Ripstone Games, makers of Pure Chess (2012), are bringing their upcoming sequel Chess Ultra to PlayStationVR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. The classic chess game features a number of beautifully rendered environments that will finally make you feel like the rich and magnanimous Grandmaster you always knew you’d become—or a streetwise criminal who’s broken into a closed museum to host underground chess games to the death. That last one sounds way more fun actually, but sadly not a part of the game.
Coming this spring, Chess Ultra will offer the discerning chess Wunderkind 10 different AI levels to battle against, a variety of finely crafted chess sets, and online play, something Ripstone promises will have “plenty of game modes to keep you and your friends entertained online.”
The developers are remaining tight-lipped on any specific features beyond the ones detailed above, but if the game’s PS3/PC predecessor Pure Chess can give any clues, it’s probably going to be packed with the standard smattering of chess puzzles, tournaments, and likely a robust tutorial to teach you all the ins-and-outs of the King’s Game—not to mention environments spanning the usual offerings of posh penthouse apartments, English sitting rooms, and private libraries straight from Harry Potter. Although still unannounced, I’m personally hoping for online avatars, specifically one with a captain’s hat and ascot so I can cosplay as the rich guy from Gilligan’s Island (1964).
Ripstone producer Kelly Willoughby says in a PlayStation blogpost announcing the game, that the company still has “big surprises up our sleeves that we can’t wait to shout about!”
The game is also coming to PS4, Xbox and PC via Steam. There’s currently no official word on if the game will offer cross-platform multiplayer.
