The concept of playing chess in virtual reality certainly has its merits. Not everyone will look for such games, but fans of the sport can certainly appreciate a change of scenery. Magician’s Gambit for the Oculus Rift is a strategy game which focuses on chess matches. For the price of $10, it is well worth giving a try. The game can be played with a gamepad while sitting down.
Magician’s Gambit Looks Very Professional
Although Magician’s Gambit is still in Early Access, the game itself looks incredibly professional. More specifically, there is only a single player campaign right now, which pits you in chess matches against an AI. The way everything looks and feels incredibly polished, and portrays what one would expect from playing chess in VR. There are no unnecessary bells and whistles to distract players. That being said, players will still find themselves in a fantasy world and magic is very real in this environment.
When it comes to playing chess in VR, Magician’s Gambit surpasses the competition by leaps and bounds. Granted, this all depends on personal preference, but it is evident most people will take a liking to this particular game. The dark and fantasy-esque style provides an interesting game world, even though Magician’s Gambit mainly revolves around playing chess first and foremost. It is difficult to balance these two concepts, but the developers have done an incredible job.
The main antagonist in this game is an evil dwarf. It is a fantasy world, after all. The use of magic is quite prevalent in this game, as it can be used to move and manipulate the chess pieces accordingly. This aspect alone is well worth the price tag for Magician’s Gambit, even though there are some games which are cheaper and provide a “pure” chess experience. For fans of fantasy and chess, magician’s Gambit checks all of the right boxes.
In a future update, the developers plan to add online multiplayer as well. This could open up some interesting opportunities, especially for the VR chess community as a whole. For an Early Access title, we are well impressed so far, and we look forward to giving the multiplayer option a try as well. Playing chess in VR while sitting in a bar below the earth in a fantasy world sounds pretty appealing to us. Your mileage may vary, though.
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