Chessboard: CRT

Chessboard: CRT is a third-person shooter developed by Pyro Enterprises for the Series Swap IV contest. Based off of Cosmic Road Trip by Sunset Studios, the game is inspired by the single-player campaigns found in the Splatoon franchise, and acts as a hybrid of third-person shooters and platforming games.
==Gameplay==
Chessboard's gameplay is reminiscent of the Splatoon single-player modes, as previously stated. Players guide Chess Trip through a multitude of levels, using her unique projectile abilities in order to slay foes in her path and reach the stage's end, marked by a large white pawn statue. There is an emphasis on both high-octane shooting and platforming, as Chess Trip possesses the ability to teleport small distances with her En Passant ability.
In between levels, the player is taken to a central hub known as Ivory Castle. This hub allows Trip to speak with other members of the White Stone Army to take on challenge missions or simply converse, as well as spend Onyx- the games currency and fragments taken from the Black Stone Army troops after death- to upgrade her abilities and unlock new ones. It also acts as a training room, helping the player gain aptitude with Trip's abilities.
Every 5 levels, the player will encounter a boss battle, which requires more advanced tactics than traditional enemies and usually take a lot more damage. After each boss is slain, Trip gains access to the next chapter of the story, as well as a new weapon. The game has 6 bosses in total, not counting the game's final battle.
===Weapons===
Pawn Blast 	A simple pulse of energy emitted from Trip's hand, this is the basic ability all Pawns in both army possess. It's a simple weapon that can be held down for rapid fire, and going a few seconds without firing charges the blast, doubling the range and power. It's a simple and effective ability.
Bishop Fire 	A long staff tipped with a bishop piece, this weapon is obtained from beating the game's first boss. Trip uses it as a sniper rifle of sorts, though as with the chess piece the weapon is based off of, the shots can swerve in sharp diagonal turns. Once the shot strikes a target, it will rebound off of it, homing in on the nearest target. In essence, Bishop Fire is a weapon best suited for creating elaborate trick shots or defeating clumps of enemies.
Knight Crescent	Dual boomerangs styled after horse heads, these weapons are effective close range tools that strike in wide arcs, similar to the L-shaped paths that knight pieces take. They aren't the best weapons for range, but their speed makes them deadly up-close damage sources. Their L-shaped curvature is also ideal for reaching targets behind walls.
Rook Summon 	Much like a rook piece, the Rook Summon is a tool meant to get behind enemy defenses swiftly and demolish them. The summon takes the form of a small grenade-like object, which when thrown, transforms into a large rook-shaped stone pillar, damaging all enemies and objects it contacts. The pillar can also react to walls for sideways pillars, and Trip is able to ascend the tower spawned from the grenade in order to work through platforming sections.
==Story==
==Characters==
===White Stone Army===
 	
Trip 	Trip is just one of hundreds of pawns in the White Stone Army, following orders without question in the name of her king and queen. She's an exceptionally mysterious character, not letting her innermost thoughts sneak out very easily and hiding most of her emotions- though she does seem a bit flirty with her fellow soldiers. Though she yearns to be a queen someday, the war may take her life far before that gets anywhere. Trip is also the player character, and it's your job to guide her throughout the treacherous missions she is subjected to.
Grace 	A simple generic pawn, Grace is an NPC ally that can be found in some missions and around Ivory Castle in between missions. She's a rough-and-tumble kind of woman, and as such, she runs the game's special Challenge stages, where players are tasked with replaying a normal stage with some special stipulation or handicap.
Markus 	A handsome muscular man and another generic pawn in service of the White Stone Army. Markus is a skilled mechanic and magitek user, and is able to upgrade the weapons and abilities of Trip when given Onyx found by completing stages. He's gentle and kind-hearted, and can always be counted on for support when you need him.
White Queen	
White King 	
===Black Stone Army===
 	
Fianchetta 	One of the Black Stone Army's two leading bishops, Fianchetta is a schemer and Trip's primary rival throughout the game. She was willingly captured in a battle years prior to the game's opening, and has been feeding intel to her own kingdom ever since in a bid to finally destroy the White King and Queen. Trip, however, uncovers the plot, and the priestess vows vengeance. Fianchetta is an extremely intelligent and manipulative woman, and a master planner who successfully manages to ambush the player multiple times throughout the game, but is prone to having tantrums when something goes awry.
