It’s always great when a random indie game catches your eye. I attended a virtual preview event regarding a few upcoming titles, and was struck by a specific game called Chivalware. Developer Royal Pigeon had an intriguing thought in taking the Match 3 mechanic on a grid, but bringing a fantasy software knight into the mix. If I were simply reading about it, I might think of it as boring. Now that I’ve played it, I’m on board, as its simplicity paired with pace is a great time.
This roguelite is unique in its presentation as well as the gameplay. You are a Disk Knight in a cyber world that houses a medieval twist. An evil has arisen, and you are tasked with taking it on. Although my demo was thin on story, the theming is quite fun.
Paired with this is fast-paced, grid-based gameplay. You sit amidst a battleground of blocks, with half housing your Match 3 game and the other half holding your enemies. To engage with the Match 3 mechanic, you’ll move your Disk Knight over the top of the area that has three or more connected tiles of your weapon choice (you have three in total to use), and select the matches to power your attacks. It’s a ballet of movement and violence in action, as you have to dodge enemy attacks as you try to fill your attack meter to defeat them. I’m shocked by how much fun it is; the pace is compelling and makes you want to go for one more run.
Speaking of enemies, these are weird medieval affairs – like skeletons, swamp frogs, and more. As the first level takes place in a swamp, it makes sense, and I’m sure the variety will continue as you progress. That said, your foes do have varied attacks, as some will shoot a beam through the entirety of one grid section, hit an area of effect attack that fills a large section of the grid, or even chuck a few things at you as you try to dodge them. It’s an impressive menagerie of villains and abilities. There are also colored shields on some; you’ll have to use specific weapons to counter those, which adds to your frantic matching.
The roguelite genre comes in as you venture further. Clearing each grid allows you to move to the next one on the path to the end of each level. Along the way, you’ll earn different power-up disks, all varying in benefits. Some may let you take ten percent less damage, others buff your damage, and others could cause poison damage. These are just a few examples of the many upgrades you’ll be able to pick up – and there are permanent ones to be found as well. There are also plenty of different weapons to swap around, which have their own advantages but require you to switch them with your current arsenal. As with most roguelites, experimentation is key to finding what works for you, especially as this one breaks all the rules by bringing guns into play – this isn’t just a swords and shields game.
I love the aesthetic of Chivalware. Going with this pixel art style is perfect for the old-school, floppy disc vibe this solo dev is implementing. There is a lot happening on-screen as you battle each enemy, with a ton of color and effects to represent what’s happening. It can get a bit overstimulating, but the attention to detail is appreciated and helps you follow what move is coming next from the creature spewing bile in front of you… or whatever other horror emerges from the undergrowth.
Overall, Chivalware looks like an incredible upcoming adventure that’s well worth your time. I can’t say this genre usually catches my attention, but Regal Pigeon has brought something unique to the table. I’ll definitely be checking this out at the full release and max out my time with the demo. Oh, by the way, you can check out the demo NOW, just hop over to Steam via the link below to start saving the kingdom of the world of Chivalware.
