Chess Ultra

 Switch
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. Switch Player
    Nov 16, 2017
    70
    It would be hard to make a bad chess game, but it's not easy to make a beautiful one and that's what Ripstone have achieved with Ultra Chess. It's priced reasonably, plays and looks fantastic and if you are a strategy or chess-afficiando then it's a no-brainer. Unlike some of the matches you might play...
  2. Impulsegamer
    Nov 16, 2017
    70
    In the end, Chess Ultra is chess that has been flawlessly ported onto the Nintendo Switch and offers a variety of different ways to immerse the Switch gamer into the world’s oldest game.
  3. Nintendo Enthusiast
    Nov 14, 2017
    70
    Chess Ultra is a nice little game to own. When Nintendo first began marketing the Switch, they really hammered home the idea of taking it where you go, and playing it to pass the time. I feel that this title is a perfect example of that. If a player has a few hours to kill, it’s probably best to play a big game like Super Mario Odyssey or The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. On the other hand, if someone has a mere few minutes to spare, turning on the Switch and playing a match of Chess would surely suffice.

Awards & Rankings

48
#48 Best Switch Game of 2017

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 26 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 26
  3. Negative: 9 out of 26
  1. Wymog
    Sep 30, 2018
    3
    It's a chess game. As a game in and of itself, it's very hard to get chess wrong. But this games isn't marketed as a simple chess game. ThisIt's a chess game. As a game in and of itself, it's very hard to get chess wrong. But this games isn't marketed as a simple chess game. This is supposed to be a beautiful, premium chess playing experience. I'm going to warn you that it's far from it. The chess pieces themselves look like they're rendered in an unacceptable 360p, and somehow get even blurrier when they move across the board. The couch in one of the available backgrounds actually looks more impressive than the pieces and boards themselves. You'll also have these blurry messes move around at about 20 frames per second. The most atrocious thing is that this game takes a whopping 3 GB of memory on your Switch, I can only imagine that this space is used for whatever high quality shaders and textures they have for all the boards and backgrounds. It's a shame that you'll never be able to appreciate them under the extremely overkill antialiasing applied to the actual gameplay elements.

    Essentially, you get awful antialiasing that blurs pieces to a point where they're hard to look at, which subsequently makes any memory hogging HD textures and shaders unnoticeable, which then unnecessarily bogs down the framerate to an almost unplayable degree.

    An overall terrible experience that isn't worth the money, far from the experience promised.

    If you don't care about graphics whatsoever, it's a functional chess game on the Switch. Be prepared to take a bit of time to even tell pieces apart from eachother, however.    … Full Review »
  2. Civiliza
    Mar 5, 2023
    1
    Visually this game is pretty good - indeed the screen shots were a major factor in buying it. The major downside is that it persistently triesVisually this game is pretty good - indeed the screen shots were a major factor in buying it. The major downside is that it persistently tries to force you into a Nintendo Online subscription.

    I wasn't interested in online play, but every "achievement" be it completing any of the numerous tutorials, solving any puzzle, let alone winning a game brings up the Nintendo Online dialogue.

    Strictly for those willing to subscribe because without the simple addition of a "Don't ask again" option the offline only experience is horrendous due to the endless nagging.    … Full Review »
  3. lgndsgn
    Jun 7, 2019
    2
    Cons: 1-online multiplayer sucks. Takes FOREVER to find an opponent (and they’re usually VERY new at chess). Online is basically useless.Cons: 1-online multiplayer sucks. Takes FOREVER to find an opponent (and they’re usually VERY new at chess). Online is basically useless. 2-lag is ridiculous, for even minor things like moving menu. 3-very little viewpoint management for 3D. 4-starting a new game is really bad ux. Pros: nice music/atmosphere, some puzzles are good
    Seriously, ALL they had to do was imitate every other online chess app and then just slap the pretty graphics/music onto it. And make sure it runs respectably. I love chess but I wasted money on this app    … Full Review »
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