Black Queen	
Black King 	
==Stages==
	The tutorial level, this takes place during an assault on Ivory Castle. Trip is sent to help reach the Pawn Statue at the gates and trigger it, closing them, and doing so teaches the player how to utilize both their Pawn Blast and En Passant skills effectively.
	Trip is sent out around the castle's borders to look for more Black Stone Army soldiers. This level is more platforming oriented, teaching more advanced parkour skills to the player.
	After finding a Black Stone grunt hiding out near the castle, Trip learns of a secret weapon being built with the aim of destroying Ivory Castle. With this in mind, Trip sets off to try to stop it. This level is fairly standard, though introduces the first appearance of the Checkmate powerup.
	Reaching the Black Stone factory where the mystery weapon is presumably being made, Trip sets off to destroy it. This level is more combat focused, introducing new types of enemies to the player.
	A massive, hulking creature in the shape of a castle, the Dark Castille is the weapon designed by the Black Stone Army to crush Ivory Castle and bring the White King and Queen to their knees. The boss is invulnerable on most of its body, but as it is yet to be fully completed, its feet are exposed and vulnerable. Focusing damage on it while it stomps about and launches missiles will eventually cause it to require a cooldown, exposing the vulnerable core on top of its head for a few seconds. Beating the Dark Castille rewards the player with the Bishop Fire.
	The day presumably saved, Trip returns back to Ivory Castle, fighting off more Black Stone Army soldiers along the way. This level is effectively a tutorial level on how to use the Bishop Fire weapon.
	Trip meets the White Queen in person for the first time, who congratulates her on saving the entire army from the Dark Castille. However, a surprise ambush and strange message in Trip's head introduces the character to an all-new villain; Fianchetta, bishop and priestess in the Black Stone Army.
	The White King and Queen attempt to hold a parade in honor of triumph over the Dark Castille. Trip, however, is tasked with protecting the royalty from any possible assassins, and is set to explore a small sandbox map and take down enemies invading from the sky and the ground.
	Realizing something suspicious is going on, Trip ventures into the Ivory Castle dungeons to see if they possibly have a mole. This level is stealth oriented, with the player having to utilize the En Passant skill to avoid guards.
	One of the Black Stone Army's two bishops, Fianchetta willingly allowed herself to be captured so she could spy on the White Stone Army, and now plans to escape. Her boss fight takes place inside her prison cell, and she attacks by launching dark magic at Trip that slowly homes in on her, as well as teleporting across the room. Occasionally, Fianchetta will summon a large sword that she pierces into the ground, travelling across the floor in diagonal lines in an attempt to strike the player- during this attack, her guard is down, letting the player stun her with charged Pawn Blasts or Bishop Fire. Once defeated, Fianchetta warps away.
	Trip sets out for Ebony Castle, the true home back of the Black Stone Army, with the White Queen's blessing. A platforming level that's more challenging than most, requiring use of En Passant alongside other more advanced tricks.
	Entering the vast, lifeless battlefield between the castles, Trip is spotted by a flying fortress that begins to rain missiles down upon her. A more stealth-oriented mission, the player is forced to hide in the shadows to avoid being hit with the deadly missiles.
	Trip comes across a group of Black Stone soldiers trapped in the wastes, gone mad and trying to kill her. This mission is a survival map, where Trip must survive multiple waves of enemies within a sandbox map.
	Trip finally approaches Ebony Castle, and is assaulted by hundreds of guards. This level is effectively a giant rush to the finish, where the player gets large amounts of Checkmate powerups to battle endlessly spawning enemies to get to the Pawn Statue.
	A heavily armored knight riding atop a massive mechanical steed, the Dark Rider's black armaments make them near invincible. They attack by launching lances like missiles towards Trip, summoning enemies, performing large sweeping attacks, and charging at her at frightening speeds. The only way to harm the Rider is to use En Passant to dodge behind it when it charges, striking the eye in its back with attacks. Once enough damage is dealt, the Dark Rider is defeated, awarding Trip with a new weapon.
	Having finally entered the labyrinthine halls of Ebony Castle, Trip sets out to take down the Black Queen. This level acts as a training level for the player's new weapon, the Knight Cresent, and features enemies who require this new tool to attack from behind.
	The deeper corridors of the castle are filled with many guards, and Trip must move stealthily to avoid detection. This level is another stealth mission, where the player must use En Passant to avoid the sight beams of invulnerable guard enemies and reach the Pawn Statue
	Trip enters the inner courtyard of the castle, a vast and Escher-esque hall of floating staircases and twisted halls. A standard platforming-oriented level with a focus on surreal, gravity-focused traversal, making En Passant a crucial tool for reorienting one's self.
