Beyond the Board: New Puzzle Platformer Blends Monument Valley’s Style with Limbo’s Atmosphere
Beyond the Board, a new puzzle game created by Indie developer Fragile Shapes Studio that takes a basic concept and molds it into something that is both minimalistic and entirely new. Yes, the foundational concept in chess, in theory, but the game is so much more than any chess experience brought previously. In fact, players do not even need to have an understanding of chess, as the world takes shape around them in an entirely new light. Solve puzzles as you weave your own tale and understanding, with creative minds at the ready.
Beyond the Board Inspired By Classic Evocative Puzzlers
For those looking for an atmospheric, minimalist puzzle game, look no further. Beyond the Board will be exactly up your alley. The “protagonist” of sorts is a Rook who was separated from his party when a lightning bolt struck the chessboard and threw everything into a new dimension. Instead of a typical story with a dialogue-based narrative build, the game takes a completely different approach. Beyond the Board challenges players to use their creativity through visual storytelling, atmosphere, and sound to come to terms with the world around them.
As the game and audio designer for Beyond the Board, Bruno Mascarenhas, explains, “Our design philosophy was to create a game that unfolds itself to you step by step, without saying a single word.”
Mood and movement are essential to the heart of Beyond the Board. While the game is minimalist by design, it is not to be confused with simple. The world itself is meant to be a journey into the surreal, guiding your piece through an existential maze all its own. Per the developer, “As you pursue the enemy King through collapsing kingdoms and cursed lands, each step forward becomes a puzzle to solve — with shifting tiles, hidden pathways, enemy pieces, and powerful boss battles standing in your way.”
The key features of the game are what really bring the world to life. Beyond the Board will involve adventure and exploration through discovering hidden secrets that immediately create increased replay value. The chess elements are completely reimagined, allowing for twists, turns, and entirely new rules that force players to rethink every action, and each choice changes the dynamic of the game. Observation will be crucial in this evocative puzzler inspired by the greats like Monument Valley and Limbo.
Check out the full trailer below.
Final Thoughts
I have said it before, and I will say it again: Indie games are filling the gaps in the gaming world that are solely keeping the industry afloat. AAA studios are taking longer and longer to release games, and bringing limited originality with high levels of remakes and remasters. Indie studios are what keep the game industry moving, challenge the status quo, and bring experiences to players they would never get otherwise.
Beyond the Board is a great example of this. An atmosphere-based puzzle game with no dialogue and minimalist style, playing with the concept of chess in a fully exploratory adventure, is something only an indie studio like Fragile Shapes Studio can attempt, and we are all better for it.
There is a demo available on Steam right now, although, as Guilherme Gama, Programmer & Visual Artist, says, “This demo is just the beginning, a first look at the shifting landscapes, defying puzzles, and quiet mysteries that define our game.” Try it out and get lost in a new world, and keep an eye out for the full release date.
