Line #17 VideoGame/BattleChess


1	[[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/battle_chess_cover_182.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:280:HotConsort [[ShockAndAwe zaps knight]]]]
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4	''Battle Chess'' is a series of TabletopGame/{{Chess}} programs for various PC and console platforms, made back in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
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6	In most respects, it is an ordinary chess program, not even as smart as most PC chess programs of the time. But it is different in one way: The chess pieces are all animated, and every time a piece was moved, you can see an animation. Every time there is a capture, the capturing piece fights a little battle with the captured piece on the board. Since the rules of chess are still in effect, the result of these battles is always a ForegoneConclusion, but the battles are fun to watch, especially on early plays (watching the same animation for the millionth time, however...)
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8	In other words, it's basically a chess game that plays like [[Franchise/StarWars Holochess]] or [[Literature/HarryPotter Wizard's Chess]]. [[UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates American]] versions of the game did include gorier battles.
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10	It had sequels: ''Battle Chess 4000'', which is normal chess but [[RecycledInSpace with sci-fi characters used as chess pieces]], and ''Battle Chess II: [[TabletopGame/{{Xiangqi}} Chinese Chess]]'', based on [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the Chinese Chess board game]]. A remake, ''Battle Chess: Game of Kings'' was released on Platform/{{Steam}} in 2015.
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12	!!Tropes:
13	* AdaptationalBadass: The Rook, in the original board game, is a watchtower of some kind. In ''Battle Chess'', it transforms into a ''rock monster'' when moving and fighting.
14	* AgonyOfTheFeet: In the original Pawn vs Pawn.
15	* AmusingInjuries / BloodyHilarious: Contributes to the BlackComedy in ''Battle Chess'' and goes into downright slapstick territory in ''Chinese Chess''.
16	* ArmorIsUseless: Knights are often on the receiving end of this - sword thrusts effortlessly penetrating their breastplates is a common result of battles in ''Game of Kings''.
17	* ArtificialStupidity: The AI isn't the sharpest to ever appear in the chess game. It's arguably worse in the NES port, where it's so adamant on never losing any pieces that putting so much as an enemy pawn in position to be captured will cause the CPU to lock up while it tries to think of a way out of the predicament.
18	* AsideGlance:
19	** When a Queen attacks a Pawn, she uses her magic to make his spear vanish. The Pawn briefly looks at the player in response, as if to say: "What the hell?!"
20	** When a King attackd a Knight, the Knight catches the CartoonBomb the King bats at him, blinks at the player, then looks down when he realizes the fuse is burning out. [[StuffBlowingUp Kaboom]].
21	* AttackReflector: The Knight defeats the Queen by bouncing her transformation magic back at her with his shield.
22	* AxCrazy: In the tutorial, the Rook loves talking about smashing things. And while talking about castling, "I'm only going to go through it ONCE. If you don't understand, I'll smash YOU!"
23	* BeamOWar: Queen vs Bishop can result in a magic version of this in ''Game of Kings''.
24	* BerserkButton: Don't try to seduce the King if you don't mean it. And never taunt or insult the Pawn.
25	* BloodierAndGorier: The American version.
26	* BringIt: Done by the Rook to the King in ''Game of Kings''.
27	* CatchAndReturn: Bishops can kill Pawns like this in ''Game of Kings'' with the Pawn throwing a dagger at the Bishop who catches it with magic, then throws it back at the offender.
28	* CensorDecoy: A really funny and non-offensive variation by the artist who drew the Queen. He knew he was working with meddlesome executives, and he also knew exactly what he wanted the Queen to look like, how she should move, etc. So he drew her animations exactly like he wanted... And then added a pet duck that made no sense in the context. The executive told him it looked great except the duck had to go, and he ended up with exactly the original design.
29	* CombatPragmatist:
30	** The King. While every other piece sticks to a general technique they'll use - the Pawn's spear and Bishop's crozier, the Rook's sheer brute force (he turns into a rock monster to move and attack), the Knight's sword and shield and the Queen's magic - the King has a unique weapon for each piece he attacks: A hidden flail in his sceptre to take down Pawns, magic shrinking powder to remove Rooks, seduction of the Queen before [[WouldHitAGirl clubbing her out]], [[StuffBlowingUp bombs]] to dispatch Knights, and freakin' guns to take out Bishops.
31	** To an extent, the Pawn is this too, as he uses dirty tactics against his opponents. Against other Pawns, he stamps the butt of his spear on the opponent's foot; against Knights, simply [[GroinAttack knees him between the legs]]; against Bishops, he positions him over a hidden trapdoor; against Rooks, he uses a GroinAttack and then grinds him to pieces with the butt of his spear; against the Queen, he chucks a dagger into her back when she tries to walk away; when checkmating the King, he simply [[KlingonPromotion hoists the King's crown and takes it for his own]]. Finally, when captured by a Queen, he tries to escape by... Jumping to the next square (or off the board if he's already at the edge)!
32	* CruelAndUnusualDeath: Queen attacks any piece other than the King.
33	* CutScene: The point of this game over other chess games of the era.
34	* DanceOff: The Knight and the Queen can get into one in ''Game of Kings''. if the Knight is the one that captures her.
35	* DefeatByModesty: When a Knight checkmates a King, a sword slash causes his robe to fall off, leaving him completely naked and sheepishly covering himself. The Knight just laughs.
36	* DenserAndWackier: ''Battle Chess II: Chinese Chess'' versus ''Battle Chess''. The animations are much more comedic than serious: For instance, Pawn vs. Pawn results in the attacking Pawn getting frustrated at the defending Pawn dodging all his attacks, simply throwing down his ''ge'' in a rage, and sucker-punching the defending Pawn with a mean right hook.
37	* DualWielding: Knights in ''Game of Kings'' wield a long sword in each hand.
38	* EatingTheEyeCandy: Pawn attacks Queen.
39	-->'''Pawn''': Whoo! I'll show YOU a royal good time.
40	* EnhancedRemake: ''Battle Chess Enhanced'' (which used the CD-ROM technology for better graphics and sound.) [[Creator/InterplayEntertainment Interplay]] has released [[http://www.interplay.com/games/battlechess.php a remake]] on Steam.
41	* EyeScream: One possible outcome of a pawn vs pawn battle in ''Game of Kings'' is one pawn throwing a dagger into the other pawn’s eye.
42	* TheFatalist: The Pawn in the tutorial. The way he sees it, we all come to the same fate in the end... We're all doomed.
43	* FatBastard: Rooks in ''Game of Kings'' are these.
44	* FemmeFatale: The Queen.
45	* {{Flynning}}: The Bishop does this quite a bit. Its practicality is averted [[WhyDontYaJustShootHim when he's jumped by a King]].
46	* ForcedTransformation: The Queen has powers to do this. For instance, her checkmate involves turning the King into both a donkey and a frog. The queen attempts this when defending against the knight, only for it to be reflected.
47	* ForegoneConclusion: Every cutscene.
48	* GenderBender: As per the rules of chess, a Pawn who reaches the end of the board can turn into a queen. Which means that that ordinary, bearded infantryman will turn into a [[AttractiveBentGender jawdroppingly gorgeous woman]].
49	* GeniusBruiser: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbjZqAInK0E The Rook in its tutorial]], not too dissimilar to the [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]], right down to a penchant for smashing.
50	* GoodOldFisticuffs: Two knights in ''Game of Kings'' might agree to this method of resolving a battle.
51	* GroinAttack: When a Pawn attacks a Knight.
52	* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: The King's fate if checkmated by a Bishop, who uses his bladed crosier to slice him into three pieces.
53	* HenpeckedHusband: In the [[Platform/ThreeDOInteractiveMultiplayer 3DO]] tutorial, the King makes a joke about the Queen nagging him and never letting him get any peace. The joke is he says that during his explanation of a chess strategy: While the King ''can'' capture a Queen, in practical terms he can never get close enough to threaten her. But the Queen can constantly harass him around the board.
54	* HighPressureEmotion: When one Pawn attacks another.
55	* HoistByHisOwnPetard:
56	** When attacked, the Queen's magical attack gets reflected by a knight's shield.
57	** Bishop vs. bishop has an electrical attack made by the defender which is then reflected.
58	** In ''Game of Kings'', pieces often end up getting killed by their own weapons, either by accident or when another piece takes and uses them on them.
59	* {{Homage}}: When a Knight takes another Knight, they re-enact the famous scene with the Black Knight from ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail''.
60	* HurtFootHop: When a pawn captures an enemy pawn, the former stomps the butt of his spear on the latter's foot, and after he hops around for a few seconds, gets stabbed through the visor.
61	* ImAHumanitarian / SwallowedWhole: When a Rook attacks a Queen, he simply picks her up and eats her, then belches.
62	** Same for Chinese Chess, where it's the rook (which turns into a ''dragon'') doing this to the knight, complete with [[SpitOutAShoe spitting out his headband afterwards]].
63	* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: In ''Game of Kings'', the Bishop’s weapon is a magic crosier with a butt spike, leading to this commonly being used both by then and against them (if their opponent takes their weapon). Similarly, both the Knight's and the Pawn's swords can be used for this.
64	* KlingonPromotion: When a Pawn checkmates a King.
65	* KnightlySwordAndShield: In the original game, Knights have this combination of equipment.
66	* LadyOfBlackMagic: When a Queen attacks another piece, she lifts her arms and [[ShockAndAwe casts lightning]] [[DeathFromAbove magic]] on her victim.
67	* LiterallyShatteredLives: Given Rook is made of stone, a few of his deaths involve this.
68	* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: The Knight's shield is used to use the Queen's own powers against her.
69	* MsFanservice: The Queen, especially in the later CD-ROM version of the game, has a rather voluptuous figure and does a SupermodelStrut when she moves.
70	* NoOneCouldSurviveThat: When a Pawn attacks a Bishop.
71	* NeckSnap: The Knight can do this to the Queen in ''Game of Kings''. Bishops can kill the Queen this way by levitating Force Snap.
72	* OffhandBackhand: Bishop checkmating King in ''Game of Kings'' after they levitate the crown off his head, the King charges at the Bishop only to run into the crosier and get impaled.
73	* OffWithHisHead: The fate of a Bishop when captured by a Knight.
74	* OhCrap: Any piece that, when attacked, has time to realize things are going pear-shaped.
75	* PimpedOutDress: Either on the package, or in the game, the Queen's dress is pimped out.
76	* PlotlineDeath: Well, insofar as chess has plotlines.
77	* PrettyInMink: In most versions, the Queen's dress has a hem trimmed with ermine. On the packaging, her skimpy dress is edged with ermine on the cuffs, slit skirt, and cleavage.
78	* RankScalesWithAsskicking: The King, who has no problems going toe to toe with much younger and stronger characters. ''Game of Kings'' also gives him a much more muscular build than the original game.
79	* ReligionIsMagic: The Bishop is the only one besides the Queen to display magical prowess.
80	* RequisiteRoyalRegalia: The queen and king have crowns and royal robes.
81	* RetractableWeapon: The Bishop's main weapon is a retractable blade built into his crosier.
82	* RockMonster: The Rooks. At rest they're just a stone tower, but they transform into a rock monster to move and attack.
83	* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: The Queen, certainly. The King, not so much (until the end game.)
84	* ScreamingWoman: The Queen lets out a big scream that gets gradually muffled as she gets swallowed head-first by the Rook.
85	* SexyPackaging: The Queen's dress is a lot skimpier in the packaging than [[http://i.imgur.com/pb76ofQ.jpg in the game]].
86	* ShockinglyExpensiveBill: In the event that a Pawn takes the King, the Pawn withdraws a tax statement and shows it to the King; the King's eyes go wide, he clutches at his chest, [[HollywoodHeartAttack and promptly dies from a heart-attack]].
