In Below the Crown Chess Meets Roguelike Meets Dungeon Crawler

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The indie studio Misfits Attic, known for the strategy hit Duskers, has announced its new project Below the Crown. Revealed at The MIX Fall Game Showcase, the game mashes up the strategic depth of chess with the replayability of a roguelike and the exploration of a dungeon crawler. A demo will be available at the October 2025 Steam Next Fest, with the Early Access launch on PC via Steam planned for Q4 2025.

Developed by industry veterans with experience on major franchises like Diablo and Call of Duty, Below the Crown reinterprets the strategic language of chess. The game discards memorized openings and drawn-out endgames, replacing the traditional 16 pieces with a single starting piece: a powerful wizard. This approach is designed to provide a fast-paced, “chess-like” experience with “explosions”.

You will journey into the depths below the crown, assembling a party of pieces like Rooks, Archers, and even Mimics. To survive the ever-changing dungeon, you must make strategic moves to capture enemies. As you progress, you can acquire spell cards and skills, imbuing your party with abilities like Vision for flexible placement or Shadow Protection for a defensive boost. You’ll also collect gold to appease the Emperor, while mysterious runes hint at a deeper narrative.

According to Misfits Attic founder Tim Keenan, the game is intended to be either “a gateway drug into chess or a fun alternative that scratches the same strategic itch without the heaviness.” He describes it as a “massively single-player experience with tons of community interaction” all wrapped in an ’80s retro tech aesthetic that fans of Duskers will recognize.