Right, So Chess Got Twisted: Duskers Devs Are Cooking Up a Roguelike with a Side of Existential Dread
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Duskers' creators, Misfit Attic, are brewing a new roguelike called *Below The Crown* that hilariously loves and loathes chess, blending classic strategy with an *Inscryption*-esque meta-narrative that promises delightful fourth-wall-breaking weirdness.
I've been tinkering with this story all morning, and bloody hell, it's wilder than it first appeared. You know that feeling when you cast a spell and it works a bit too well, opening a portal to a dimension you *definitely* didn't intend? That’s kinda what Misfit Attic, the brilliant minds behind *Duskers*, seem to be doing with their latest creation, *Below The Crown*.
Now, before we dive headfirst into this digital rabbit hole, a massive tip of the hat to the folks over at **Rock Paper Shotgun** (rockpapershotgun.com) who first brought this gem to light in their article, 'The creators of Duskers are making a twisted dungeon roguelike driven by love and contempt for chess.' They’ve given us a cracking starting point, and I’ve been busy sifting through the tea leaves of their report, adding my own curious observations.
So, *Below The Crown* – it’s a chess-flavoured fantasy roguelike, apparently packing an *Inscryption*-style meta-layer and some deliciously retro 80s CRT visuals. If your wizard brain isn't tingling yet, mate, it should be. The setup sounds delightfully unhinged: you're a wizard (naturally), tasked with ‘Gathering A Party’ and braving an off-brand Tron dungeon to retrieve some gold. Your upgradeable party members? You guessed it – they're based on chess units. And each floor of this digital labyrinth is a grid-based combat puzzle, inspired by classic chess manoeuvres like Forks and Pins. My curiosity is definitely piqued, like a mimic spotting a shiny new adventurer.
Misfits Attic founder Tim Keenan, in a move that I can only describe as optimistically chaotic, calls it a "gateway drug into chess." But here's where it gets proper interesting, and where my gentle skepticism meter starts doing a little dance. The press release seems to be playing both sides of the board, simultaneously trying to sell us on the timeless beauty of chess while also... well, kinda dunking on it. It's like they want to kiss chess with tongues, then immediately tell it how embarrassing it is. "Forget memorized openings, drawn-out endgames, and stalemates," it proclaims. "Start with one piece, a badass wizard, instead of 16 – and bid the tedium of analysis paralysis adieu." Fair dinkum, they're not holding back, are they? It's a bold strategy, Cotton, let's see if it pays off. Are they really trying to get a younger generation of nerds into chess by telling them how much they hate chess? It’s a paradox worthy of a wizard's riddle.
But what does this mean for us, the actual players? Well, it suggests an approach that respects the core strategic elements of chess – the spatial reasoning, the forward-thinking moves – without bogging us down in the historical baggage. It’s about distilling the fun bits, like an alchemist extracting the essence of a rare herb. If you've ever felt the allure of chess but been intimidated by its perceived stuffiness, this could genuinely be that 'gateway drug.' Or it could be a predatory Skinner box in the *Pony Island* vein, as our mates at RPS suggested. Either way, it sounds like an experiment worth watching.
Beyond the wonderfully conflicted relationship with chess, *Below The Crown* is billed as a "thinking person's roguelike" in the vein of *Slay The Spire*. Now, I'm all for cerebral gaming, but let's be honest, aren't most roguelikes for thinking people by default? It's not exactly a "thinking person's ballpit," is it? Still, the promise of making smart plays to capture enemies and navigating an ever-changing dungeon, imbued with abilities like 'Vision' for placement flexibility or 'Shadow Protection' for a shield on dark tiles, sounds mighty compelling. Plus, acquiring spell cards and skills to ramp up throughout a run, collecting gold for the Emperor, and finding mysterious runes along the way… that's the good stuff, isn't it?
Ah, the mysterious runes. That’s probably where our *Inscryption*-esque meta-layer comes into play. It seems you'll be pulling back from a computer *within* the computer, faced with enigmatic corporate queries. "From daily stress surveys to strange ranking rituals, the game isn’t afraid to break the fourth wall and surprise the player with unexpected weirdness." This, my friends, is where my digital wizard brain starts sparking! *Duskers* already proved Misfit Attic are masters of atmosphere and unsettling immersion. Adding a meta-narrative that messes with your head? That’s just Chef's Kiss territory for this curious gamer. Expect weirdness, indeed. I've made a note of it in my arcane grimoire.
Keenan also describes *Below The Crown* as a "massively singleplayer experience," which, you know, is a *very* Jeff-like phrase. It also boasts a custom board editor and the ability to share your creations online. This is brilliant news, offering endless replayability and community-driven content, without the headaches of persistent online multiplayer systems. A true sandpit for creative minds, much like a wizard's workshop, but with less risk of accidentally turning your cat into a newt.
Now, I will forgive all this frenzied marketing footwork and any slight paradoxes in their messaging, because Misfits Attic are the creators of *Duskers*. And in my humble, yet entirely correct, opinion, *Duskers* is a lonely Lieutenant Gorman simulator and a solid candidate for the title of best space game. (Seriously, whoever edited those 'Best Of' lists and *didn't* include it needs a stern talking-to.) These folks know how to craft deeply immersive, unsettling, and genuinely intelligent games. They also recently announced a "spiritual successor" to *Duskers* called "Humanity 2.0" focusing on ship-building, and a "Crusader Kings lite" where you manipulate enemy factions. Clearly, they've got a lot brewing in their digital cauldrons, and my enthusiasm for their future projects is authentically high.
So, when can we get our grubby wizard hands on this twisted roguelike? *Below The Crown* is set to launch on PC via Steam Early Access in Q4 2025. And here’s the best bit: there’s a demo coming in this October's Steam Next Fest. You can bet your bottom dollar I’ll be diving into that faster than you can say "Accio Gold!" It promises to be a game that genuinely makes you think, perhaps even question the nature of reality (or at least, the nature of chess PR), and that, mate, is exactly the kind of unexpected adventure I live for.
Tags: roguelike, indie game, puzzle game, Misfit Attic, Steam Early Access
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun