Gambonanza is a turn-based chess roguelike set on a tiny board with huge stakes. Master tactical twists, invest your winnings, and discover rule-bending Gambits plus wild tile and piece combinations. Face off against challenging bosses and get lost in all the ways you can break traditional chess!
But be careful, if you waste too many moves the board will crumble around you…
FEATURES
• Snackable, high-impact runs
Play fast, punchy chess battles on smaller starting boards where every decision counts.
• 150+ rule-bending Gambits
Combine your chess pieces with Gambits to unlock devastating combos and strategic surprises.
• Dynamic reserve system
Store extra pieces off-board and deploy them at the perfect moment to swing the game.
• Strategic board upgrades
Enhance your chessboard with golden squares, blessing tiles, protective surfaces, and more!
• Fight epic boss battles
Take on big encounters that reward smart builds and punish strategic mistakes.
• Retro aesthetic and quirky ambiance
Immerse yourself in vibrant pixel art and the playful excitement of a fairground.
• Mini-games for power boosts
Test your luck and skill in challenges inspired by pachinko, slot machines, and Gachapon.
WHY PLAY GAMBONANZA?
Gambonanza takes the tactical clarity of chess and turns it into a roguelike playground: stack Gambits, sculpt the board, manage your reserves, and discover ridiculous combos that “shouldn’t work”… until they do. If you love smart strategy, replayable runs, and the thrill of breaking the rules (legally), this one’s for you.
JOIN THE CHESS REVOLUTION!
Download Gambonanza and start rewriting chess.
ABOUT THE TEAM
Gambonanza is developed by Blukulélé and published by Sidekick Publishing and Stray Fawn Publishing.
Mobile Port by Ateo
I do like roguelike games so was happy to pay the small cost to buy this one. I’m not disappointed. I won first run and thought it wasn’t going to present enough challenge, but it really does as you progress, requiring greater skill with the gambits and there is still some need for chess tactics to do well. It’s great, a fun little pick up and play game, cheeky retro graphics and sound similar to balatro. Can’t fault it.
Phenomenal effort from the devs
Lewisb97_
The game has so much polish, charm and keeps me hooked unlike regular chess ever did.The soundtrack is exquisite. It runs like a dream on the 14 Pro. I also have it on Steam - I’ve been enjoying it on there too.Being able to change resolution and frame rate is absolutely incredible for a mobile game. Fine tuning it to get the right mix of battery/heat vs performance is delightful and gratefully appreciated.The gameplay itself is riveting. So easy to get pulled into another match after just failing the last run.It clearly takes a lot of inspiration from Balatro. It is done well. It works. It feels original and ridiculously polished. It is easily worth £9.99 - so grab yourself a bargain.
Moreish
Mullermm
This is very hard to put down, really good game to have on your phone to fill odd bits of time. One request, devs.. please let us turn off or skip the animations. They’re really well done and were great to start with but after playing for a good few hours now they just slow up the game. Thankyou!
Amazing game!!!
TheOldIndieGamer
In my 40’s and this is the only game I’ve ever preordered…very glad I did. Has a seamless gameplay loop, and I don’t know what it is, but I find the game super relaxing and almost hypnotic. Thumbs up from me to the creator!
New:
- Custom Boards!
Fixes:
- Princess's Gambit: blessed pieces return correctly when captured
- Boss Tooth's Gambit triggers after boss fights
- No more getting stuck selling pieces vs M3CH4GNUS C4RLS3N
- Gamepad fixes on mobile (tile infos, settings, slot scheme)
- Many gambit & boss fixes (Makibishi, Chronobreak, Hikarul, Jawby Fisher...)
- Balance: Lich nerfed, many luck-based gambits buffed
- Clearer descriptions & localization fixes
Version 1.2.0
The developer, Stray Fawn Studio, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
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The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
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Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
Provider
Stray Fawn GmbH
Size
180.8 MB
Category
Strategy
Compatibility
Requires iOS 13.0 or later.
iPhone Requires iOS 13.0 or later.
iPad Requires iPadOS 13.0 or later.
iPod touch Requires iOS 13.0 or later.
Mac Requires macOS 11.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.
