Chess Challenge!

Genre: Board Game

Players: 1-2 Competitive (Local Alternating / Local Wireless Alternating)

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Review:

Chess Challenge! is a version of the classic Board Game released in 2010 on Wii via the WiiWare service, and also released on the Nintendo DSi via the DSiWare service in 2010 and then grandfathered into the Nintendo 3DS eShop when that system was released.

The presentation in this game makes use of 2D visuals with ugly hand-drawn character designs as well as multiple display options for boards and for pieces, all of them bad. The boards are all bland-looking, and most of the pieces make it difficult to distinguish between kings, queens, and bishops… the once exception being an absolutely hideous yellow and orange set that works but… yuck. This is backed by “funky”-sounding music that does not seem appropriate for chess, and isn’t all that good in its own right.

Unfortunately, the options this game provides aren’t that great either. You can set the time clock but apparently can’t choose to go without it entirely. There’s no undo button, no hint button, no tutorial or even a guide. This is a surprisingly bare version of Chess, and for $5, I would expect more than this.

Yeah, I’ll just say it – don’t buy Chess Challenge!. It’s ugly and feature-poor for its price tag. You have better options on the Nintendo 3DS if you want to play a game of Chess.

tl;dr – Chess Challenge! is a version of Chess that’s ugly, with pieces that are hard to discern on the screen, an out-of-place soundtrack, and a poor selection of options for its $5 price tag. You have better options on Nintendo 3DS, get one of those other games instead.

Grade: D

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