Last updated on July 27th, 2026 at 01:13 am
Gambonanza – Strategy Game Review
Gambonanza is a Strategy/Board game from Stray Fawn GmbH, first launched in 1st May 2026.
It’s rated 4+ and currently has 2,599+ ratings on the App Store.
What Makes Gambonanza Stand Out
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
This Strategy game offers engaging gameplay and regular updates for mobile players.
Player Feedback
As a newer release, Gambonanza is building its player community. Early feedback suggests .
Recent Updates & Development
Latest Update: 12th June 2026
Recent improvements include:
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
Download & Availability
Gambonanza is available through the official App Store for iOS devices.
Requirements: Requires iPhone 5s / iPad Air / iPad Air (Cellular) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina, Cellular) / iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus / iPad Air 2 / iPad Air 2 (Cellular) / iPad Mini 3 or later.
Compatible with iPhone and iPad devices.
Player Experience Highlights
Community Insight:
We love our horsey and our horsey love us.
Its super fun for long car rides and long plane flights with 0 adds.
Now we can gamble with fake money on a game Im even worse at than poker.
Heres two suggestions. To make the game endless, you should add a custom gambits feature. Also please make it so that you can enable both drag and tap to move with pieces. Games doing good so far, keep it up.
Its was very enjoyable we loved it reminded us of balatro.
Dont buy this if you loved balatro instead we recommend slay the spire.
We like it. Its a cool world like chess game.
Yes we know this is on steam as well but this is peak. If you love balatro and chess you HAVE to play this.
This game is very like balatro, except it is also chess, which is very fun! We really enjoy the gambits, and the way the whole game balances out. However, as someone who also enjoys chess, there are a couple things that threw us for a loop. In chess, pawns can move two squares on their first turn. This isnt present in the game, which is alright. But we would love if there was a reason for it, or a way that we could know, rather than having to find out when we die from placing the piece under the wrong expectations. The same problem is present with the king piece. In chess, the king MUST move out of check if he possibly can. He also cannot move into check. In this game, the king moves like a pawn with all directions unlocked. This is also fine, and we are sure there were good reasons for it, but could there maybe be a little pop or something, so that if we tap on a piece we are facing, we can get information about it? Or even just a compendium of ways this game is like and unlike chess in the main menu, so people dont get too confused. The other thing which we have seen mentioned is battery life. We lost five percent from a 30-45 minute session, with a fairly powerful phone and a new battery. This isnt really a problem, but we are including it in here for data purposes, as we buy mobile games for long road trips and other activities where we might not have access to a charger. Edit: the game has been updated and optimized since this review. Our battery experience is currently old data. :3 All in all, this is a very good game! We would give it an 7.7-to-8.3 [Edit: solid 9, now, for the devs. You guys are awesome!] out of 10, especially if you like Balatro. Congratulations to the developer, as well, for making the top charts list! You have made a very quality game. It would be wonderful to see a resolution of some sort for the thing with the kings and pawns that we mentioned earlier, but we will keep playing the game either way. Definitely worth the purchase. Final Edit: Overall, this is a truly great game, but as mentioned by the (awesome!) developers in their reply, it isnt a 1:1 chess simulator. Expect a few differences getting into the game, and slight shifts in chess-brain strategy to account for that. However, these guys have demonstrated great talent in conceptual and practical game design, so we would expect any minor kinks to continue being worked out going forward. Thanks again for the response, Stray Faun Studio! We will continue forward in anticipation and enjoyment.
We love this game just please add it to Xbox Im begging.
Ive only been playing for a few hours but much like Balatro once the pieces fall into place it becomes so much fun to see how far you can go. Games like this really make us appreciate the indie scene.
We love the game, its fun and definitely helps you think outside the box. We can see how someone who is into chess can love this game and we as someone who isnt that into chess does love it too! Our biggest issues are the following however, minor but stand out to us. – No speed multiplier; we think if there was a multiplier it could help with games going quicker especially at work! (Sorry boss) – Pauses outside audio/plays over outside audio; we like to listen to music or podcasts and play games, its kind of a bother when these things get paused due to how the game runs – optimization; our phone gets very hot when playing this game, never an issue either other games other than cloverpit which we can pass off as graphically more complex, but we dont know why that is the case with this game. – the game restarts when out of it for five seconds (exaggeration). We dont like that if Im out of the game for a bit too long the app force restarts itself Other than that, solid game but a 4/5 until these are addressed or fixed.
Theres a lot going on in Gambonanza and it has potential, but feels as if the game released without tuning. Going on a deep run is incredibly difficult due to the variance of gambits that rarely if ever share synergies with each other. The economy is very stingy. Losing any game pieces in a sacrifice maneuver is near catastrophic considering how little currency you earn. Recommendations for adjustments – make the first shop re-roll free each round. Start the game with a gambit token so you can pick after game pieces are rolled. Consider expanding gambits from 5 to 7. Add conditions that reward the player for winning – flawless victory, capturing all pieces with the same piece, capturing with only pawns etc.
