It’s quite a hard proposition to accurately describe Chivalware. You’ll don the armour of Disk Knight, despatched on a quest to slay a mad King, battling your way through hordes of enemies in a roguelike adventure. So far, so predictable. However, the way in which you’ll be battling these beasties is where it gets a little tougher to recount.
With each encounter presented on a grid-like battlefield, you equip three weapon discs, each represented by a different colour. As you move around dodging enemy attacks in real-time, coloured floor tiles can be matched to power your attacks, with more connected tiles meaning more opportunity to dole out punishment. Fail to complete a chain of three or more and your weapon will be unequipped, leaving you defenceless for a few vital moments which can make all of the difference between victory and defeat.
Attack patterns are shown on screen for both our brave knight and his foes, you’re constantly ducking and diving, looking for opportunities to bring the pain whilst also keeping an eye on the coloured tiles beneath your feet. It’s a battle ballet as you look to find gaps in the onslaught to attack your enemies whilst also planning out which of your discs will gain the most damage as you match up as many tiles as you can in a single move.
Weapons come in varied formats from pistols to swords to axes, hammers and more, each with their own unique area of effect. When combined with the fact that enemies may be impervious to weapons of a certain colour and you’ll have to react on the fly, choosing the most suitable weapon for any given situation. Combat is fast and a tad frantic, with that little bit of “just one more go” magic that every roguelike needs.
Whilst only a single knight has been playable in this preview, there will be four in the final release with each promising unique builds and playstyles. With 80 weapons available, along with countless upgrades, there’s going to be plenty to experiment with in what is a unique take in an otherwise crowded genre.
With an art style that reminds me of a high resolution GBA game and a lively breakbeat soundtrack that feels straight out of the late 1990’s, this is ticking all of the right boxes that make my dopamine come out to play. Chivalware takes a well-trodden genre and puts a unique spin on it, coming out with something unique and genuinely interesting.
Chivalware is being developed by Regal Pigeon and is due to be released on Steam in Q4 2026.
