Review by Clark A.
Chess has never been a spectacle of a sport in the same way as other great games are but that hasn’t impeded its capacity to deliver high-stakes, strategic action over a period lengthier than a millennium. So given that Digitally Downloaded’s editor-in-chief has practically gushed over Ripstone’s Pure Chess at length several times, I was quite intrigued to see whether it could rejuvenate my childhood interest.
With that said, Pure Chess on 3DS is a tad trickier to recommend. Initially its shortcomings seem as throwaway as some cramped menus and grainy text but the real issue surfaces upon engaging an opponent. The matches aren’t presented with a standard perspective like a bird’s eye view but instead an awkward diagonal one that is decidedly less effective in letting you follow the action. The camera can’t be manoeuvred by the player and any automatic movements are subtle, barely noticeable zooms.
Technical Editor