Details
DeveloperCanonheim
PublisherGolemheim Studios
FreeNo
Required ageNone
Build a maze out of chess pieces and defend your king in this Tower Defense take on the timeless classic, Chess! Pawns, rooks, bishops, knights and queens strike by their own moves as the white army marches across a 3D board, through a full hand balanced campaign.
Black King's Defense is a chess-piece maze defense game. The white army enters at one end of an 8 by 8 board and advances toward your king. Every black piece you place is both a wall that bends their route and a defender that strikes by its own chess move.
Verifiably solvable, nearly infinite ways to playThere are more possible games of chess than there are atoms in the universe, yet finding even one winning army in Black King's Defense is a real challenge! Put your chess and tactic skills to the test with this genuinely challenging chess puzzle, with each enemy wave of the campaign being pre determined, so you can adapt your strategy and defense, progressing further each run.
Upgradable pieces, with special moves Strength, speed and range upgrades build your army's power. And each piece has it's own special upgrade to change the flow of your defense! Hover an upgrade to preview exactly which new squares it will reach.
A full campaignA full hand-authored campaign, balanced to be difficult but with many possible solutions.
Endless mode, for as long as you can hold out.
Replay the last wave: pause it, slow it down, orbit the board and see exactly where you lost health.
Save and quit mid-run; Continue your game where you left off. Autosaves after each wave as well.
A board that plays the pianoThe original piano theme, The Ivory Rain, is timed on the same clock as the battle. Slow the game down or speed it up and the music changes with it. (You can also shut off the music in the settings to vibe to your own beats and relax)
CheckmateLoss is only the beginning. Rethink your strategy. Learn the White King's patterns. Dive back in and defend your kingdom!
Solo Dev ProjectHey there! Thanks for reading all the way down here. I am Canonheim, a solo dev making indie games in my spare time. This game was inspired by my Dad, who would stay up until 4am playing old flash tower defense games like this, and who was also incredibly addicted to chess. I hope you enjoy!
Show raw AppDetails
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"detailed_description": "<h2 class=\"bb_tag\" ><span class=\"bb_img_ctn\"><video class=\"bb_img\" autoplay muted loop playsinline poster=\"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/5461940/extras/8e859f3c62078c07c704a1976047c174.poster.avif?t=1792694480\" width=960 height=480 ><source src=\"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/5461940/extras/8e859f3c62078c07c704a1976047c174.webm?t=1792694480\" type=\"video/webm; codecs=vp9\"><source src=\"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/5461940/extras/8e859f3c62078c07c704a1976047c174.mp4?t=1792694480\" type=\"video/mp4\"></video></span></h2><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ><strong><br>Black King's Defense is a chess-piece maze defense game. The white army enters at one end of an 8 by 8 board and advances toward your king. Every black piece you place is both a wall that bends their route and a defender that strikes by its own chess move.</strong> </p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><h2 class=\"bb_tag\" >Verifiably solvable, nearly infinite ways to play</h2><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >There are more possible games of chess than there are atoms in the universe, yet finding even one winning army in Black King's Defense is a real challenge! Put your chess and tactic skills to the test with this genuinely challenging chess puzzle, with each enemy wave of the campaign being pre determined, so you can adapt your strategy and defense, progressing further each run. </p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><h2 class=\"bb_tag\" >Upgradable pieces, with special moves </h2><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >Strength, speed and range upgrades build your army's power. And each piece has it's own special upgrade to change the flow of your defense! Hover an upgrade to preview exactly which new squares it will reach. </p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><h2 class=\"bb_tag\" >A full campaign</h2><ul class=\"bb_ul\"><li><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >A full hand-authored campaign, balanced to be difficult but with many possible solutions. </p></li><li><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >Endless mode, for as long as you can hold out. </p></li><li><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >Replay the last wave: pause it, slow it down, orbit the board and see exactly where you lost health. </p></li><li><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >Save and quit mid-run; Continue your game where you left off. Autosaves after each wave as well. </p></li></ul><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><h2 class=\"bb_tag\" >A board that plays the piano</h2><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >The original piano theme, <i>The Ivory Rain</i>, is timed on the same clock as the battle. Slow the game down or speed it up and the music changes with it. (You can also shut off the music in the settings to vibe to your own beats and relax)</p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><h2 class=\"bb_tag\" >Checkmate</h2><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >Loss is only the beginning. Rethink your strategy. Learn the White King's patterns. Dive back in and <strong>defend your kingdom! </strong></p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><h2 class=\"bb_tag\" >Solo Dev Project</h2><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >Hey there! Thanks for reading all the way down here. I am Canonheim, a solo dev making indie games in my spare time. This game was inspired by my Dad, who would stay up until 4am playing old flash tower defense games like this, and who was also incredibly addicted to chess. I hope you enjoy! </p>",
