First, I'd like to say this is an interesting variation on chess, that if popularized I think could make for a fun game. But as stands, there's a couple problems that need to be worked out:

1. The rules. You'd think if you've played chess you'd have this down, but there's a few nuances that are counter intuitive. Not talking about the double knight or triple pawn moves - I get those on the broader board and it does make the knight into a very interesting piece. But stuff like en passant, discovered check/checkmate rules, how things interact with the corners - that all needs some better, in game explanation. Like, in text - don't rely on external videos that may or may not even manage to play. Write down the rules, make a button called "rules".

2. Visibility - a common complain I see in the discussion forums, youtube comments, and from my own test run of the game: the 3d view is clunky. There really needs to be a 2D option: yes, I'm sure your art designer will cry at their wasted efforts, but hear me out: your game designer's going to be crying with him if you don't fix this, because no one wants to play against the UI. If you're constantly turning the camera trying to figure out what's going on in this 64 piece chaos, you're not having a good time.

3. Playerbase: at time of running, there were 12 people online. That's with the game having just gone free. For this game to see long term success you're gonna need to work with some popular chess figures and get the name out there a bit - otherwise this is going to be another Prismata: a brilliantly designed game that fell flat due to the lack of players.

I got a key for this game from the dev team because I was concerned about some of the reviews (you can find my post in the Community Hub).

The idea behind Four Kings is interesting. Two more forces on the board, one for each player (with an additional move for each as well), and the layout of the board would be enough to alter the game quite a bit as it is, but they did not stop there, oh no.

Pawns now have the option to move 3 spaces every turn, and the knight gets to do a double hop, basically move twice (with some restrictions) when it is played. I thought I understood those two changes and what it would mean, boy was I wrong. In my first match, I lost horribly and very quickly. In my second match, I did a little better. In both matches I kept underestimating and failed to really keep in mind what all of the new additions really did to the game.

I loved it. By the end of the second match I felt like I did back when I played in my school's chess tournaments.

It's an Early Access game, and for me at least, it has a few small issues (but I've been in contact with the team via email about them). From the emails I've had with the team, I can tell these guys are really into what they've created and I have no doubt that they'll work them out as soon as they can.

If you enjoy chess, I think you'll enjoy this. It definitely is a new twist on an old game. Once I get the rust off my skills, I'm looking forward to playing against another person.

Is an interesting and unique way of playing chess. Worth checking out if you want to try out a different kind of style. Some pieces having different rules like pawns being able to move three spaces and the knight being able to move two times.

The VR portion is also pretty neat as you are actually on the battlefield, so you get a closeup view while playing the game. Here’s a screenshot of the start of the game.

https://i.imgur.com/NWWXmhb.jpg

edit. adding a gif

https://gyazo.com/46f00a92f32bea8557702446316fb295

If you enjoy Chess you're going to love this creation. The pieces are still the same and move the same except for the exception of the Pawn and the Knight because of the larger battlefield. With 2 armies to control as one regiment and 2 moves per turn the strategic options are endless.

What an AMAZING strategy game - truely!

With the Knight being able to double hop (as one move) and the pawns can move 3 spaces at once takes the size of the board into consideration. Having the option of 2 moves per turn, not restricted to any army, completely elevates the level of strategy involved - hidden attacks, traps, when to exchange pieces are all aspects which you have plan 3-4-5 steps ahead.

As far as "chess variants" go, this is second to none. I would 100% recommend this to anyone who: already has a passion for chess or would like to learn it, loves strategy and wants to be challenged. The AI is built and ready to played against but I am always keen to vs. people to see how I stack up against other strategists in the world!!

I love this game. It has everything you want from a strategic perspective.
It hasn't changed the game of chess but it's certainly taken the DNA from chess & created a modern combat style.
Highly recommend.

chess gone weird

It is a fun game to play. If you love chess and you want some challenge then is this a goood game for you! It is a new and fun way to play chess.

some work needs to be done to make animation/movement more fluid?
seems there's unresponsive delay between selection & movement clicks?

awesome conception, chess with a twist