Checkmate in the Dungeon: Chess-Roguelike Hybrid ‘Below the Crown’ Confirms Early Access Date with New Demo

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The highly anticipated genre-bending title, Below the Crown, which masterfully fuses the timeless strategy of chess with the procedural challenge of a roguelike dungeon crawler, has officially announced its Early Access launch date. Developed by Misfits Attic, the studio behind the award-winning strategy game Duskers, the game will open its dungeon doors on November 10, 2025, for Windows PC via Steam.

Accompanying the launch date announcement is a newly released demo, which is available now on Steam. Initial impressions confirm the game’s unique premise is a surprisingly cohesive and brutally smart experience, offering a strategic challenge that will appeal to both veteran strategy gamers and roguelite fans looking for a fresh, high-stakes tactical puzzle.

The Core Mechanic: Chess, Curses, and Customization

The essence of Below the Crown is its innovative blend of movement and combat. Players navigate a dungeon environment using the movement rules of various chess pieces. Every move must be planned with the foresight of a chess grandmaster, but with the added complications of a fantasy dungeon:

• Turn-Based Strategy: Combat and exploration are strictly turn-based, demanding careful calculation of every step and attack.
• Chess Pieces as Characters: The player’s main character, as well as enemies, adhere to specific chess movement patterns (Knight, Bishop, Rook, Queen, etc.). This makes positioning and zone control a critical aspect of survival, where a single misplaced move can lead to an immediate and fatal ‘checkmate’.
• Roguelike Elements: Expect permadeath, procedurally generated levels, and a constant accumulation of powerful, yet often cursed, relics, spells, and character upgrades, ensuring no two runs are the same.

The demo provides a tantalizing glimpse into this system, forcing players to master the board geometry and piece interactions quickly. Reviewers have highlighted the game’s surprising depth, noting that while the basic rules are instantly recognizable, the combination with unpredictable dungeon elements creates a complex, highly replayable challenge.

Developer Vision and Early Access Roadmap

Misfits Attic has positioned Below the Crown as a passion project, a “love letter” to the three core genres it blends. The Early Access phase is designed to be a collaborative effort, with the development team actively seeking community feedback to shape the final version of the game. This approach is increasingly popular in the indie game development scene, allowing studios to refine core mechanics based on real-world player engagement.

Key areas for community involvement and future content development are expected to focus on:

• New Chess-Inspired Classes: Expanding the roster of player characters and enemies with unique movement and ability sets.
• Deeper Procedural Generation: Introducing new dungeon biomes, enemy types, and environmental hazards to increase run variance.
• Story and Lore Expansion: Fleshing out the psychological and potentially unsettling narrative teased in the current materials, offering a compelling backdrop for the high-stakes gameplay.

The successful launch of the demo and the firm Early Access date are positive indicators for the title’s momentum. For those eager to test their strategic prowess against a truly innovative dungeon crawler, the free demo is the perfect opportunity to assess the game’s complexity and tactical depth before the full early access launch in November. The unique premise positions Below the Crown as a potentially high-performing title in the PC gaming market, especially among those searching for highly complex and intellectually rewarding strategy games.