Once a Pawn a King Review: A Brilliant Idea, Buried in Bugs

Unlike most roguelikes I play, Once a Pawn a King had already built a reputation for all the wrong reasons before I downloaded it. By the time I came across it, there was already plenty of discussion surrounding its release, with the game apparently having been taken out of the hands of its original developers before launching in an unfinished state.

Despite that, I was still curious to see what was there. A roguelike built around cartoon style chess pieces sounded like an interesting idea, especially with its promise of turn-based combat that didn’t require any real knowledge of chess. It certainly sounded different enough to make me want to give it a chance.

While I don’t think Once a Pawn a King ever fully delivers on its clever premise, there are moments where the chess-inspired combat comes together and is genuinely enjoyable. Unfortunately, those moments are often overshadowed by the game’s unfinished state, with frequent bugs making it difficult to fully enjoy.

So, is there still a good game hidden underneath the technical issues? Let’s find out…

You Don’t Need to Know Chess

One thing I really appreciated about Once a Pawn a King is that you don’t actually need to know how to play chess to enjoy it.

Yes, every piece moves according to the rules you’d expect, but the game always shows you exactly where each piece can move before you make your turn. That means you never need to remember how bishops, knights, or rooks behave, making it much easier to pick up than I expected.

It also isn’t trying to recreate a traditional game of chess. Enemy pieces follow fixed movement patterns rather than reacting to every move you make, so each encounter feels much more like solving a puzzle than trying to outsmart another player.

I actually think this makes the game far more approachable. Whether you’ve played chess for years or have never touched a board before, it’s easy to understand what’s going on after only a few minutes. On the flip side, if you’re someone looking for a deep chess simulator, you may find it a little too simplistic.

The Characters Give the Adventure Some Personality

While the gameplay is naturally the main focus, I found myself enjoying the characters more than I expected.

There’s a light sense of humor running throughout the story that stops everything from taking itself too seriously, and it made the times between battles a little more enjoyable. I wouldn’t say the story is the main reason to play Once a Pawn a King, but it does enough to give you a reason to keep you entertained.

The Problem Is It Doesn’t Take Long to See Everything

Unfortunately, this is where the game started to lose me. During my first few runs I enjoyed working out the safest way through each encounter, but it didn’t take long before I realised I was repeating the same strategies over and over again. Enemy pieces always patrol the same routes, and the bosses barely change from one attempt to the next. Once I’d figured out how to beat them, I didn’t have to change my approach.

There are some nice ideas mixed in. The environments contain traps that can be used against enemies, while chests and keys reward exploration with useful upgrades. As the number of enemy pieces increases, I also found myself having to carefully lure opponents away from the group rather than rushing straight into battle.

The problem is that once you’ve solved those encounters once, you’ve more or less solved them forever. For a roguelike, where every run should ideally feel a little different, I couldn’t help wishing there was more randomness to keep me on my toes.

Bugs Make It Really Difficult to Recommend

The biggest problem by far, is the game’s technical state. I experienced enough bugs during my time playing that made it feel more like an Early Access title. Visual issues occasionally made it difficult to see what was happening, and I also ran into moments where parts of the interface and other assets didn’t behave as they should. None of these completely stopped me from playing, but they happened often enough to become frustrating.

That’s what makes Once a Pawn a King so difficult to judge. There are ideas here that I genuinely like. The chess-inspired combat is different enough to stand out, the characters are enjoyable, and I can see why the concept attracted attention in the first place.

Unfortunately, those ideas are buried beneath technical problems that are difficult to ignore, and they stopped me enjoying the game as much as I wanted to.

Final Verdict

Like it’s Steam reviews, Once a Pawn a King left me with mixed feelings. I genuinely enjoyed parts of it. The chess-inspired combat offers something a little different from most roguelikes, the characters are surprisingly likeable, and the light-hearted humor gives the adventure a bit of personality. I also appreciated that the game never expects you to know how to play chess, making it far more approachable than its premise might suggest.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t take long before the cracks begin to show. The lack of variety between encounters means runs quickly become predictable, while the technical issues constantly remind you that this simply isn’t a finished game. It’s difficult to fully recommend something when you’re never quite sure whether the next issue is just around the corner.

That’s probably what disappoints me most. I don’t think Once a Pawn a King is built around a bad idea. In fact, I think there’s the foundation of a genuinely enjoyable strategy roguelike here. It just needed more time in development to fully realize that potential.

As things stand, I’d struggle to recommend buying it in its current state. If the game ever returns to development and receives the polish it clearly needs, I’d happily give it another look. Until then, it’s a game that left me wondering what could have been, rather than one I’ll find myself coming back to.