The game was featured in the 1992 film Knight Moves about a chess grandmaster who is accused of several murders. The game has an opening library of over 30,000 moves (which were not available for the Commodore 64 and Apple II versions).īattle Chess was the first title developed and published by Interplay Entertainment themselves after ending their relationship with Electronic Arts, besides Neuromancer.
BATTLE CHESS ANIMATIONS PC
Digitized sound is utilized in the DOS version for all battle sound effects and is played through the PC speaker, without the need for a sound card, using a technique akin to RealSound.īattle Chess can be played against a human opponent (by hotseat, null modem or over a local area network in some ports) or against the computer's artificial intelligence (AI). The game can be also played in a 2D version with no animations, and the Amiga CDTV version features a fully voiced introduction describing the movements of the pieces for the benefit of beginners. There are some pop-culture homages the knight versus knight animation references the black knight fight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and the king versus bishop fight pastiches the short battle between Indiana Jones and a swordsman in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
The rook, for example, turns into a rock monster and kills a pawn by smashing its head, and the rook kills the queen by eating her. Since there are six types of pieces for each color, and a king cannot capture a king, there are a total of 35 different battle animations. Additionally, every title from the Battle Chess series has been updated to support Linux and macOS operating systems, and they've received support for features like Steam Remote Play Together, allowing for online play in the classic games.Battle Chess follows the same rules as traditional chess, with battles playing out so that the capturing piece defeats its target. Now available on Steam, Battle Chess 4000 is available for $10 with a 40% launch week discount, along with a 30% discounted Battle Chess Mega Bundle that includes Battle Chess, Battle Chess: Enhanced, Battle Chess 2: Chinese Chess, and Battle Chess 4000.
Interplay Entertainment is continuing its journey to reintroduce its most famous games with a re-release from the Battle Chess series. Related: Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2 Port Teased By Developer Well before the modern gaming industry had formed, Interplay had a hand in over 100 titles, including groundbreaking franchises Descent, Earthworm Jim, Baldur's Gate, and the ever-growing Fallout game series. Interplay no longer develops its own games, but it continues to publish an expansive catalog of titles, preserving over 40 years of its legacy for players new and old.
What makes the title distinctive from other chess-inspired games is its library of hundreds of thousands of opening moves, clay-modeled chess pieces with their own unique animations, and challenging AI.Īlthough there are many new kids on the block of modern game development, some of the most recognizable studios were formed in the '80s, and Interplay Entertainment can be counted among them. Originally released for Microsoft DOS in 1992, Battle Chess 4000 took the classic game of chess and meshed it with a sci-fi settings like those from Star Wars and 2001: A Space Odyssey.
BATTLE CHESS ANIMATIONS SERIES
Battle Chess, Interplay Entertainment's critically and commercially successful retro game series, is returning with the re-release of the clay-animated Battle Chess 4000, which is available alongside the entire series in a discounted Mega Bundle.