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Encyclopedia > Battle Chess
Battle Chess
Developer(s) Interplay
Publisher(s) Interplay
Designer(s) Todd Camasta, Michael Quarles, Jayesh J. Patel, Bruce Schlickbernd
Release date(s) 1988, 1989, 1990, 1994
Genre(s) Board game
Mode(s) Single player, two player
Platform(s) 3DO, Amiga, Amiga CDTV, Amiga CD32, Apple IIGS, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, NES, Mac OS, Acorn Archimedes

Battle Chess is a computer game version of chess released for the 3DO, PC, Apple IIGS, Commodore 64, Amiga, Amiga CDTV, CD32, Atari ST, Apple Macintosh, Acorn Archimedes and Nintendo Entertainment System in which the chess pieces came to life and battled one another when capturing. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (611x687, 131 KB)Found here: amiga. ... A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates computer or video games. ... Interplay logo. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Interplay logo. ... A game designer is a person who designs games. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... In computer games and video games, single-player refers to the variant of a particular game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. ... Online gaming redirects here. ... 3DO Interactive Multiplayer (most commonly referred to as the 3DO) was a line of video game consoles released in 1993 and 1994 by Panasonic, Sanyo and Goldstar, among other companies. ... The original Amiga 1000 (1985) with various peripherals The Amiga is a family of home/personal computers originally developed by Amiga Corporation as an advanced home entertainment and productivity machine. ... A CDTV with accessories The CDTV was the first computer to come with a CD ROM drive as standard. ... The Amiga CD32 was a 32-bit CD-ROM based game console. ... The Apple IIGS, the fifth model inception of the Apple II, was the most powerful member of the Apple II series of personal computers made by Apple Computer. ... The Atari 520ST Atari 1040STF with SC1224 color monitor The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was commercially popular from 1985 to the early 1990s. ... The Commodore 64 is the best selling single personal computer model of all time. ... ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ... NES redirects here. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Acorn Archimedes was Acorn Computers Ltds first general purpose home computer based on their own 24-bit ARM RISC CPU, and spawned a family of very capable machines with various options. ... A computer game is a game composed of a computer-controlled virtual universe that players interact with in order to achieve a defined goal or set of goals. ... Chess is an abstract strategy board game for two players that is played both recreationally and competitively. ... 3DO Interactive Multiplayer (most commonly referred to as the 3DO) was a line of video game consoles released in 1993 and 1994 by Panasonic, Sanyo and Goldstar, among other companies. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Apple IIGS, the fifth model inception of the Apple II, was the most powerful member of the Apple II series of personal computers made by Apple Computer. ... The Commodore 64 is the best selling single personal computer model of all time. ... The original Amiga 1000 (1985) with various peripherals The Amiga is a family of home/personal computers originally developed by Amiga Corporation as an advanced home entertainment and productivity machine. ... A CDTV with accessories The CDTV was the first computer to come with a CD ROM drive as standard. ... The Amiga CD32 was a 32-bit CD-ROM based game console. ... The Atari 520ST Atari 1040STF with SC1224 color monitor The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was commercially popular from 1985 to the early 1990s. ... The first Macintosh computer, introduced in 1984, upgraded to a 512K Fat Mac. The Macintosh or Mac, is a line of personal computers designed, developed, manufactured, and marketed by Apple Computer. ... The Acorn Archimedes was Acorn Computers Ltds first general purpose home computer based on their own 24-bit ARM RISC CPU, and spawned a family of very capable machines with various options. ... NES redirects here. ... In chess, each player has one of two equivalent sets of pieces of different colors. ...


There were 35 animations, including movement, prelude to battle, and the combinations of battle itself. The rook, for example, would turn into a rock monster and kill a pawn by crushing him. Introducing this new twist to a classic game, Battle Chess reached out to a new audience. For instances of Golem in popular culture, see Golem in popular culture. ...


At least one weakness was that the board could not be rotated. If the player wished to take the side of Black (the Blue pieces in the game), this meant playing down the board against White (the Red pieces) playing upwards. Also, the capturing piece was always in the top-right corner, while the captured piece was in the bottom-left, with only the colours reversed depending upon which side had moved, so there was no alternate "view" of a particular battle combination.


The Amiga CDTV version came with a fully-voiced introduction describing the movements of the pieces for the benefit of beginners. A CDTV with accessories The CDTV was the first computer to come with a CD ROM drive as standard. ...


