the eyes!

Hand in hand

I find the idea behind Odezza to be quite compelling. Admittedly, I do feel it's cribbing a bit from the aforementioned Balatro, but like with Gambonanza, I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I quite like the fact that Odezza just splices the two together, and that it actually sees you using poker hands in classic betting fashion.

You can try out Odezza over on iOS TestFlight, and it's also set to be available on Steam, which clued us in to a potential spring release date. I'll personally be keeping my eye on it, even if Gambonanza is what's grabbing my eye thus far.

But if you're looking for something a little less like poker to play on mobile, then be sure to take a look at our list of the best card battlers on iOS. That's where we rank the best roguelikes and digital TCGs!