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 many 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 ad pops up. Chess Minis makes an exception about these disturbances as it is entirely ad-free. But do 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. First, you have to checkmate the opponent in one or two moves. This could be a great way to remember and polish your chess moves. It did work out for me, as it was long before I played Chess. This mode could also work out for beginners writing recently gameplayingently. But several factors to be considered. One of the significant factors of concern for me was the chess pieces and board designs.
Extensive Customizations & Design
The founder, Jeffery Shen, is also the game’s designer. And the guys at Classics F5 have done a pretty good job at the Design. While it may seem trivial, 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. Chess Minis has a wide range of customizations for the chess pieces. 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 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. It would be best if you played 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 the 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 game. These leagues can help players to shoot up their rank and leaderboard. I couldn’t win a Rocket League match due to the lesser time. But it can be an excellent way for aspiring chess players to practice. 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 vast customization options is a great deal to seize. Chess Minis has a few monetization options, but they don’t shove it right in players’ faces. 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 other Reviews on Gamer Tweak.