The game itself was inspired by the 3D chess sequences from Star Wars and Future World, and helped launch Interplay as an independent computer game design house after it ended its relationship with Electronic Arts. In turn, Battle Chess spawned a horde of imitators, but none matched the humorous animations of artists Todd Camasta and Bruce Schlickbernd, and were never as successful. They won a Software Publishers Association (SPA) award for Best Graphics for their efforts. The game was programmed by Michael Quarles (lead programmer), and Jayesh Patel. This article is about the series. ... Epcots logo Spaceship Earth is the symbol of Epcot. ... Interplay logo. ... EA redirects here. ...

Screenshot Battle Chess (Atari ST)
Screenshot Battle Chess (Atari ST)

A sequel was later released based on the game of Xiangqi. screenshot Atari ST Battle Chess, made myself. ... screenshot Atari ST Battle Chess, made myself. ... The Atari 520ST Atari 1040STF with SC1224 color monitor The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was commercially popular from 1985 to the early 1990s. ... Xiangqi (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: hsiang4-chi2;  ), is a two-player Chinese game in a family of strategic board games of which Western chess, Indian chaturanga, Japanese shogi, and the more similar Korean janggi are also members. ...

Contents

Animation details

Several of the animations are worthy of particular comment:

  • Pawn takes Knight - the Pawn kicks him in the genitals, and the Knight keels over with a moan;
  • Bishop takes (anybody) - the Bishops would fight by whirling their staffs - which have retractable blades - like martial artists, and also use a limited form of magic;
  • Queen takes (anyone) - uses magic to blast enemy pieces with bolts of energy, for example enveloping the Knight in an inferno or charring the Bishop into a disintegrating skeleton;
  • Knight takes Queen - the Knight's shield reflects the energy bolt back to her, which turns her into a small dragon;
  • Knight takes (anyone) - considered the most "heroic" and swashbucking with his sword, he decapitates the Bishop (suddenly, the robes collapse as if there was nothing underneath - which could be a reference to the legendary sword fight between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader in Star Wars "A New Hope": Obi-Wan is cut in two by Vader and his robe collapses as he disappears, too), breaks the lance of the Pawn (the blow presumably goes through to kill the latter in the chest), and he parries several blows from the Rook monster before delivering a swipe across the Rook's groin that causes it to crumble into rubble.
  • Rook takes Queen - when the Rook - which turns into a large rock monster when on the move - attacks the Queen, he swallows her whole with her long legs sticking in the air;
  • Rook takes Knight - the Rook just pounds on the latter's head, and the Knight is compressed down to a helmet with two feet;
  • Pawn takes Bishop - hits the ground with the butt of his lance, thus creating a large hole which swallows the Bishop;
  • Pawn takes Queen - the Queen tries to femininely walk away from the duel but the Pawn grabs her robe from behind and she falls over, revealing her long legs.

The (old and doddery) King stands shorter than the Queen and used a variety of gadgets and dirty tricks, including a gun (against the Bishop), magical shrinking powder (against a Rook), a bomb (against the Knight), and his sceptre conceals a retractable morning star (against a Pawn). When capturing the Queen, he would embrace her passionately before hitting her with his scepter when she tries to stab him in the back with a knife. On the other hand, when he is defeated, he ends up like this: The Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb produced in the United States. ... Morning star at the torture museum in Freiburg im Breisgau. ... A sceptre or scepter is an ornamental staff held by a ruling monarch, a prominent item of kingly regalia. ...

  • Queen - the King is blasted; only his robe remains
  • Bishop - he swings his spear-staff three times, cutting the King in three
  • Knight - the Knight shatters the King's scepter and then cuts open the King's robe - under which the King wears nothing, and the latter turns red in embarrassment
  • Rook - the King is pounded into a two-dimensional version of himself, much like a cartoon character run over by a steam roller
  • Pawn - with a flip of his lance, he takes the King's (oversized) crown for himself, and the King is reduced to pounding the ground in frustration.

The most recognisable animation was the Knight-takes-Knight sequence, which was strongly influenced by a similar sequence in the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, in which two Knights fight a duel with swords. One continually chops limbs off the other one, who only gets angrier and more defiant. Eventually, he has no limbs left to fight with. A cartoon is any of several forms of illustrations, with varied meanings that evolved from one to another. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Traction engine. ... Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a film released in 1975. ...


The game could be played in a straight, 2D version with no animations.


Trivia

In the film Knight Moves, Christopher Lambert's character Peter Sanderson, a chess grandmaster, is seen beating Battle Chess in one scene. Knight Moves is a 1992 American thriller film, directed by Carl Schenkel and written by Brad Mirman. ... Lambert as Connor MacLeod in Highlander Christopher Lambert (born March 29, 1957 as Christophe Guy Denis Lambert) is a French/American actor. ... Grandmaster and/or Grand Master could mean: In chess, an International Grandmaster. ...


See also

Brutal Chess - A 3D Chess game inspired by Battle Chess


External links


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