"about_the_game": "<h2 class=\"bb_tag\" ><span class=\"bb_img_ctn\"><video class=\"bb_img\" autoplay muted loop playsinline poster=\"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/5461940/extras/8e859f3c62078c07c704a1976047c174.poster.avif?t=1792694480\" width=960 height=480 ><source src=\"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/5461940/extras/8e859f3c62078c07c704a1976047c174.webm?t=1792694480\" type=\"video/webm; codecs=vp9\"><source src=\"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/5461940/extras/8e859f3c62078c07c704a1976047c174.mp4?t=1792694480\" type=\"video/mp4\"></video></span></h2><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ><strong><br>Black King's Defense is a chess-piece maze defense game. The white army enters at one end of an 8 by 8 board and advances toward your king. Every black piece you place is both a wall that bends their route and a defender that strikes by its own chess move.</strong> </p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><h2 class=\"bb_tag\" >Verifiably solvable, nearly infinite ways to play</h2><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >There are more possible games of chess than there are atoms in the universe, yet finding even one winning army in Black King's Defense is a real challenge! Put your chess and tactic skills to the test with this genuinely challenging chess puzzle, with each enemy wave of the campaign being pre determined, so you can adapt your strategy and defense, progressing further each run. </p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><h2 class=\"bb_tag\" >Upgradable pieces, with special moves </h2><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >Strength, speed and range upgrades build your army's power. And each piece has it's own special upgrade to change the flow of your defense! Hover an upgrade to preview exactly which new squares it will reach. </p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><h2 class=\"bb_tag\" >A full campaign</h2><ul class=\"bb_ul\"><li><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >A full hand-authored campaign, balanced to be difficult but with many possible solutions. </p></li><li><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >Endless mode, for as long as you can hold out. </p></li><li><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >Replay the last wave: pause it, slow it down, orbit the board and see exactly where you lost health. </p></li><li><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >Save and quit mid-run; Continue your game where you left off. Autosaves after each wave as well. </p></li></ul><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><h2 class=\"bb_tag\" >A board that plays the piano</h2><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >The original piano theme, <i>The Ivory Rain</i>, is timed on the same clock as the battle. Slow the game down or speed it up and the music changes with it. (You can also shut off the music in the settings to vibe to your own beats and relax)</p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><h2 class=\"bb_tag\" >Checkmate</h2><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >Loss is only the beginning. Rethink your strategy. Learn the White King's patterns. Dive back in and <strong>defend your kingdom! </strong></p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><h2 class=\"bb_tag\" >Solo Dev Project</h2><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >Hey there! Thanks for reading all the way down here. I am Canonheim, a solo dev making indie games in my spare time. This game was inspired by my Dad, who would stay up until 4am playing old flash tower defense games like this, and who was also incredibly addicted to chess. I hope you enjoy! </p>",
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"recommended": "<strong>Recommended:</strong><br><ul class=\"bb_ul\"><li><strong>OS:</strong> macOS 13 Ventura or later<br></li><li><strong>Processor:</strong> Apple M1 or better<br></li><li><strong>Memory:</strong> 8 GB RAM<br></li><li><strong>Graphics:</strong> Apple M1 GPU or better<br></li><li><strong>Storage:</strong> 500 MB available space<br></li><li><strong>Additional Notes:</strong> Universal build (Apple silicon and Intel).</li></ul>"
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"recommended": "<strong>Recommended:</strong><br><ul class=\"bb_ul\"><li><strong>OS:</strong> Ubuntu 22.04 64-bit, SteamOS 3, or similar<br></li><li><strong>Processor:</strong> Quad-core CPU, 3.0 GHz (x86_64)<br></li><li><strong>Memory:</strong> 8 GB RAM<br></li><li><strong>Graphics:</strong> GeForce GTX 1050 / Radeon RX 560 or better<br></li><li><strong>Storage:</strong> 500 MB available space<br></li><li><strong>Additional Notes:</strong> Requires a Vulkan-capable GPU and up-to-date drivers (Mesa 22 or newer on AMD/Intel).</li></ul>"
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