Planned Release Date: 2026

About This Game

#1 IN GAMEPLAY, ENJOYMENT, AND OVERALL OVER 1,400+ OTHER JAM GAMES
Rise, Ryan Chessman, and play chess with only pawns

A World Without Kings

A Global supply chain crisis has claimed many things, including the world's ability to produce chess pieces like kings and queens. But the humble pawn? It remains in production. With this, pawn chess is born. A scrappy new game with one objective: get your pawn across the board. The goal doesn't change, but the pieces, the boards, and variants rules do.

Every Stage Changes the Game

Each new location brings a new opponent, a new board, and a new twist that forces you to rethink your entire strategy. Levels are handcrafted puzzles disguised as chess matches, simple to understand, devious to solve. Eventually you'll be in a prison cell trying to pick locks, and wondering how you got there.

Travel Around the Globe and Beyond?

Each stage is a different place on the globe. Travel the world and learn new mechanics. A Parisian hustler teaches you En Passant. The poison pawns show up in the Amazon. In Australia, everything is upside down, including the pieces! Eventually you may even leave Earth's orbit and who know what waits after that?

Animated Cutscenes!

Between stages cutscenes can play that help give context on how the hell Ryan Chessman wound up where he's at. From boats exploding to alien abduction there are many fun cutscenes to watch in Rulehouse!

There's Even Guns?

Rulehouse has it all without compromising any gameplay. Guns can shoot any piece on the board that isn't behind another piece, but they have a limited amount of ammo per game. The gun can be used instead of piece movement and also will jam after being used. But the gun is just one of many unique abilities tied to different stages, and it's just a teaser of what can be added to the chess engine of Rulehouse!

Other Features

• Pawn Chess Anyone Can Learn: No chess knowledge required. Start with pawns on a tiny board and learn naturally as the game expands. Be ready when it gets deviously complex.

• Characters With Personality: A cast of quirky, funny, fully-voiced opponents who taunt, teach, and trash-talk their way through every match.

• Handcrafted Pixel Art: All made for this game exclusively, using the Dawn Breaker 32 palette it gives off a consistent and classy retro vibe.

• Original Soundtrack: Every location comes with its own original track to set the mood. From the streets of NY to a biblically accurate angel in the sky.

• Escalating Challenge: What starts as a chill puzzle evolves into brain-bending strategy. You will lose. You will learn. You will adapt. And there's also a hard mode.