Since January, our author Alexander Leitsch has been closely following the development of the game originally created as a Dota 2 mod, Auto Chess. By now, there is a standalone mobile version, and he is particularly fond of it.
This is Auto Chess: In Auto Chess, characters are placed on a chessboard. They automatically fight each other in different rounds. The player can influence the equipment and position of the characters, as well as the selected character itself, between these rounds.
In each round, you receive gold, which you can use to buy new characters or upgrade existing ones. You can also purchase experience points, which increase the player’s level. The higher the level, the more game pieces you can have on the chessboard.
This strategic game was first created as a Dota 2 mod and also featured well-known characters and heroes from the game. It was particularly well-received by Hearthstone streamers. Now there is a leaderboard and tournaments with prize money in Auto Chess.
The desire for a mobile version: Soon after the mod’s release, there were early calls for a mobile version. Many players found this very fitting due to the setup and nature of the game and wanted to be able to use Auto Chess on the go.
These calls have now been amplified by the developers, and since April, you can also play Auto Chess on mobile.
No License, but a Perfect Mobile Feel
Since my first round of Auto Chess, I have been thrilled with the desktop version of the game. Over the weekend, I took my first look at Auto Chess Mobile. And even though there are some differences, I love the game even more than the original Dota 2 mod.
What is different about the mobile version? The Chinese developer Drodo Games has teamed up with other studios to release a mobile version of Auto Chess.
Auto Chess Mobile, however, has nothing to do with Valve and Dota 2 anymore and uses different game pieces, names, and labels. This particularly confused me in the early rounds.
But I got used to the changes surprisingly quickly. This is also due to the fact that it was strongly oriented to the template. Even if the characters have different names or appearances, you quickly recognize the pattern behind it.
Race and class bonuses remain identical, as do the number of characters and their abilities. Gold costs, the flow of the game, and other peculiarities from the Dota 2 mod have also been adopted.
Auto Chess Mobile is currently available in Chinese and English. Gameplay occurs on global servers, allowing me to compete against other players from America or China. I haven’t noticed any lags or other delays so far.
My experiences with mobile games: I have often tried to find a good game for my smartphone. In doing so, I have oriented myself to my preferences on PC and have tried Lineage Mobile and Aion: Legions of War.
Also, the typical games like Clash of Clans and Angry Birds briefly occupied my storage. However, only Auto Chess Mobile has survived longer than a few days on my smartphone.
What makes Auto Chess better? The mobile version of Auto Chess avoids annoying ads and utilizes the purchase of candies for monetization. These can be exchanged in the shop for cosmetic changes. You also receive up to 70 candies per week for free through playing Auto Chess Mobile.
The gameplay of Auto Chess is exceptionally well done. Between rounds, you only have a limited amount of time to buy and sell game pieces, combine them, and place them on the battlefield. All of this is very easy and quick on the smartphone.
By dragging the pieces on the touchscreen, you even save valuable milliseconds compared to the PC version. Additionally, the small UI adjustments when upgrading the characters and the altered graphics fit wonderfully on the smartphone.
The game is also heavily focused on strategy and not on action. You don’t need a large number of skills or complicated processes to enjoy Auto Chess. For this reason, I see it as a perfect mobile game.
What is not good about the mobile version? Currently, Auto Chess is neither available in the Google Play Store nor in Apple’s App Store. Additionally, the app wanted a lot of permissions on my smartphone.
During installation, I was informed that access to the camera, sound recordings, GPS, and my smartphone’s settings was needed. However, these permissions could easily be deactivated afterward, without causing any issues when using Auto Chess.
Some users on Reddit also complain about whitescreens or crashes. Personally, I have not experienced either of these.
With these points, Auto Chess Mobile has convinced me:
- The basic principle of the game is well-suited for smartphones
- The gameplay is perfectly adapted to the touchscreen
- There are even new comfort features when connecting the units compared to the PC version
- You can quickly find opponents
- The gameplay is smooth and lag-free
- There are no annoying ads and no pay-to-win mechanics
Auto Chess Mobile is Already Very Popular
What do the players say? Since April 18, the standalone game has been in beta. Already, Auto Chess has been downloaded more than 1.25 million times.
With my positive opinion of the game, I am not alone. Reddit user JaySmooth88 writes the following about the mobile version:
I played five rounds and I am impressed. It is an almost perfect adaptation for smartphones, even with some improvements for that.
The matchmaking is quick and a round starts within a minute, I haven’t experienced any lobby fails like in the PC version.
The game is polished and runs great. No overheating (on the Galaxy S9), the usage of memory and battery is lower than expected. […]
Also, Brokor21 is thrilled:
The game runs great. I can navigate through everything even though I don’t understand Chinese. I played a game and won.
No lags, no problems, even from Europe. The characters are very similar, one should rather orient themselves to the symbols than to the models.
Definitely a good start for the early development phase.
The developers are also planning large tournaments with millions in prize pools in collaboration with ImbaTV, a company that organizes eSports events.
How can I download Auto Chess? On the official website, which is available in German, you can register for the beta of Auto Chess. This is completely free of charge.
There you will find a download link through which you can download an APK file that you then need to install on your smartphone.
On some smartphones, you may need to allow the installation of APK files specifically. You usually find the option for this in the settings and then in the “Security” menu.
For those who would rather try a mobile MMORPG, you can look forward to the upcoming release of Talion:
