Merlin's Chess Gives The Classic Game A Fantasy Twist

Merlin's Chess promises a fantasy-themed twist on the classic tabletop game, and it's out soon on Quest.

Developed by Teleporter Realities, Merlin's Chess sees these animated chess pieces coming to life and fighting each other directly on the board. Supporting voice commands, hand tracking controls and the Touch controllers, this tabletop strategy game lets you play solo against AI NPCs with various difficulty settings or through online matchmaking. Here's the previous trailer.

Multiple game modes will be supported, such as a 'Casual Mode' for jumping in and a more competitive 'Ranked Mode' with a “pro-grade” rating system. Spectators can also watch ongoing games and socialize with other players. Other features include a series of seasonal themes alongside new match environments, piece sets and command stations. Finally, customizable avatars are supported with voice chat and a friend system included.

While both the official website and listed trailer on the Horizon Store mentions this is an early access release, specifics on what's coming at full release aren't fully outlined in the store description. All that's mentioned is an upcoming 'Puzzle Mode.' We'll revise this article if we learn more about any planned updates.

Merlin's Chess launches in early access on May 22 on the Meta Quest platform.