Having loved playing both chess and Balatro, we were excited to give this a try; however, our opinions on several of the games mechanics are mixed. To start, gambits, which are equivalent to jokers or run items, feel uninspired overall. While many synergize well, a great number of them are simply chance-based. While RNG is not an issue by itself, being a staple of the roguelike genre, it feels out of place in a game as strategic as chess. Furthermore, there are a few areas where the RNG feels completely redundant. For instance, starting with three random pieces is avoidable by simply reloading. This matters because the games core balance is heavily skewed toward queens, and some pieces are simply not worth using unless you get a specific gambit early on. For us, its aspiration to be Balatro but chess holds it back. The experience would be more enjoyable if the game were simply a chess roguelike. Even the aesthetic clashes, as the trippy casino style does not really match chess. With that being said, the game overall is not bad. There is certainly fun to be had, especially if you enjoy these types of games. The music is fitting, and the gameplay is crisp. The bosses are actually more interesting than Balatros, but they are difficult to prepare for. All in all, the game is definitely worth a try; just dont expect the long-lasting experience Balatro provides.
We were looking for an experience similar to Balatro (we have 600 hours on that game, and this seemed like a cool new take on the roguelite idea). However, its obvious how poor quality control was before this game was released. So many bugs that lead to you losing runs even if you did everything right – gambits not working properly, enemy being able to capture pieces its not supposed to be able to etc. We were enjoying playing this game so much until we experienced these, such a shame.
Too random to be tactically fun.
Why does this game bypass our silent mode on our iPhone? We are forced to turn down all music and sound effects in settings in order to play silently.
This is the best game of this type since balatro and slay 1 and 2. So worth it.
Not a huge chess fan but loved this.
Love the concept and the creativity poured into this game (and the references are a great cherry on top). Im not sure if the developers are already planning on doing so, but we just wish there was a way to speed up the overall gameplay. The animations are amazing, but given that this game is dependent on replayability, we would love a speed setting as an option just like Balatro. Would also love the opportunity to customize our game as well like different boards, pieces, etc.
We love this game. It feels like Balatro but chess.
Love the game its like balatro but you have to think alot harder.
Really enjoy all the different gambits in this game, and the way it can combine into completely absurd games of chess. And we use the term chess lightly. Well worth the price, would recommend.
As a chess lover ourselves. Best 6$ we've spent in years.
We love this game because its so fun and we have been playing it ever since we got it.
Great game, not as good as Balatro. If you havent played Balatro, get hooked on that first, once you cant play Balatro anymore, come here again. Still a 5* game.
Its a very good game. It definitely got inspiration from Balatro but it still is its own game. Just one idea we think would be cool is along with it having its main mode of it had some sort of online game which we think would be cool but over all its a very good game.
Seriously, this is our favorite of the genre since balatro, we love chess so kk a bit bias but the game has so much to explore and different combos to try. Easily worth it.
IT IS SO FUN AND THE MECHANICS ARE SO FOOD QND WHEN YOU GET TO THE END IT IS SO OP(Im not in caps lock it is just that good).
We find it so hard to describe how well this game filled a desire we had, we have really been wanting a chess rougelike. While yes, shotgun king came before this, and dont get us wrong that game is great, this game just feels like what we were hoping for from shotgun king. Overall, this game is good, we havent encountered any game-breaking bugs yet, and we hope it stays that way.
One play and Im hooked we just wish we can play traditional here rather then somewhere else, multiplayer would be crazy fun and if you can find a way to add modifiers to a traditional game watch this get competitive and shoot in sales.
Go ahead and cheat your way to the top. Balatro lets you destroy with massive amounts of points, Gambonanza lets you wreck the board with phantom queens that become real queens. You will see what we mean. Just buy this game and you wont be seen for again for weeks.
This entire genre benefits from having this game, particularly for turn based tactics fans like ourselves. The loop of progression is just as addicting as any other roguelite, but we really dig the mechanics here. Well done.
We saw a demo of this game and bought it. We love the art style and rogue dynamic. We love all the different upgrades you can get likengambits. We love that its about chess. We want to believe in this game. We love everything about. Heres some things Id like to see in an update or sequel: 1) More real chess dynamicss . If we move the king piece into check from another piece, check with the movement of the king should matter more. 2) slightly strong chess mechanics from the opponent enemy AI 3) more real chess positions. We want to learn how to learn both bishops or both knights, or the king, or the pawns, in a position of you know what we mean. Frame the puzzles after more realistic chess situations, teaching how to use the pieces as a whole 4) a mode where you ca just play real chess against opponents, preferably celebrities to the sport 5) a multiplayer option where you can play opponents with the unique deck build that you have earned and against opponents with similar skill levels 6) just a little more art work on the upgrades / gambits. Make it like other card games cough cough a little blizzard in there, if you know what we mean. Youve done a great thing by innovating chess into a modern game play format. Keep updating, this could be big. We havent bought a game in years. But we bought this one. Please keep updating. Thanks for starting a great new game concept by combining chess with rogue and rpg qualities.
