Interview: Ripstone on Pure Chess Wii U & 3DS - Trophies, Multiplayer, & More (Part 1)

Coffee Beans
Last week, Ripstone's Phil Gaskell told us how they were thrilled at Ripstone to hear about the upcoming Wii U price drop and new 2DS system. Ripstone is planning on releasing Pure Chess for the Wii U and 2DS/3DS eShops in the next few months, and Knytt Underground is looking like it will be an early 2014 Wii U eShop release from Ripstone as well.

With Pure Chess being the first Wii U and 2DS/3DS game from Ripstone, and being a big chess fan myself, I had the opportunity to ask Mr. Gaskell some questions about the upcoming release of Pure Chess on the Wii U and 2DS/3DS. I had not played Pure Chess before sending over the questions, though that has changed in the last week with the mobile version releasing on Android and iOS devices.

What Pure Chess features should appeal the most to chess fans? Will Pure Chess on the Wii U and 3DS offer the same number of "Play By Mail" chess games as the PlayStation 3 version, or has the number been increased or decreased?

Brew yourself some coffee, and find out the answers to some of these questions and a few more, below!

The Brew
CoffeeWithGames (CWG): For those, like myself, that enjoy chess, but might not be familiar with Pure Chess, what feature(s) do you think will appeal the most to them?
Phil Gaskell (PG): There's three features I'm particularly proud of that I think you and other gamers will love.

The first one is the comprehensive tutorial. Of course it'll teach you the very basics like how each piece moves, but it also takes you through more advanced rules like castling and en passant. It doesn't end there though, it will also clearly explain more advanced strategies such as pins and skewers, and even explain some opening plays. We're pretty confident there's something there for everyone, from the novice to the more advanced players. My chess abilities certainly improved while working on the game.

The second is the cross-platform online play. By registering for a Pure Chess account Nintendo gamers will not only be able to challenge other Pure Chess players on Wii U and 3DS but also on smartphone and tablet devices! If you own the game on multiple platforms you can even sign in using your Pure Chess account and continue your multiplayer game seamlessly from device to device. When we listened to the gaming community this was probably the feedback we received the most, so we've taken it on board and delivered something even better.

The third is the most obvious really, and from the screenshots it's the thing that hits you in the face. It's so beautiful. Quite honestly it must be the most realistic looking chess game ever made!

How I will probably play most of my Pure Chess Wii U games, on just the GamePad.

CWG: Will Pure Chess on the Wii U or 3DS offer real-time online multiplayer chess matches?
PG: Strictly speaking no it doesn't. The game is asynchronous in its very nature so real-time online multiplayer seems a bit unnecessary. However the game does play like a real-time online mode, but if you or your opponent disconnect for any reason the game carries on like a 'play-by-mail' game. So you get the best of both worlds!

CWG: The PlayStation 3 version has the "Play By Mail" system for up to 8 friends at a time. Does the Wii U version also allow 8 "Play By Mail" games to be taking place, or has the number been increased (or, decreased)?
PG: Both the Wii U and 3DS versions allow for the same number of play-by-mail slots.

CWG: Will Pure Chess Wii U (or, 3DS) feature Trophies like what are in the PlayStation 3 version of the game, in any fashion?
PG: These types of things are mandated by other platforms, but Nintendo allow things like trophies to be optional. So we decided not to include them and keep the game a very pure experience. This allowed us to concentrate on more important features like the online mode.

Caffeinated Thoughts
Again, while I had not played Pure Chess before sending over these questions, in the last week I have had the opportunity to try out Pure Chess on Mrs. Coffee's NOOK HD+ tablet, and I have been very impressed with the game.

The online multiplayer, or "Play By Mail" system, has really worked well from my time with it, and I'm personally looking forward to the Wii U version of Pure Chess when it releases later this year. I was a bit surprised by the announcement of cross-platform play in the Wii U and 3DS versions with the Android and iOS versions, and it is something that I'm really excited to see Nintendo allow. I think it's another sign Nintendo is willing to try new things on the online front, or at least allow a third party developer to try new things, and I'm glad that Ripstone and VooFoo listened to the fan feedback and have been able to get that feature in the game now.

If you own a Wii U and/or 3DS and are interested in Pure Chess, you can try out the Android or iOS version of the game right now:
App Store version here.
Google Play store version here.
Amazon App store version here.

Questions
If you own a Wii U and/or 3DS, are you looking forward to Pure Chess for those systems?

Also, are any of you surprised Nintendo is allowing Ripstone and VooFoo to do the cross-platform play with the Android and iOS versions of Pure Chess, and at least glad to see it happening?



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