Pawnbarian: a Puzzle Roguelike

Pawnbarian is a turn-based puzzle roguelike that combines chess-like strategy with roguelike deckbuilding. In bite-sized but challenging sessions, you play cards to control your hero like a chess piece on a tiny dungeon board, outmaneuver enemies with their assortment of tricky abilities, and become the mightiest warrior of the Chesslands!

Use a deck of chess pieces to hack and slash through hordes of monsters. If you're familiar with chess, you'll pick up the basics instantly; if not, you'll learn in minutes. Carefully plan your moves to navigate challenging, emergent tactical situations. Spend treasure to upgrade your cards with additional powers. Blitz through quick 15-30 minute runs - or die trying. Take on the infinite post-run Gauntlet to see how long you can survive. Pick from 6 characters to conquer 3 dungeons, all requiring a unique approach. Progress through Chains, a series of extra difficulty modifiers.

The game focuses on mastery, not permanent upgrades. There are no permanent upgrades, and not much that needs unlocking. The progress and satisfaction come from your growing mastery of the game's elegant systems! There are no complex and varied builds. The shops provide a few key decisions, but the bulk of the roguelike depth lies in how you approach the emergent combat puzzles!

The ad-free demo contains a single character and dungeon. A single in-app purchase unlocks the full game.