A few days ago, Experiment 7 revealed their partnership with Wizards of the Coast and the first game to surface from the deal: Dungeon Chess. The game blends the classic chess game with the world of Dungeons & Dragons, using the VR platform to bring the chess pieces to life. Ripstone Games, the publisher behind Pure Pool and Pure Hold ‘Em, is dipping their toe into in-house development for the first time with Chess Ultra and they’re aiming for a visually impressive classic take on the game.
A sequel to 2012’s Pure Chess, Chess Ultra has been built from the ground up using Unreal Engine 4 and has some pretty incredible visuals if the trailer is a true testament to the final product. The team is crafting a 4k build for PS4, Xbox One, and Steam but the game will also be coming to PSVR, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive. In the press release for the game, there’s not a wealth of information on features, but it does look like there’s the expected focus on delivering a multiplayer experience on top of a collection of 10 AI levels for single player. Online, you’ll be able to face your friends or tackle regular, Fischer, or marathon matches. You’ll also be able to stream with Twitch integration that allows you to play against your viewing community.
To garner a bit of excitement for the chess game, Ripstone Games is currently hosting a stream where fans can play against chess Grand Master Simon Williams and see the streamer vs audience feature in action. Chess Ultra is currently in Alpha and the team is expecting to release the full game during the Spring. We’re not 100% sure if the VR versions of the game will be available on launch day, but the team will be revealing more information in the coming months.
