The battle royale game genre has steadily climbed in popularity throughout the 2010s. With games such as Battleground and Fortnite, more and more players are drawn to playing this kind of game. Ubisoft, a well-known game developer, even aims to put a spin in the genre by combining it with another multiplayer gaming genre, the auto-battler. Might & Magic: Chess Royale is a hybrid of two of today’s multiplayer gaming biggest trends. Like other auto battlers, the game drops you into an arena with 99 other players and randomly assigns you an opponent to duel. However, it comes with a slightly different take on the gameplay. Not only will it be faster, but the stakes of each round will also be significantly higher. 

Not your usual auto battler

With the traditional auto battler, you will duke it out with seven other players. Moreover, most of these games start with a number of Carousel or PvE rounds, granting players to chance to start building their army. Might & Magic: Chess Royale, however, drops you straight into a fight with another player. Don’t worry, though, as you won’t lose any of your three lives in the first round. But, still, you get rewarded with gold if you win—which, in turn, you can use to buy minions to create an effective army. 

And it is important to have an effective army since the fight does not require any input from you. Once the battle starts, you can only watch and hope that your minions can overpower your opponent's. Since this is the case, figuring out how to turn your limited fund into the best possible army will be the biggest draw. Players also need to note that while Might & Magic: Chess Royale offers a wealth of options and different strategies you can pursue, it only gives you little time to sort your strategy. 

All in all, your enjoyment of Might & Magic: Chess Royale will depend if you are more of an auto-battler fan or a battle royale fan. In hindsight, the game is more of an auto-battler, so if you are looking for a more action-packed game that you can play for days, this isn’t it. The game focuses more on strategic chops, and a 100-person battle can go by within minutes.