[Review] Chess Knights: Viking Lands - Nintendo Switch

Developed By: Minimol Games
Published By: QUByte Interactive
Categories: Puzzle
Release Date: 03.18.21

Themed with Vikings, put in a chess style, Chess Knights: Viking Lands is a bit of a new type of puzzle game to me. I’ve never experienced a chess puzzle game before. Play as a Knight and try to save the other pieces, while also not getting taken out in the process.

In chess, a Knight moves in an L motion. Two vertically and one horizontal, or vice versa. This makes movement in Chess Knights rigid, but also more about planning. The other pieces, the opposing pieces also play by the rules of chess. Plan your moves out with this in mind. After you rescue a piece, you’ll then need to return home safely.

With touch screen controls, the game plays just fine. As long as you know how chess pieces move. With buttons and the control stick, it’s awkward at best. Buttons themselves do the job fine. It’s aiming where to move, which is not. If your piece is looking down, pressing up with aim your piece where it’s looking and so on. So at times, to move my Knight, I need to more or less pull the stick back and just curve it to aim. You are definitely better off using the touch screen.

If you don’t mind spruced up chess pieces and a mostly empty, but appropriately themed background, you’ll be liking how Chess Knights looks. Personally, I find it a little bland, but most puzzle games are in themselves very plain unless they go out of their way for a cartoony or bombastic appearance. The music, also appropriate to the title does stand out however.

I struggled at first, but then sitting back and relaxing, thinking things out made me look at the game differently. I’d like the button controls to be adjusted, as some players won’t play this in handheld, but you can always use the touch screen in handheld thankfully. Chess Knights: Viking Lands was an enjoyable puzzle game that felt novel to me, which makes me look past some of the issue I had.