Souls-Like Chess Game Pawned Souls Is Free on Itch.io
A Reddit thread introducing the game drew roughly 3,700 upvotes, suggesting the chess-rule-faithful souls-like design found an audience quickly.
Key Facts
- Pawned Souls was released free on itch.io on August 29 by individual developer MikaDev.
- The player controls a pawn that moves one square in four directions and attacks only diagonally forward.
- Enemies include 8 pawns, 2 knights, 2 bishops, 2 rooks, 1 queen, and 1 king, each moving per chess rules.
- The game is available for Windows and Linux, with a Mac version planned.
- A Reddit thread about the game received roughly 3,700 upvotes.
Reporting from 2 sources: Automaton, Denfaminicogamer.
Individual developer MikaDev released Pawned Souls, a chess-themed souls-like action game, for free on itch.io on August 29. The player controls a pawn on an 8x8 chessboard, moving one square in any of four directions and attacking only diagonally forward, with a stamina-based roll that covers several squares. Enemies are chess pieces that follow their real rules: 8 pawns, 2 knights, 2 bishops, 2 rooks, 1 queen, and 1 king, some attacking from range and several appearing at once. Defeating enemies and landing parries earns souls, which buy stat upgrades or healing items from a menu, though upgrades reset on game over. Two modes are included: PATH TO QUEENDOM, which asks the player to defeat every piece up to the queen, and THE KING'S GAMBIT, which targets the fleeing king. The game runs on Windows and Linux, with a Mac version planned. It does not support Japanese as of writing.
Developer Mika said the pawn was originally limited to forward movement, with direction handled by camera rotation, but that design made the game 1000 times harder and unplayable, so movement now covers all four directions. Attacks stay limited to diagonally forward, and guard and parry work in the forward arc including diagonals, which keeps the chess rules intact.
Beyond the standard moves, bishops, rooks, queens, and kings use special attacks, and enemies can appear in groups. The soul system lets players spend souls on stat boosts or healing items from a menu, with costs rising as upgrades grow, and a random upgrade option that spends a fixed amount of souls. All upgrades reset on game over. A Reddit thread about the game drew roughly 3,700 upvotes, with commenters praising both the gameplay and the quality of the graphics and sound effects. The game is free on itch.io for Windows and Linux, and a Mac version is planned. It does not support Japanese as of writing.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.