Pure Chess Review

"It’s Good to be The King"

Campaign

Pure Chess is simply that. It is a stand-alone chess simulator. It has local and online play. Chess Challenges test your skill in a variety of Mate situations. It also boasts a surprisingly detailed tutorial designed to teach the uninitiated the rules of the game. It also introduces different strategies and game styles that seasoned players may find beneficial. Beginning a local match lets you chose whether to play against someone locally or the computer. Then there are three styles of pieces to choose from, along with several different materials that the pieces are made out of. Lastly, there are currently a choice of three different locales to play the game. There are no special rules other than the standard chess rules and the game plays out until there is a winner or the players agree to draw.

Gameplay

Pure Chess is a great looking game. The pieces and board have a high level of detail. The only problem I saw was that the details of the crystal pieces got lost in the transparency of the material. The music is fitting, albeit more like elevator music, but it is not like an uplifting dance track would be appropriate in this situation so this is fine. The sound of the pieces moving is perhaps a bit out of place. The knight is the only piece that sounds appropriate as it lifts off the board and comes down with a click. Every other piece seems like it may weigh several kilos and sounds like furniture being dragged over concrete. Stand out features of this game is that the single player vs computer that has ten different difficulty settings. There is some satisfying gameplay to be had in the challenge modes with many scenarios involving achieving a Mate situation in one to up to five moves. Online has single matches and Tournaments with three tiers of mastery to challenge any player’s skill.

The Conclusion

Pure Chess may only be a chess simulator but the amount of content is enough to challenge any fan of the game. The detailed tutorial is evenly paced allowing anyone to learn the rules and begin playing right away. While I may not be a fan of every style piece, there is plenty of selection in the base game. As of this writing there is nothing in the store, but I am certain that there will soon be new pieces and settings to add to the collection. Skilled players and first-timers will find value in Pure Chess.

Pure Chess Review on Xbox One
Review Code provided by Ripstone

Rating Overall: 6.4