Battle Chess is an animated chess game, ported to the NES by Beam Software and published by Data East from Interplay’s 1988 original. It plays standard chess on a 2.5D board, but every capture triggers one of many humorous medieval battle animations between the pieces. Players face the computer AI or a second player.
How To Play Battle Chess
Control
Action
D-Pad
Move the cursor around the board
A Button
Select a piece and confirm its move
B Button
Cancel / deselect
Select
Options (difficulty, toggle animations)
Start
Pause / menu
About Battle Chess
Release date
NES (NA): July 1990 ยท NES (EU): 1990 (original Amiga: 1988)
Developer
Beam Software (NES port); Interplay (original)
Publisher
Data East (NES, NA); Electronic Arts (EU); Interplay (original)
Platform
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES); originally Amiga, plus many ports
Sheldon has spent over a decade immersed in retro gaming, from NES classics to arcade gems. He's deeply passionate about preserving gaming history and helping others rediscover these timeless titles. When he's not gaming, Shaun writes about the evolution of video games and their cultural impact.
