Chessarama puzzle games collection launches on PC and Xbox in December

Minimol Games announced recently that it’s launching Chessarama, its collection of chess-based and chess-adjacent single-player puzzle games, on PC and Xbox on December 5. The Rio de Janeiro-based studio is launching the game in partnership with SMG Studio. It’s currently available to wishlist on Steam.

Chessarama includes eight games that use the traditional rules of chess in unconventional ways — for example, a knight piece still moves like a knight, but it does not move on the traditional set of chess tiles. The games each have their own theme and setting, including one set in feudal Japan, one on a soccer pitch and another on a dragon slaying adventure. Each campaign includes over 100 levels and challenges, as well as leaderboards and daily and weekly challenges. It also features “classic chess” for those who want to play the original game.

Raphael Dias, Minimol Games’ CEO, said in a statement, “Chessarama is a chess player’s dream come true, offering creative challenges that will put your chess skills to the test. That said, Chessarama doesn’t require any knowledge of chess whatsoever, as each variant gently onboards players by offering gentle challenges before gradually increasing the difficulty. Casual players will have fun simply puzzling their way to the end, while more dedicated fanatics can really put their skills to the test by trying to compete on the leaderboards for solving a stage in the fewest number of moves.”

Minimol has also released several dev diaries chronicling Chessarama’s creation, called Checkmate Chronicles. It’s also partnered with Chess.com as a sponsor of the Champions Chess Tour online tournament on the remaining part of its 2023 season.