Releasing Queens Lair
Roguelikes have always been turn based and quite tactical, but Michael Brough had flipped the script and turned the genre into more of a puzzle game. Like really like this new form of roguelikes (sometimes called Broughlikes) for its simplicity. You know what also is a turn based game that is simple, yet challenging? Chess! So I was wondering, "why not combine the two?" and with that, Queens Lair was born.
I started of by actually playing the game on a physical chessboard. I quickly noticed how juicy the gameplay was and how it really felt like a perfect match. So from there I moved over to implementing a basic chess computer with basic movements.
Next I implemented a basic shop system, where figures could be bought and with that the core loop was already implemented. You can actually still play the first draft.
Now, I wasn't so sure about the shop mechanic – I really hate the use of money in the game – so I replaced it with an upgrade system. This was actually the right bet. The gameplay got much simpler and crunchier. Before you could collect money to save up for a better figure. But now you actually had to slowly train your party members. Loosing a piece felt like a big setback and slowly rebuilding your party really felt rewarding.
So I had a good gameplay, but I wanted to also add some roguelike mechanics. So I came up with the artefacts. Artefacts felt game breaking and it was an awesome feeling. Originally, the idea was to allow as many artefacts as you want – but you have to bind them to a piece. Losing the piece will lose all artefacts attached to it. However, the UI was only big enough to show two at once. And so I changed it. Now they are independent of your pieces, but you can only ever carry two—which again makes your decisions even juicier.
Originally, I had planned to also add a story—Something in the lines of "The Queen has captured the dragon". But I didn't really know how to introduce the story bits. So I stripped it – for now. The first release of the game just included the bare minimum. I will add more content and maybe also some small lore teasers, but the game was just too good, not to share.
So please, if you have some time, play it and let me know what you think.
Comments
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This is so cool! Funny to not only try to avoid checkmate, but also to reach destination effectively.
I personally would want to try a version where you don’t recruit more pieces, though. To me that makes the game feel a lot less unique.
I think the chest system is cool, though being able to keep items between rounds makes me feel obligated to get them, even if I’ve already cleared- given the rogue-like nature. I might prefer more temporary benefits that time / rounds expire.
I like how you can get killed just by missing that a move would put you in check.
I like the underlying idea very much. I think it is important to focus on moving to a new location, not on killing all enemies, though. I’d suggest you avoid adding rewards for kills, or it could start feeling too much like how most people play chess or the game pawnarian.
Thank you for posting!