Chess Traveler: Pip’s Journey

Nobody has opened the chess set in a long, long time. This morning someone stuck a note on the lid: DONATE?

If the kids won’t play with them, the pieces are off to the charity shop. So Pip, the smallest pawn in the box, hops out on a big journey to find out why chess stopped being fun, and to make it fun again.

Chess Traveler: Pip’s Journey is a cozy chess roguelike. Roll the die and hop across five places around the house: the backyard picnic, the bubble bath, the playroom, the living room, and the dark world under the bed. On the way you’ll find mini games, odd little happenings, classic checkmate puzzles, and a Gumball Machine full of treasures. At the end of each place, a toy Boss is waiting for a game.

Every game is real chess, plus House Rules: cards that bend the rules in silly ways. Hedgehogs that take their taker with them, a cannon in a helmet, a pawn rolling a six and becoming a queen, a Joker nobody can touch. Collect rules, combine them, and turn a slow game of chess into a quick, chaotic, laugh-out-loud one.

Real chess, from the first move to checkmate. In this house, stalemate counts as a win too! 5 acts, 5 Bosses, and a map that’s different every run Dozens of House Rules to collect and combine Treasures that cancel your rivals’ rules just when you need it Endgame Challenges: famous mates in 1, 2 and 3 Mini games with the whole cast of pieces New to chess? Old King teaches every piece, step by step. Finish the story once, and Pip’s friends can join the next journey. Free Play: set up any game you like, rules and all Record your games, replay them, and export them as videos No losing pieces forever: captured pieces just bounce off to watch from the side.

How to Play

Roll and hop. Roll the die and Pip hops along the path. Every roll costs a little Focus, and so does every move in a game. When Focus runs out, Pip is too tired and the journey ends, so plan your route. Pick your way. At a fork, the short way is busier and riskier, with an Endgame Challenge to win. The long way is calmer, with more cookies and a cushion to dig in for treasure. Play chess with House Rules. Rivals and Bosses bring their own rules. Beat them to win one of their cards. You can carry a few rules of your own; they work by themselves when the moment comes. Use treasures. Keep them in your Pockets. Some are used on the map, and some help in a game, like the Eraser that rubs out one of your rival’s rules. Take back a move with Rewind Candy, or Ask the King for the best move when you’re stuck. Beat the Boss at the end of each act to move on. Beat all five to save chess!

Controls

Mouse / touch: tap a piece, then tap where it goes. Keyboard: arrow keys or WASD to move, Enter or Space to select, Esc to go back. Gamepad: D-pad or left stick to move, A to select, B to go back.

If the keyboard does not respond, click the game screen first and check the actual key mappings in the player controls. Arrow keys scrolling the page can mean the game does not have input focus.

On a phone, check whether the player provides touch buttons. Try landscape or fullscreen if the controls are too small. After connecting a gamepad, press a button with the game focused and check whether the player recognizes it.

For a black screen or a stalled load, wait briefly before using Reload player or Browse games in the embedded player or play page. Reloading restarts the player and may lose unsaved progress. If no save option is available, do not rely on refreshing to preserve progress.