Chess as a roguelite "elevator battle"
In standard chess, a pawn may move two spaces on its first move. In Balloon Chess, rocket boots can propel a pawn straight to the back row for a promotion. You'll need advantages like that (and like your on-call sniper balloon) to fight through seemingly endless waves of enemies and take on the higher difficulties, where the enemies come in greater numbers and have their own unique effects.
No need for chess knowledge
Legal moves are visualized for the player, and typical chess strategies are useless.
Gain power through active abilities, passive effects, and king upgrades
Earn daBloons in the elevator to spend on upgrades. Spend these on powerful activated abilities, or expand your "balloon box" - a backup set of pieces that can be imbued with powerful passive effects.
For each elevator difficulty you finish, you'll unlock a unique boss battle. Victory here will grant a new king, each with their own starting board and 'ultimate' skill.
Permanent Progression
Win or lose, you'll come out of each fight with currency for upgrades.
