Star Wars Chess

Star Wars Chess is a 1993 chess-playing video game developed by The Software Toolworks,[1] based on the Star Wars film franchise and published by Mindscape for MS-DOS, Sega CD and Windows 3.x. A 3DO Interactive Multiplayer version was planned but never released.[1]

Star Wars Chess
Developer(s)The Software Toolworks
Disney Software
Publisher(s)Mindscape
Fox Interactive
Platform(s)DOS, Windows 3.x, Sega CD
Release1993 (Dos)
November 1994 (Microsoft Windows)
Genre(s)Chess
Mode(s)Single-player, Multiplayer

Plot

The story takes place sometime between the start and end of the Galactic Civil War between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire. The two forces establish an uneasy truce and decide to settle this with a game of chess in order to determine who holds the future for the galaxy.

Gameplay

The game follows the classic rules of chess, but at least in the DOS version, a pawn reaching the opposite end may become a queen only. The player can play either as the Rebel Forces or the Dark Side. The chess pieces are portrayed as characters which match the rank of the chess piece. For the Rebel Forces (white), Luke Skywalker is the king, Princess Leia is the queen, C-3PO is the bishop, Chewbacca is the knight, Yoda is the rook, and R2-D2 is the pawn. For the Dark Side (black), Emperor Palpatine is the king, Darth Vader is the queen, Boba Fett is the bishop, Tusken Raiders are the knights, AT-ST's are the rooks, and the Stormtroopers are the pawns. When one chess piece takes an opposing one, a brief battle scene shows the chess piece character defeating the opponent, unless turned off by the player.

Reception

Computer Gaming World concluded that T2 Chess Wars and Star Wars Chess "are examples of marketing at its best (or worst, depending on your point of view)".[2]

Mega Magazine giving Star Wars Chess a 60 percent rating stating “The chances are that if you take your chess at all seriously, you wouldn’t really enjoy this.”[3]

In 1996, Computer Gaming World declared Star Wars Chess the 49th-worst computer game ever released stating: “Proof that there really is no intelligent life (or AI) even in a galaxy far, far away”.[4]

GamePro magazine however praised the game's action scenes, sound, detailed animation and stating "Chess purists and Star Wars purists alike will enjoy this one. Most impressive!"[5]

References
  1. "The Game Fan 32Bit System Shoot Out - Who Will Lead Us Into The Next Generation?". GameFan. Vol. 2 no. 7. Shinno Media. June 1994. pp. 146–147.
  2. Kee, Jay (March 1994). "Darth Vader vs. The Terminator". Computer Gaming World. pp. 90–94.
  3. Star Wars Chess (PDF). Future Publishing. August 1994. p. 69.
  4. Staff (November 1996). "150 Best (and 50 Worst) Games of All Time". Computer Gaming World. No. 148. pp. 63–65, 68, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 84, 88, 90, 94, 98.
  5. Larry, Scary (November 1994). Star Wars Chess Review. p. 110.
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