Chess Minis is the most recent indie game by Jeffery Shen under the banner of Classics F5. While there are several Online Chess games, they come with a plethora of advertisements. This can get in the middle of your timer or a critical Chess move. Imagine you are about to checkmate your opponent and suddenly a 15-second advertisement pops up. Chess Minis makes an exception about these disturbances as it is entirely ad-free. But that being said, does the Chess Minis stand out against other online Chess games? Check out our review to find out.
Chess Minis Review
As you start with the Chess Minis, you don’t get any pesky tutorials. Instead, different mini-puzzles involve checkmating a pink Robo-Puzzle boss in a few moves. To start with, you have to checkmate the opponent in one or two moves. This could be a great way to remember and polish your chess moves. For me, it surely did work out as it has been a long before I played Chess. This mode could also work out for beginners that have started with this game recently. But there are several factors to be considered. One of the major concerning factors for me was the Chess pieces and Board designs.
Extensive Customizations & Design
The founder, Jeffery Shen is also the Designer for the game. And the guys at Classics F5 have done a pretty good job at the Design. While it may seem trivial but the design of the board and pieces matter a lot. Why? Because otherwise, you won’t be able to deduce a prominent strategy. Now, this cannot be the case for all Chess players. There’s a wide range of customizations for the chess pieces in Chess Minis. But the best part about these designs is that you can always switch to the simple Chess-icon design. This can help some Chess players to avoid distractions. Alternatively, you can also explore a wide range of different custom designs. These designs are credited to the artists and illustrators involved.
Rock-Paper-Scissors
For almost all online Chess games, it is randomly decided who gets to play white. But here’s where the devs at Chess Minis stood out. You need to play a game of Rock, Paper, and Scissors to decide. It solves the dilemma of most of the crybabies who think they could have won if they played White. So, Kudos for this unique gameplay element!
Chess Leagues or Modes
There are two main game modes or Chess leagues in Chess Minis. One is the Master League and the other is Rocket League. For the Master Leagues, both the Chess players get 15 or a 10-minute timer. On the other hand, Rocket Leagues offers a shorter timer. These matches can last for 5 minutes or even a single minute. Both of these timed leagues are randomized at the start of the match. These leagues can help players to shoot up their rank and leaderboard. I couldn’t win a single Rocket League match due to the lesser time. But it can be a great way to practice for aspiring Chess players. You can also level up to face challenging opponents. Or you can invite and add your friends.
Final Verdict
An Ad-Free user-friendly experience with a vast range of customization options is indeed a great deal to seize. Chess Minis does have a few monetization options but they don’t shove it right at the faces of players. It is a pretty fresh concept to see in an online Chess game. On top of that, it is free to play on your Android and iOS devices. For hardcore chess players looking to avoid the advertisements spam, Chess Minis is a pretty decent game to try out.
If you enjoyed this review, don’t forget to check out our more Reviews right here on Gamer Tweak.
Chess Minis Review - An En Passant Move
Amazing Gameplay & Ad-Free Experience. For the chess players that don't like the ads & pop-ups spamming, Chess Minis is an amazing game to try out.
- Customization Options & Design 9
- Chess Leagues & Modes 9
- UI & Interface 9
- Overall Sound 9