	The final stretch; Trip has made her way to the throne room of Ebony Castle. While the door slowly opens, she must survive waves of difficult enemies, come to capture her and end her progression once and for all.
	Trip enters the throne room to find none other than Fianchetta, who explains that she informed the Black Queen and King of her plan and recommended that they assault Ivory Castle themselves. Aiming to destroy Trip once and for all, she rematches the player, having removed her old weakness by keeping her guard up while she performs her diagonal sword attack. Instead, the player must pierce her guard by firing the Bishop Fire at her; she will usually slap the projectile away, but if timed well, she will grab it instead. While she is distracted by this, her back is vulnerable, and can be struck with the Knight Crescent to stun her. After enough damage, Fianchetta becomes enraged, and leaves to return to the battle at Ivory Castle.
	No time to waste- Trip needs to return to Ivory Castle to stop the Black King and Queen. This is a highly fast-paced level in which the player has to rush to the end under a time limit, and while enemies can be beaten for extra time, it is typically more worth it to ignore them and simply avoid damage.
	The war has come to Ivory Castle, and the front gate is under siege once again. In a harder remix of the first stage, Trip must play through the early level backwards in order to infiltrate the castle, rather than merely rushing to the gate. Enemy concentration is denser, meaning the player will have to utilize all of their newly obtained weapons in order to make their way to the end.
	The interior of Ivory Castle has been occupied, leading to a gauntlet of puzzles that the player must solve using their weapons. One of the most brain-puzzling areas in the game, this is effectively a test to see how effectively the player has learned every unique weapon and ability.
	The final stretch, once again; this final main level consists of multiple mini-gauntlets of enemies, interspersed by intense platforming segments built around the use of En Passant. It's challenging, but this is the ultimate triumph for Trip. Beyond the Pawn Statue lies the end of this war, for better or worse...
	Trip encounters the Black King and Queen standing alongside Fianchetta... watching over the dying body of the White Queen, impaled on a massive obsidian sword. Trip rushes in, but she is soon faced with what appears to be a dark version of herself crafted from black marble; Fianchetta claims to have crafted it herself after analyzing their past battles. The three leave as Trip is forced to battle her clone, which utilizes buffed variants of all her weapons as well as teleporting via the use of En Passant. There is no effective strategy in this boss- the player must merely reduce its health by firing whenever possible. Marble is destroyed, and Trip runs over to the White Queen's body in an attempt to save her. The queen merely smiles and hands her a strange white cloth; after having made it to the edge of the battlefield and back, she states, she believes that Trip deserves a promotion. The queen's crown vanishes and appears on Trip's head as she passes on, making Trip the new queen.
	Trip's final confrontation with the Black King and Queen- now a queen herself, her goal is to defend her own king and finally defeat the Black Stone Army. After a short cutscene, the Black Queen herself faces off against Trip, utilizing the full extent of her power. The Black Queen attacks by darting around the arena using an upgraded form of En Passant and firing off massive laser blasts, which Queen Trip now has access to as well. These Queen Blasts are powerful, but are not fully effective until the queen's guard is dropped and she is stunned. She can be stunned in multiple ways- dodging her melee attacks perfectly with En Passant, striking her back with the Knight Crescent, or ricocheting shots off the nearby lampposts using Bishop Fire. While the Queen is stunned, Trip must take advantage of this opening to unleash a Queen Blast of her own, dealing damage to her. Though the Black Queen gets faster every time she is struck, after 8 blasts, she is slain for good.Once the Queen is slain, Trip is forced to finish off the Black King. This battle is extremely easy, as the player only has to hit the king with a single Queen Blast to kill him.With the Black King and Queen defeated, Trip finds herself victorious. Basking in the light of her victory, she manages to miss Fianchetta appearing behind her with a dagger, prepared to take revenge for her loss. Before the dagger can strike true, however, a large T-shaped portal appears between them, launching the bishop back. Trip notices it and sticks her hand in it, intrigued by the portal's essence. With nary a word, she steps inside, the portal vanishing and Fianchetta left stunned and confused. On the other side of the portal, Trip emerges, performing the summoning animation from Cosmic Road Trip as two mysterious individuals watch her.
==Trivia==
Category:Games
Category:Series Swap Day
Category:Third Person Shooter Games
Category:3D Platforming Games
Category:Original Games
Category:Pyro Enterprizes