My Next Fest Obsession is a Chess Roguelike I Didn’t Know I Needed in my Life

It amazes me how folks take games I find fairly boring – such as poker or slot machines – and turn them into entertaining roguelikes that keep me occupied for hours. I still play Balatro from time to time; it’s cemented itself on my list of comfort games.

Now there’s a new game approaching, and it’s 100% going to become a new obsession for me. Gambonanza is a roguelike in the same vein as Balatro and CloverPit, only this time it’s all about Chess.

You need to buy pieces, gambits (which are like powerups), and even special tiles with the money you make each round. You also get to really stretch your chess muscles, because losing a piece means it’s gone forever.

Lost a pawn, and it’s alright, some gambits even give you free pawns. Lose a queen, and you’re bound to rage at least a little. That’s a whole $10 gone – plus another $1, since you earn interest on every $10 you assemble.

The AI, however, has been quite… uh, stupid. In chess, it’s important to try to outthink your opponent. Plan a few moves ahead, and your chance of winning skyrockets.

Yeah, don’t overthink Gambonanza. Not yet anyway. I took time planning out perfect moves, only to have the AI completely ignore any danger and just straight up give me a piece. I didn’t have to work for it, at first.

Later bosses seem to play better, though, so it’s doubtful that it’ll be easy all the way through.

I love the pixel art style; it’s really gorgeously made. The sound effects and visual effects tie in well to create what is, all around, a really pleasant experience.

You also don’t need to know all the rules of chess to enjoy Gambonanza. The UI helps guide you. Click or hover on a piece, and it’ll show you where it can move. This works on enemy pieces, too, so you can keep your pieces safe.

There’s no set release date for Gambonanza yet, but it is set to release sometime in 2026. The demo is great, though, and should tide us over until the full release graces us with its presence. I’m convinced that this game will be on my playlist for a long, long time, joining the likes of Slay the Spire and Balatro as every-so-often comfort games.

If this sounds interesting, check out the demo on Steam and see if it’s your next comfort-jam, too. There’s a Next Fest challenge ongoing as well. All you need to do is win a run, and you’ll be entered into a raffle to win one of 100 Steam keys. Good luck!