Version 0.1 release

Forget everything you knew about chess. In Crownward, every piece has health and attack power, a strike doesn’t always mean instant death, and you can only capture a square by finishing off the opponent. This is a tactical roguelite where familiar chess pieces become a squad of warriors waging war on a 12×12 board.

Combat where every move matters

• HP and damage instead of instant captures. A rook no longer falls from a single pawn touch — now it’s a battle of attrition.
• Three actions per phase. Activate up to three different pieces per turn and build multi-step combinations.
• The attacking piece only occupies the square after killing the enemy. Trading pieces is now a real decision, not a given.
• Familiar rules with a twist. Pawns attack in all diagonal directions, reach the edge and promote to queens. The king’s death instantly ends the battle.

A journey through a grim castle

• A branching route map full of battles, rewards, forges, and ambushes — choose your own path to the final boss.
• Preserve and upgrade your squad between arenas. Your formation carries over from fight to fight.
• Reserves and rotation: keep backup fighters and adjust your composition for each enemy.

Forge and Progression

• Spend gold on individual HP and attack upgrades or on class-wide improvements for entire piece types.
• Every visit to the forge offers new random upgrades — build the army of your dreams.

Controls

• Mouse — select and move pieces.
• Space — end the phase early.
• Right Mouse Button — send a piece to reserves.