Cool concept executed well for the most part. I liked the retro computer aesthetic and sound effects, a good fit for Playdate! Chess pieces make for excellent game mechanics, of course, and the idea of using them in this way is a really fun one. The levels were generally short and sweet, with a lot of freedom in how you approach them.

I felt like some aspects of the game were poorly communicated - I'm still not sure what all the items do. Having to farm pieces as you used them was also a bit annoying, and being instantly booted out with no option to change piece was frustrating, especially at the start! Sometimes I had to literally go back and redo a different level to change pieces. The level completion metrics are also a bit strange, punishing you for having low health even if you did the level without losing any. I also couldn't figure out how to "kill" a king piece, just got checkmate and thus I got 0/1 pieces for the bosses.

Still, overall a fun time and I had no hesitation picking the game up for a few minutes here and there over the course of several days until I finished the campaign.