There are plenty of roguelites that promise frantic combat, endless upgrades and another chance to get yourself killed, but Chivalware arrives with an idea that feels genuinely different. What happens when you take the familiar business of fighting your way through a fantasy kingdom and combine it with real-time tile-matching puzzles, tactical movement and a rather unusual collection of floppy-disk weapons? The result is an energetic and occasionally brain-melting adventure that asks players to think as quickly as they react. Developed by Regal Pigeon, with The Arcade Crew, Dotemu and Imperfect Games involved in bringing it to players, this is a game that wears its eccentricity proudly.
You take on the role of a Disk Knight, a legendary warrior summoned to defeat a King who has apparently become corrupted by power and years of isolation. Your journey takes you through a strange kingdom filled with enemies, dangerous encounters and increasingly unsettling signs that something is not quite right. There are hints of a deeper mystery beneath the medieval setting, with digital glitches suggesting that the world itself may be hiding something. It is an appealing premise, particularly because the combination of traditional fantasy imagery and retro computer technology gives the adventure an identity that is difficult to mistake for anything else.
However, the real attraction is not simply discovering what has happened to the King. It is the unusual combat system at the heart of the experience. Rather than relying on conventional attacks and button combinations, Chivalware turns the battlefield into a puzzle that must be solved while enemies are actively trying to turn you into scrap metal. It is a wonderfully peculiar concept, and one that gives the game plenty of personality.
Match, Move and Survive
The combat system is the game’s biggest selling point, and thankfully it is also where much of its creativity shines. Battles take place on a grid of coloured tiles, and players must move around the arena, matching colours to generate energy for their equipped weapons. The more tiles you match, the more power becomes available for your attacks. This sounds straightforward on paper, but putting it into practice while enemies charge towards you is an entirely different matter.
There is no time to stand around admiring a particularly satisfying combination. You need to keep moving, watch for incoming attacks, and identify the best opportunities to collect the colours required by your weapons. Enemy attacks are telegraphed across the battlefield, so recognising patterns and knowing when to evade is just as important as finding the right tiles. A moment of hesitation can leave you caught in an attack, while a poorly planned move might take you directly into another danger zone.
What makes this approach so interesting is that the puzzle and action elements are inseparable. You are not solving a match-three puzzle before returning to the fighting, nor are you simply attacking enemies while occasionally collecting resources. Every movement has a purpose, and the decisions you make about where to stand can influence both your survival and your ability to deal damage. It creates a lovely sense of urgency, with your attention constantly shifting between the coloured grid and the threats surrounding you.
There is a learning curve, certainly, and newcomers may initially struggle to process everything happening on screen. Remembering which colours charge particular weapons while keeping track of enemy attack patterns requires concentration, especially when several opponents are involved. However, that initial confusion is also part of the satisfaction. As you become more familiar with the mechanics, you begin to recognise opportunities more quickly and develop a rhythm that makes the combat feel considerably more natural.
Floppy Disks of Destruction
The weapon system is another particularly memorable feature. Players can equip up to three weapon disks, each with its own colour and attack behaviour. This means choosing your equipment is not simply a matter of picking whichever weapon appears to deal the most damage. You also need to consider how its colour requirements fit your overall approach and whether you can reliably generate the energy needed to use it.
Different weapons enable different combat styles, encouraging experimentation rather than settling into a single comfortable routine. Some options favour ranged attacks, while others offer sweeping offensive capabilities or more defensive approaches. Finding combinations that complement one another becomes an important part of developing an effective build. A loadout that works brilliantly in one situation may prove considerably less useful when facing enemies with different attack patterns.
There is something wonderfully silly about the idea of a medieval warrior relying on floppy disks to unleash devastating attacks, but Chivalware makes the concept work. The digital equipment fits naturally into its strange world, and the combination of ancient kingdom imagery and computer-inspired weaponry gives the game a distinctive personality. It is the sort of idea that could easily have become a throwaway visual joke, but instead it forms the foundation of the entire combat system.
The opportunity to experiment with different weapon combinations also gives each run a little extra character. Rather than simply collecting increasingly powerful equipment, players are encouraged to think about how their choices interact with the tile-matching mechanics. It is a system that rewards understanding rather than mindless repetition, and that is a considerable strength.
Death Is Only the Beginning
As with any good roguelite, defeat is not the end of the journey. Falling in battle offers opportunities to unlock new possibilities, improve future attempts, and gradually build towards greater success. This progression is particularly important because Chivalware asks players to learn from their mistakes. A failed run might reveal that a particular weapon combination is less effective than expected, or that a different approach to movement is needed when dealing with certain enemies.
There are five playable Disk Knights to unlock, each with a unique mechanic that changes how you approach the battlefield. This is a welcome addition, as it gives players more than just a different appearance to experiment with. Different characters can encourage new strategies, making familiar encounters feel fresh when approached from another perspective. Finding the knight that best suits your preferred playstyle adds another layer to the game’s already substantial customisation.
