Pure Chess (PS4) Review

I have never been one for Chess. I tried learning it back in high school, but in those days I didn't have the attention span to get the rules, much less think ahead of moves. When I got the opportunity to review the game, I thought this may be a good chance to really learn how to play the game. 

The tutorials do a really great job teaching the basics of the game for almost any age gamer that wants to learn. There are ten levels of difficulty, which I really didn't try any higher than two and still lost most of the time. There are three different locations to play and several different kinds of chess sets to choose from. There are also different sets and locations via DLC that can be purchased on the PSN store for $.99 to $2.49 each or you can buy the complete bundle for $14.99.

The best thing about Pure Chess is there are a lot of options for gameplay against the computer or a friend. You can have a timer, an undo button, and highlight legal moves (for new players like me that get confused on movement). You can play up to six games at once by leaving a game at any time, because the game will autosave and the computer will make a move right after you leave. The game boasts network play, but it is not live. You log on, make a move and log off, checking it later to see if your friend has logged on and made their move. 

The graphics really pop in 1080p showing off great lighting effects. The pieces are detailed too, like with the wood pieces showing detail in the grain. They seem almost life-like, as if you could reach out and touch them. The music in the game is less than stellar and I wish the PS4 had the option to import my own music to games because this is one where I just turned the music off.  

Over all Pure Chess is a great game that I think really captures the look and feel of real chess. If someone you know has an interest in learning chess, young or old, this would be a great way to learn. I did, and even though I lose way more then I win, I still enjoyed the game and had fun learning. 

4 out of 5

Pure Chess is available now on PSN for $7.99 or the complete bundle for $14.99. It is also available for the PS3 and Vita.

Thanks to Voofoo for providing a code for review.