The Black King is out for blood in Shotgun King. Stripped of his army and court — he collects his royal shotgun and prepares to take on the White King, one piece at a time. In this roguelite chess-based shooter, you control the Black King, the last standing black piece, as he makes his way towards reclaiming his throne, no matter the cost.
Shotgun King, the brainchild of the French studio PUNKCAKE Délicieux was the winning entry to the Ludum Dare 2022 jam with the theme of “delay the inevitable”. Merging gorgeous pixel art and chiptune music by the lovely Pentadrangle, Shotgun King is a fusion between classic chess and a shooter that plays by its rules.
The opening story details the Black King’s fall from grace as his pieces leave him due to harsh working conditions, and as the last bishop bids goodbye, he warns the king that his rage will be his downfall. Despite this, he sees only red and a vendetta is on the horizon.
In two separate modes, “throne” and “endless”, you can push through the story or test your mettle against a never ending horde. The latter only unlocks once the story is completed,allowing players to further push the boundaries of what can be done in combat.
The Black King still has a trick up his sleeve: the ability to absorb souls of fallen warriors to make their movements his. This is particularly useful when trapped by other opposing pieces. Many a sticky situation was dodged by ways of a bishop’s leap, or a queen’s graceful stride.
The more the Black King moves, the more his shotgun refills and the quicker he can deal blows. Though like any game of chess, strategy is key in this game. Knowing how each piece moves helps, but keeping track of both your and your opponent’s powers is key too.
Sometimes this grants powers that bends the rules of chess and makes attacking your opponents more difficult. That said, the Black King’s abilities also come in handy — a moat prevents your far-reaching opponents from getting to you in one fell swoop. This gives ample time to prepare and strategise.
As you slowly make your way deeper in, the White Queen will make her entrance in the later levels of Shotgun King. This all-powerful piece is a showstopper in chess, and given the right set of power ups, makes it a living hell for you in the game as well.
Regardless of difficulty, you will have to face her sooner or later — so bulk up your defenses, or be like me and Leroy Jenkins on your way to freedom. I played on normal difficulty, though the option remains to pick four others “easy” and “hard”, “very hard”, and “king” — the former of which refills your bullets faster with on-screen drops, and the others gradually imposing more limitations on the player.
Reaching the end of Shotgun King means that the Black King will go down regardless, but in this instance the walls have been painted red. In a cautionary tale of hubris and anger, knowing when to pull back is sometimes the safest option.
Though the Black King will tell you otherwise — even from beyond the grave — the inevitable must be done.
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