Review: Rook’s Revenge — Fast Paced Chess

Posted by: dgoldring on Oct 19 2006

 

Rook’s Revenge is a fast paced-chess game, which…hang on a minute. Did I just say fast-paced chess game?? Let me reread that. Yes…yes, that is exactly what I said. Fast-paced chess game. Now you are probably thinking to yourself, this guy has finally gone crazy. Chess is the very synonym of slow, deliberative. Fast-paced describes everything that chess is not. No, this is clearly an oxymoron. Clearly incorrect. So, let me start over again. Rook’s Revenge is a fast-paced (yes, I said it again, and you heard me correctly) chess game in which the object of the game is to capture the other team’s King as many times as possible before he captures your King. So, here we go. Rook’s Revenge. Fast-paced. Chess. Curious?? Read on…

Installation and Registration: Installation is pretty basic.
Just download the file and install it from your desktop using
Activesync. You can play a limited trial until you purchase the game.
Once purchased, you will be provided with a registration number which
allows you to play the full game.

Gameplay:
OK. I’m just going to come right out and say it, this was an
exceptionally fun (and addictive game). Gameplay is fairly easy if you
are familiar with the basic rules of chess. I’m not saying you have to
be an experienced chess professional; you just need to have a fair
working knowledge of the different pieces and movements available.

The board is laid out like chess. Each player starts with control of
one end of the board. In front is a row of eight pawns. Behind is a row
of eight other pieces (a King, a Queen, two bishops, two rooks, and two
knights).

Now, imagine that you could move every piece on the board at the
same time, throwing them all toward the opposing King. That is
essentially how Rook’s Revenge is played. Each piece follows the same
rules of movement as chess (bishops can only move diagonally, rooks can
only move in a straight line horizontally and vertically, and so on).
Instead of taking turns, moving one piece at a time, both players move
all of their pieces at once, making for an extremely fast-paced
exercise. Want to set up a defensive barrier? Go ahead, move all of
your pawns as a single unit. No need to wait for your opponent to move.
Create complex combinations by moving several pieces in quick
succession. The only rule: you can’t move the same piece twice in a
row.

Capturing pieces: Like chess, if you land on a space that is
already occupied by your opponent’s piece, then you capture that piece.
In this case, you destroy it. Quite literally, with a small explosion
wiping the piece off of the board. Although capturing or destroying
pieces does not earn you any points, it does help move you closer to
your ultimate goal of capturing your opponent’s King. Also, on a
particularly stressful day, that small explosion on the screen can be
surprisingly satisfying.

Unlike chess, it is possible for multiple pieces to be in motion at
the same time. When this happens, only one can occupy that spot. In
that case, the higher ranked piece will win. If one piece, however, is
standing still and another piece moves onto its spot, then the moving
piece will always win.

Building: Building is a phenomenon which does not exist in
chess, although I suspect Bobby Fisher probably wished it did. Just
double tap on the spot where any of your pieces started the game and a
hammer will appear and build you a new piece. This can be an extremely
useful tool, especially near the end of a round when many pieces have
already been captured. However, you need not wait until your piece is
destroyed before building a new one. As long as the starting space is
unoccupied, you may build a new piece.

Winning a round: A round is won when you capture your
opponent’s King. Battle your way through the enemy’s lines as quickly
as possible to land any piece on the same spot as the King. You get one
point for each round won. Win enough rounds and your name will appear
in the Rook’s Revenge Hall of Fame. Allow your opponent to capture your
King first, though, and the game will end, leaving you in disgrace and
misery.

Graphics: The graphics in this game are a lot of fun. Select
from three different styles of chess pieces, as well as several
different board designs. Additionally, when you tap a piece, you are
provided with a “road map” of possible moves for that piece. But don’t
ponder the map too long, or the whole board may shift away from your
move. Finally, as I mentioned, when you destroy an opponent’s piece, a
tiny, but satisfying explosion is displayed.

Conclusion: This is one of those games that just sounds too
simple and too much fun at the same time. It is the perfect game for
the “wannabe” chess player like me. Anyone who understands the
movements of chess, but never bothered to learn the strategy, will love
this game! It is fast paced and exciting. A highly addictive game. A
round can be played in seconds, or last for several minutes, making it
the perfect game for people on the go. Rook’s Revenge is yet another
entry from Astraware that takes a classic game and turns it on its
head, leaving a creative and inventive variation in its wake. Like
Ultimate Bowling Fighter, which I reviewed here,
it has enough elements of a classic game to be tantalizingly familiar,
while offering enough variation to appear fresh and original. It gives
a whole new meaning to the classic question, “Would you like to play a
game of chess?”

Rooks Revenge is available from the clickgamer store, and from its own page on the Astraware website. It costs $4.95.

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