Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate

Jul 8, 2022

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Aug 24, 2023

Shotgun King has a surprising amount of depth hidden under its fairly basic premise. It puts an entertaining roguelike spin on a well-worn board game, and the result is a match made in checkerboard heaven (not to be confused with Checkers itself). Without a doubt, there’s frustration to be found in drawing cards that don’t really synergize with each other, putting you into seemingly unwinnable scenarios. That said, runs are generally quite short, under 20 minutes in most cases, and so it’s easy enough to start right back up again after a loss. The presentation is quite clean and straightforward, but there’s a strong flash of light that accompanies the defeat of the enemy king–not something that normally affects me, but I did turn it off in the settings menu. It might not be a certain checkmate, but Shotgun King kept me in check more often than not, and it’s a pleasant and worthwhile distraction that deserves a spot among the higher tiers of run-based Switch games.

Aug 24, 2023

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Sep 11, 2023

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Aug 30, 2023

For its asking price, Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate is worth getting if the premise sounds interesting to you. Some aspects of the gameplay could’ve been better explained, but I enjoyed my time with Shotgun King on Switch. I hope potential future updates add some accessibility options though because I feel like most will give up before unlocking anything meaningful. -Mikhail Madnani SwitchArcade Score: 4/5 Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical ($29.99) The reason my Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical review is so late, is because I was waiting for the developers to fix a save-related issue, and also hopefully address the technical issues with the Switch version.

Aug 24, 2023

Shotgun King does a wonderful job of setting itself apart from the veritable deluge of roguelikes available today. Its blending of classic chess principles with shooting elements and randomized gameplay makes for a fun and highly replayable experience that we’d suggest you give a shot. If you’re looking for a relatively short, addictive game that requires a bit of thinking to get the most out of, Shotgun King is undoubtedly something you should look into.

Aug 24, 2023

It may look basic, but don’t be fooled: Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate is packing one hell of an enjoyable strategy game underneath its old-school aesthetic. If you’re not a chess fan you’re going to struggle – but if you are, the only struggle is going to be tearing yourself away from jumping in for just one more game. Playing chess has never felt so bad-ass.

Jul 22, 2022

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Sep 1, 2023

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Aug 28, 2023

Undoubtedly a unique take on both chess and roguelikes, this strategy title is refreshing but ultimately a bit limited I continue to be fascinated with the new and creative ways people have been able to apply the roguelike formula to new experiences, if nothing else just to see how they turn out.