Gambonanza

Gambonanza is a charming but extremely limited chess-and-gambling roguelike that fails to produce a compelling challenge or an experience with any sort of staying power.

Gambonanza is a solid puzzle game disguised as a cheeky roguelike, but its costume is sometimes more fun than the party itself.

Now things get particularly fascinating (at least for me—maybe not so much for you, who knows): I started this text under the assumption that Gambonanza is a pretty solid game with lots of creative ideas and a stable roguelite foundation, but one that didn’t fully win me over because chess and I apparently don’t quite get along. And now here I am, and while writing this I’ve already launched the game twice. My thoughts about it have actually made me want to give its somewhat more complex style of strategy another try. Gambonanza therefore seems to be doing something very right after all.

Gambonanza is a Roguelike that absolutely feels like a team taking what made Balatro incredible and applying it to chess. This might seem derivative at first, but it's pulled off so well in the end that it ultimately feels like its own amazing thing entirely. Initial pacing at the beginning can feel a little slow and repetitive, but once you start unlocking new items via progression and simply learn the game, it becomes a deep and surprisingly intense loop of incredible and different-feeling chess action. Imitation or flattery, I don't really care. Gambonanza rules.

Gambonanza isn’t as feature-rich or varied as it could be, but it remains hypnotically compelling all the same. Whether you’re a champion chess player or don’t know your Rooks from your Pawns, Gambonanza’s short, sharp matches and varied Gambit mechanics are engagingly addictive, and are worth checking out for any roguelike fan.

Overall, I highly recommend Gambonanza, whether you're a chess fan or a roguelite fan. Either way, you'll learn as you go, and I bet you'll have tons of fun as you do. It's a fantastically rewarding experience that most people will eek plenty of enjoyment out of.