Posted in: Games, Indie Games, Video Games | Tagged: Below the Crown, Misfits Attic, Shochiku

Below the Crown Announced on The MIX Showcase for PAX West 2025

Become a gold-hunting wizard in this radical approach to the game of chess in Below the Crown, revealed during The MIX Showcase

Published Fri, 29 Aug 2025 12:12:04 -0500

by Gavin Sheehan

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Article Summary

Below the Crown unveiled by Misfits Attic and Shochiku at The MIX Showcase for PAX West 2025.
Combines chess mechanics with roguelike dungeon crawling for a dynamic strategy game experience.
Start as a wizard, build a party, gain new abilities, and collect gold in ever-changing dungeons.
Features psychological twists, custom board creation, asynchronous challenges, and community replays.

Indie game developer Misfits Attic anbd publisher Shochiku revealed Below the Crown today during The MIX Showcase for PAX West 2025. The game mixes dungeon crawler and roguelike mechanics with chess, as they put an all-new twist on the game with you playing a wizard trying to get gold for the king by any means necessary. We have more details ont he game for you here as no timetable was revealed for its release.

Below the Crown

Below the Crown takes the language of chess and makes it accessible for newcomers and compelling for experts. Already familiar with classic chess maneuvers like Forks and Pins? This pleases the Emperor. If not, indulge in Below the Crown's fast and exciting chess-like experience, with explosions! Forget memorized openings, drawn-out endgames, and stalemates. Start with one piece, a badass wizard, instead of 16 – and bid the tedium of analysis paralysis adieu.

Assemble a party of Rooks, Archers, and maybe even a Mimic or two, then journey into the dark depths below the crown. Make smart plays to capture enemies and survive an ever-changing dungeon. Imbue the party with abilities like Vision for placement flexibility or Shadow Protection, granting a shield while on a dark tile. Acquire spell cards and skills to ramp up throughout a run, collecting gold to sate the Emperor, but also finding mysterious runes along the way…

When random psychological evaluations appear after the screen glitches out, there's no need to worry. Just answer to the best of your ability to uncover what's really going on behind the scenes of this seemingly retro adventure game…Engage with the community by competing in asynchronous challenges, creating and sharing custom boards, watching other players' replays to see HOW they got that score, and posting glorious victories to be admired and envied by all.

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