You don’t need to be a chess grandmaster to enjoy Mate’Morphosis, but you’ll certainly need to think a few moves ahead.
Launching today for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC with Xbox Play Anywhere, as well as PlayStation and Nintendo Switch, this inventive indie puzzler takes one of the oldest board games in the world and gives it a fresh new identity.
Available for just £4.19, it’s a puzzle game built around a simple but brilliant idea – every piece you capture becomes the piece you control next.
At a Glance
- Game: Mate’Morphosis
- Developer: WiseMonkeES
- Publisher: Eastasiasoft
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, Play Anywhere, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch
- Price: £4.19
- Genre: Puzzle / Strategy
Every Capture Changes The Rules
Rather than commanding an entire army of chess pieces, Mate’Morphosis places you in control of just one. The catch is that every successful capture transforms you into the piece you’ve just defeated, completely changing how you’re able to move around the board.
One moment you’ll be making cautious pawn moves, the next you’ll have the freedom of a knight or bishop before eventually earning the power of the queen. Every decision shapes the route you’ll take, forcing you to think several moves in advance if you’re going to corner the opposing king.
While its foundations come from classic chess, Mate’Morphosis isn’t aimed solely at experienced players. Instead, it gradually introduces new mechanics over the course of 60 handcrafted puzzles, making it approachable even if your knowledge of chess doesn’t extend much beyond knowing how each piece moves.
Wrapped in colourful retro-inspired pixel art and designed around quick restarts, it’s the sort of game that encourages experimentation. If one approach doesn’t work, you’re only moments away from trying a completely different solution.
A Fresh Puzzle Game For Players
Eastasiasoft has developed a reputation for bringing a wide variety of indie puzzle games to Xbox, and Mate’Morphosis certainly stands out among them. Its central mechanic is refreshingly original, taking a centuries-old game and building something that feels entirely new around it.
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly puzzler that rewards careful planning and clever thinking rather than quick reactions, Mate’Morphosis could well be worth a closer look.
The game is available now on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC with Xbox Play Anywhere via the Xbox Store for £4.19. There are PlayStation and Nintendo Switch versions in place too.
