The Ouroboros King is free on the Epic Games Store for those looking for some fun chess-based roguelike action

I've always enjoyed chess despite being terrible at it. I often end up facepalming whenever I make a move I perceive as genius, only to realise I've hung my queen. So whenever a game uses chess as part of its core concept, I'm always hopeful my existing knowledge comes in handy. In the case of this week's Epic Games Store freebie, The Ouroboros King, it didn't so much, not least because it introduces so many of its own rules.

It's not the only roguelike to have tried this, either, with Shotgun King and Gambonanza both taking a stab at incorporating chess with familiar mechanics. However, of the three, The Ouroboros King probably leans closest to its source material, particularly with its art style. While the other two have a woozy, pixel-art vibe, The Ouroboros King looks much more like Chess.com, with a simple aesthetic. 

For some, that'll be quite dull. If not for the different pieces or simplistically drawn boulders and portals, an onlooker might simply think you are playing straight chess. Personally, it doesn't bother me. I appreciate a clean interface, while the little pizazz Oriol Cosp has inserted does just enough to make beating your opponent feel impactful. 

But to do that, it's important to get your head around how everything works. You don't start with sixteen chess pieces, then decide if you're playing the London System or Queen's Gambit. Instead, you pick a few pieces, choose their position, then get into a match. There's not much in the way of a tutorial, relying on your prior chess knowledge to some extent, even if some of the pieces don't move the same way. 

The Reaper's Gambit

It also neglects to tell you that the win condition isn't checkmate - you either have to capture the opponent's King (or General, depending on the battle) or take the rest of their pieces. That's not a massive overhaul of the existing ruleset, but that makes not explaining it all the more bizarre. It wouldn't have taken up much time. Once I realised this was the case, I simply had to change my approach - I had to either take out every other piece or capture the King himself. 

To do that, I had The Ouroboros King's tweaked cast of chess pieces to choose from. The usual suspects like the Rook and Knight are here, but they seem far less appealing when you have the Reaper available. This guy can take any piece (except the King) as long as they're on the same coloured square, which can be incredibly powerful. Then there's the Musketeer, who can move any number of squares vertically or one diagonally. While that might not sound any better than a Queen, it also leaps back to its original position after killing a unit, allowing it to dip in and out of a dangerous position without fear. 

There's a good variety to choose from, too. Some pieces, like the Prince, are more defensively minded, protecting their own King as long as they remain three squares apart. Some can be upgraded too, with the Knight becoming the Pegasus Rider, boosting its area of influence from one hop to two. It's great fun trying to develop various strategies for each.  It lends the game a lot of replay value when throwing in the Relics and Items, too. 

At the moment, it feels like I've barely scratched the surface. I suspect that the further I progress in one run along its Slay The Spire-style map, the more I'll find that my Berserker won't be as potent once my opponents start using them, meaning I'll have to switch things up yet again. I'm certainly intrigued to find out!