Beautiful Checkers

[h3]RANKING:[/h3] [table] [tr] [td] [h3][strike]AVOID | FLAWED[/strike] | [b]MAYBE[/b] | [strike]WORTHWHILE | COMPELLING | UNMISSABLE [/strike] [/h3] [/td] [/tr] [/table] [h3]SYNOPSIS:[/h3] [table] [tr] [th][b]ASSESSMENT:[/b][/th] [/tr] [tr] [td] Beautiful Checkers is just that & not much else. A no thrills digital version of Checkers made as a heart-felt tribute to the dev's father. While it provides the strategic gameplay of the physical game, competitive qualities are sacrificed for a more casual experience. There are no tutorials or hints to aid new players. It may look better that free versions on Steam, but there is no choice of other rulesets or variants. There is no split-screen multiplayer & while the AI is capable, it isn't able to mount any sort of serious challenge against a seasoned player. For the price & its casualness it [b]MAYBE[/b] something to consider for only a small niche of gamers. [/td] [/tr] [/table] [table] [tr] [td][b]STATUS:[/b][/td] [td]Looks fully released. No signs of additional content to come [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]APPEAL:[/b][/td] [td]Strictly for casual gamers [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]VALUE:[/b][/td] [td]At a token price, but for what it offers there are free versions out there that are just as good or as limited [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]PLAY AGAIN:[/b][/td] [td]May fire it up once in a while, until I get a different version [/td] [/tr] [/table] [quote=]Key supplied by developer through curator [url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/tbtactics/][b]TURN-BASED TACTICS[/b] [/url] | Click to follow & get updates[/quote] [i]More info below....[/i] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3706162157 [h3]HIGHLIGHTS:[/h3] 🟡 PLAYS as expected, an uncomplicated version of the well-known board game without bells & whistles. Games are short, lasting 5 or so minutes each. 🟡 PRODUCTION is solid. One obscure bug with visuals on top-down view. Good level of polish. Stable. FPS runs at less than 30, but at least can be run below the minimum specifications indicated on store page of Intel Core i7 4770 3.4 GHz. If it needs anything its QoL to add features that would turn this into 'a proper game.' 🟡 DIFFICULTY is limited to one setting & is pretty easy since the game aims to offer a non-competitive experience, which it does. Sadly for me there are no harder options for seasoned players. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3706143728 [h3]OFF TARGET:[/h3] ⚪ GAMEPLAY makes a decent stab at duplicating the physical game into this digital adaptation, but is not totally convincing. The way mandatory captures causes the need to plan moves ahead is a small, but welcome strategic complication. ⚪ AUDIOVISUALS are good. Environments are certainly visually appealing, though parts of the background can flicker on my setup. Perhaps having animated background would energise the little immersion they provide a little more. Limited to only a mere handful, more would have added better value. The soundtracks are good for their budget, changing depending on the background chosen. ⚪ AI is okay for its intended audience of casual players. Can make basic errors against a decent player. Smart in some ways, such as how to manipulate the board to king its pieces. It can multi-capture, but is prone to allowing the player to do so more. Can get stuck replaying the same move over & over when no better options are available. Lacks knowing when to sacrifice or sacrifices poorly. ⚪ CAMERA MODES include the view from behind by either side, or top down. Choosing the with the outside background causes lighting issues that obscure part of the game board.. ⚪ ACCESSIBILITY is high if one knows how to play the game. Which is implied in the store page. Its a simple enough game. For those who have never played it, they will have to look up the rules on the internet as there is no tutorial. Movement options are dynamically highlighted when a piece is selected, but doesn't take into account mandatory captures & will only allow the best move available. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3706157034 [h3]SHORTCOMINGS:[/h3] 🟤 RULESETS are limited to a single one, the most well-known - American Checkers or "English Draughts." Its a pity some depth to gameplay wasn't provided through additional rulesets &/or variant options such as being able to disable mandatory captures. 🟤 NO COSMETIC OPTIONS for the board or playing pieces. At the very least some alternatives to customise the basic appearance of these items would have added value. 🟤 NO MULTIPLAYER which the dev explains is on purpose. However, this defeats the nature of a 2-player game on the occasion a friend or family member pops round & want to play a casual game. Would have benefited from an split-screen option. 🟤 MISSING FEATURES such as an undo button, at least in a practice mode. Or a hint feature for new players, one that requires credits to use, possibly attached to a reward earning system for earning wins. [table] [tr] [td][b]REVIEWED WITH:[/b][/td] [td]Build v 1.0.0 @ 1920x1080 fullscreen, EVO850 SSD [/td] [/tr] [/table] [table] [tr] [td]Click for:[/td] [td][b][h1][url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/nourl1/screenshots/?appid=3487930&sort=newestfirst&browsefilter=myfiles&view=grid]SCREENSHOTS[/url][/h1][/b][/td] [/tr] [/table] [quote=]Thank you for reading | Click to follow my curator[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/40556040-The-Irregular-Gamer/] THE IRREGULAR GAMER[/url][/quote]