87	* ShoutOut:
88	** [[Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail Knight attacks Knight]].
89	** [[Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk King attacks Bishop]], considering the Bishop's signature style.
90	** [[Series/TheWildWildWest King attacks Queen]].
91	* SinisterMinister: The Bishop in ''Game of Kings'' is this, using such underhanded methods like poisoned chalices, sucking out souls and what amounts to a [[Franchise/StarWars Force Choke]].
92	* SpitOutAShoe: The rook spits out the queen's tiara after swallowing her.
93	* SquashedFlat: The fate of the King when checkmated by a Rook. It even picks him up to show the player before dropping him, where he floats to the ground like a piece of paper.
94	* StrippedToTheBone: Queen vs Bishop ends with the Bishop reduced to a skeleton that collapses.
95	* SupermodelStrut: The Queen moves in a slow strut while swaying her hips in a deliberately sensual manner.
96	* SurrenderBackfire: When a Rook captures a Pawn, the Pawn drops his spear and surrenders, only for the Rook to smash him into the ground.
97	* SwallowedWhole: How Rook takes Queen. The Bishop in ''Game of Kings'' also turns the Queen's magic against her to shrink her down, picks her up and then eats her.
98	* SwordCane: Carried by the King in ''Game of Kings''.
99	* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: In ''Game of Kings'', the Knight can overcome the Bishop’s reach advantage by throwing both swords through his chest. Bishops can also do this to Rooks by throwing the pointy end of their crosier.
100	* TooDumbToLive: The Pawn, when attacked by a Rook, drops his spear and tries to surrender. The Rook promptly [[HulkSmash pummels him]] into the ground. In ''Game of Kings'' he can accept wine from an enemy bishop which unsurprisingly turns out to be poisoned or allow himself to be distracted by tossed gold coins thrown by an enemy king and clubbed from behind.
101	** In ''Game of Kings'', if the Pawn is the one that checks the King, the King sees the enemy Pawn kneeling before him and shakes his hand. However, he doesn't suspect that it's a trap before the Pawn stabs him in the stomach with a knife, killing him.
102	* VisualPun[=/=]VoluntaryShapeshifting: In one version, Queen takes Queen has them [[CatFight turning into cats and fighting to the death]].
103	* WalkingHead: The Rook vs Knight has the Rook smash the Knight into becoming one.
104	* WreckedWeapon: A couple of the death animations involved the character being jumped having their weapon destroyed. The Pawn is particularly prone to this, with his spear being destroyed by both the Queen and the Knight.
105	* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: If the King attacks a Bishop, the King eventually does just that after growing bored with the Bishop's unsuccessful staff-twirling attacks.
106	* WouldHitAGirl: None of the pieces hesitate to take out the Queen given the opportunity.
107	* YourSoulIsMine: Bishops in ''Game of Kings'' can kill Pawns this way.
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109	!! ''Battle Chess: Chinese Chess'' contains examples of:
110	* ForcedTransformation[=/=]VisualPun: When a Cannon blasts a Minister, the latter turns into an elephant before crumbling. This is a reference to the fact that the latter piece originated as a ''gajah'', or elephant, and that on one side the pieces are labeled as elephants.
111	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: When a Chariot jumps a Cannon, the dragonized charioteer simply redirects the cannonball at the cannon operator.
112	* LoudGulp: The Minister when disarmed by the Knight. The knight gets his turn when jumped by the Emperor[=/=]General, who produces a sword FAN!
113	* NoSell: Pretty much any piece takes Cannon or Chariot.
114	* StoutStrength: Ministers are rather rotund, and are strong enough to defeat charioteers in dragon form.
115	* TalkToTheFist: When one Pawn jumps another, the latter manages to NoSell attacks even after being disarmed. The attacking Pawn casts his weapon aside and punches the other Pawn out.
116	* VoluntaryShapeshifting[=/=]OurDragonsAreDifferent: How Chariots fight.

Context VideoGame / BattleChess