Backstabbing King is a premium indie game developed by Flown. It is a clever turn-based strategy game inspired by the rules of chess, where the twist lies in you having to eliminate your own pieces by night and day until only the two Kings remain.

The chessboard is your battlefield

Backstabbing King invites you into a darkly playful twist on chess-inspired tactics. At its core, it plays like a chess-inspired puzzle—you must eliminate your own pieces at night so that ultimately only the two kings remain standing. It’s a refined expansion of a concept the developer created for the 2023 GMTK Game Jam.

This game features 26 unique levels, five new mechanics, and a single-player story thread. It is designed with a top-down 2D pixel aesthetic, with medieval and board-game themes. However, the core loop of eliminating your own chess pieces stays largely the same throughout the game, making later levels feel too familiar once the main mechanic is understood.

Creative but repetitive puzzle game      

Backstabbing King delivers a clever and minimalist twist on chess-inspired strategy, challenging players to eliminate their own pieces until only two kings remain. With 26 levels, new mechanics, and a dark pixel aesthetic, it offers clever tactical puzzles, though its repetitive core loop limits variety and long-term engagement.