Reviews of Checkmate or Die

By: Chess.com

List of user reviews and ratings for Checkmate or Die

Total ratings

2.78 (Rating count: 459)

Review summary

Checkmate or Die is praised for its creative chess puzzle concept and fun challenge that enhances tactical skills. However, users widely report frequent crashes, frustratingly tight time limits, slow and blocking animations, lack of clear instructions, and unclear visuals. These issues diminish enjoyment and accessibility despite the game's novel idea and fun core gameplay.

Pros

Fun and simple chess puzzle concept that emphasizes quick pattern and material recognition
Good idea to combine chess puzzles with time pressure to improve tactical skills
Enjoyable once you get past early levels and appreciate the chess-based challenge
Creative blending of chess with engaging visuals and puzzles

Cons

Game crashes frequently, including on startup, menus, and during gameplay
Time limits on puzzles are too short and feel unfair, especially for longer checkmates
Animations (like character running) are slow and block interaction, causing frustration
Lack of instructions or tutorial makes understanding the game mechanics difficult
Visuals can be unclear, with distractions and difficulty discerning chess pieces

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User Reviews

Recent rating average: 2.80

All time rating average: 2.78

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8% (4)

Date	Author	Comment
2023-01-03	Ma*****	Gets fun after level 25. Would be fun to have more changing scenery and i would like to look at the solution of the puzzle if I got it wrong. Also changing piece type would be great. If the game has a story that would have been way more interesting too.
Gets fun after level 25. Would be fun to have more changing scenery and i would like to look at the solution of the puzzle if I got it wrong. Also changing piece type would be great. If the game has a story that would have been way more interesting too.
2022-10-26	St*****	Had my entire progress reset without warning. So that's already really bad. Overall, this isn't a bad idea for some holiday chess-based fun, but the game is way too unforgiving. The game really, really rushes you away from trying to calculate. It would be better if there was some (simple and obvious) methods of balancing how fast you have to solve the puzzles.
Had my entire progress reset without warning. So that's already really bad. Overall, this isn't a bad idea for some holiday chess-based fun, but the game is way too unforgiving. The game really, really rushes you away from trying to calculate. It would be better if there was some (simple and obvious) methods of balancing how fast you have to solve the puzzles.