The arsenal is also impressively large, with more than 80 weapons and over 150 upgrades to discover. That is a lot of potential combinations, particularly when you consider how these options interact with individual characters and their weapon loadouts. Some builds will naturally favour mobility and constant evasion, while others may focus on more powerful attacks and combinations that generate substantial weapon energy. There is plenty of room to experiment, and discovering an unexpectedly effective combination is part of the fun.
The additional bosses and four biomes provide further reasons to keep pushing forward. There are also five extra challenge levels for players looking to test their abilities beyond the main progression. These additions help give the experience a worthwhile amount of longevity, particularly for those who enjoy mastering systems and returning to a game to see whether they can improve on previous performances. The appeal is not simply unlocking everything, but learning how to use those unlocks effectively.
A Kingdom Glitching at the Seams
Visually, Chivalware embraces a colourful pixel-art style that blends medieval fantasy with retro digital imagery. Knights, enemies and environmental details all contribute to a world that feels familiar in some respects but wonderfully strange in others. The glowing weapon effects and digital distortions reinforce the sense that something is wrong with this kingdom, while the overall presentation gives the game a recognisable arcade personality.
The visual style is particularly effective because it does not take itself too seriously. There is a playful quality to the floppy-disk weaponry and the unusual setting, yet the combat itself still demands genuine concentration. That contrast works in the game’s favour, creating an experience that can be amusing one moment and surprisingly intense the next. The glitch effects also help establish an underlying mystery, giving the journey a little more narrative intrigue than a straightforward sequence of arena battles.
The soundtrack complements the action with energetic electronic influences that suit the game’s retro-technology theme. Fast-paced music helps maintain momentum during combat, while the various sound effects provide useful feedback when matching tiles, activating weapons and striking enemies. The mechanical clicks and digital touches are particularly fitting, reinforcing the idea that this is a fantasy world operating under rather unusual rules. It is a presentation that understands its own identity and commits to it.
There are occasions, however, when the visual activity can become a little overwhelming. During more demanding encounters, enemy projectiles, attack indicators and the coloured tile grid can compete for attention. This is especially problematic when you are trying to make quick decisions while several threats are closing in. The visual clutter does not undermine the overall experience, but it can make some of the more intense battles harder to read than they should be.
Not for the Faint-Hearted
The biggest challenge facing Chivalware is that its central mechanic demands a lot from the player. Those who enjoy traditional action games may initially find the tile-matching requirements distracting, while puzzle fans might struggle with the speed and pressure of combat. It is not the sort of game where you can settle into a predictable routine, because every encounter requires you to stay alert and adapt to what is happening around you.
That difficulty is also part of its appeal. There is a genuine sense of achievement when you finally manage to keep your movement under control, match the right colours and unleash a powerful attack without getting caught in an enemy’s path. The game asks you to develop several skills at once, and the satisfaction comes from gradually bringing them together. It can be frustrating when everything goes wrong, but those moments make successful runs feel all the more rewarding.
The roguelite structure helps soften the sting of defeat by giving players something to work towards between attempts. Unlocking new weapons, upgrades and characters creates a sense of forward momentum, even when a particular run ends badly. Some players may find the repetition less appealing over longer sessions, but the sheer number of possible builds provides plenty of reasons to approach the next attempt differently.
The Verdict
Chivalware is an inventive and entertaining action roguelite that deserves credit for blending two very different genres and making them work together. Its real-time tile-matching combat is an inspired idea, transforming the usual business of attacking and dodging into something far more tactical. The weapon disk system offers plenty of opportunities for experimentation, while the five playable Disk Knights and extensive selection of upgrades give the experience considerable replay value.
It is not without its problems. The demanding multitasking can make the opening experience intimidating, and the visual presentation occasionally becomes cluttered during the more hectic encounters. Some players will simply prefer their action games without the additional puzzle mechanics, particularly when the pressure of combat makes matching tiles feel like a second job. However, those willing to embrace its unusual approach will find a game with a surprisingly satisfying skill ceiling.
What I particularly like about the concept is that Chivalware does not feel content to follow the usual roguelite formula. It takes a ridiculous idea, a knight wielding floppy disks, and builds an entire combat system around it. Beneath the colourful presentation and playful premise lies a game that demands quick thinking, careful movement and a willingness to learn from failure. It is quirky, challenging and refreshingly different, with enough content to keep players returning long after their first encounter with the mad King.
Regal Pigeon and its publishing partners have delivered something that stands out in a crowded genre. It may occasionally overwhelm the senses, and it certainly takes time to master, but Chivalware has the imagination and mechanical depth to make that effort worthwhile. If you enjoy roguelites that offer something a little different, this is one digital kingdom worth fighting for.
