I suck at chess. It’s a simple game that I love to play, but I’ve never been any good at it. So if I could somehow cheat and get away with it, I’d probably win a lot more. This need to cheat is the premise of the new Steam indie King of the Bridge, where you face off against a pesky bridge troll who’s invented his own version of the game with so many rules they’ll make your head spin. The trick though, is if you catch the troll cheating, you can cheat right back.
As far as brand-new surprise Steam indie games go, King of the Bridge is one of the more intriguing ones. With the same green tinge that came to define the classic GameBoy, solo developer Finn Schuuring’s project is charming, short, and just $3.
With Balatro throwing the rules of poker out the window and becoming a runaway success, seeing a game take the universal language of chess and break it is a lot of fun. So if you’re an avid chess player and want a new challenge, why not go after the cheating troll?
Some tiles will make your chess piece slip, the troll’s king can pass on its life essence to any other of his royal guard pieces, and there’s even a goose that can waltz around the board, because he deserves to be happy. Some pieces can work “out of town,” which is the game’s way of letting you know a piece can sit outside the board. There are loads of completely random rules, and they make King of the Bridge delightful.
In case you haven’t figured it out yet, King of the Bridge is very, very silly, but this absolutely works in the game’s favor. I’ve made a move multiple times only for the troll to go “Nah sorry, that doesn’t work” and instantly beat me, and instead of feeling frustrated, I’ve just jumped straight back in with new knowledge.
There’s no better feeling than spotting the troll cheat and correctly calling him out after learning more of the game’s rules, then getting to cheat right back to help you win.
You’ll find King of the Bridge over on Steam right now, with an introductory sale for the game knocking a few cents off until Friday, March 15. Expect to pay $2.54 / £2.11 until then.
If you’re looking for more, we’ve also got some of the best free Steam games you need to try out, alongside some incredible puzzle games to play after King of the Bridge.
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