Very close to Balatro but its chess which are some of our favorites. The gameplay is unique and you need many strategies. Im excited to see what they add next.
This game is like Balatro and chess which is why we love it.
TL;DR: Amazing game thats for anyone that plays chess AND for those that dont. A basic Rogue-like with RNG elements and some skill expression that really puts the cherry on top of this game. From what we can tell, this game has been created by people who LOVE chess! From the references to the implementation of Chess into a rogue style game. If youre a chess fan, youll love it; it has many of the elements needed to play chess like understanding sequencing, and a good knowledge of mental visualization; however, these are not necessary to enjoy the game. You could be a wood pusher and still enjoy this. If youve never even played chess, this can still be an enjoyable experience as not only does the game have an info page which names all the pieces in case you dont know the Horseys name, it also gives informative moves like what piece can be taken (need that on normal chess ngl) plus the AI you play against can be very forgiving. Which brings us to the one thing Im not the biggest fan of in this game: The AI difficulty. While we havent reached the last difficulty level, in the later levels we can still leave a piece hanging and not be punished for it. The strains (modifiers) definitely guarantee a challenge, its just Id hope for more of a skill requirement in terms of game play rather than the skill gap being based on ones resource management / luck with the shop. We do realize that this is probably more of a personal preference rather than an actual complaint and allows the inclusion of non-chess players to be able to still win the game. Overall, we have been having a blast playing this game and we feel that Im close to finishing most of the content, if not all, which makes us sad. We really hope to see more to come. Plus we could so see this kind of game becoming a multiplayer experience.
Pretty fun game and interesting game play loop. Its lwk HARD tho and rng is at a minimum. Id say its pretty comparable to Slay the Spire in difficulty and similar to Balatro in gameplay loop/progression. Overall we give it abt a 9/10 but we havent gotten super far yet so that might change as you play more.
After seeing the advertisements from the developer on YouTube describing the game it instantly grabbed our interest. We are not one to spend money on mobile games but seeing a game this polished and fun to play at a low price and developed by one person made us instantly want to get it. We knew that even if we didnt enjoy it we would still feel good supporting an indie dev, and luckily we got that plus an amazing game! This game is worth it if you like roguelikes or roguelites.
This game is actually a masterpiece. BUT its stressful because you cant keep your strategy if you lose. We build a solid strategy around knights, and never was able to get the same knight gambits for the rest of the day. We'd say we dont like how rng it is but we understand that may be what makes dying more risky when u finally do have a good deck.
This game is really great! Everything we wanted from a chess roguelike. Our only issue is that you cant sync your phone to your steam. Maybe we just havent seen it. This game is beautiful.
Love the game, just wanted to write a review to check that Hidden Queens Gambit isnt working when we meet the condition. Our pawn will still move like a pawn we even checked to see if it would move like a queen in the next game, but no dice :(.
Hands down this game is near perfect and absolute crack. We havent even played chess since 30 years ago which makes this more difficult for us but Im still having fun and getting better.
Love it. We love roguelikes, we love chess, we love this game.
If your wondering if this is on the level of balatro in terms of depth, we think so and this will be a App Store essential no doubt.
If you like Balatro or something on the line of that this game for you. Ive been playing for a day and it awesome because we got overpowered build with the pawns and was able to move like knights and skip enemies turns not to mentioned the other difficulties in the game that makes it a lot more harder. Definitely worth the six dollars and would recommend to anyone who likes a game like this.
Ive been eyeing this one for a while its amazing how its like chess and Balatro COMBINED 10/10.
We all know where this game got its inspiration and it shows, in a great way. If youre a fan of balatro like games, this game is for you. Im still not that great at this game but its fun trying to get gambits with synergys. We have already bought this game on mobile and steam and it was worth both purchases because we love supporting game developers like this.
A bit like Balatro, if youve played and liked that before. Despite what is says, it does help to know a bit of chess. The gambits are fun, and so is the idea of using slot, plink and gashapon machines. The bosses being physical things instead of just showing a small seal like Balatro does is pretty nice, too.
User feedback from Apple App Store
App Details
- Version: 1.2.0
- Size: 172.39 MB
- iOS: 13.0 or later
- Languages: EN, FR, DE, JA, KO, PL, PT, RU, ZH, ES, TR
- Content Advisory:
- Developer: Stray Fawn GmbH
Last updated: 12th June 2026 | Genre: Strategy, Board | Developer: Stray Fawn GmbH