About Hail To The King (Ludum Dare 43)
Hail To The King began as a 72-hour entry for Ludum Dare 43, one of the largest game development competitions in the world. With over 2,500 entries submitted during the event, developers were challenged to create a complete playable experience within just three days.
The theme of Ludum Dare 43 was "Sacrifices must be made", which directly inspired the core mechanic of the game. Players sacrifice chess pieces to uncover a safe path across a dangerous board for the King. What appears to be failure becomes strategic discovery.
The gameplay blends elements of chess movement with minesweeper style deduction. Each tile may collapse beneath a piece, sending it into a pit below the board. Every sacrificed piece reveals information about which spaces are safe, turning memory and pattern recognition into essential survival tools.
The objective is to move the King safely from one side of the board to the other. If the King falls, the level resets. If he survives the crossing, the next challenge begins with increasingly valuable pieces and more deceptive layouts.
Following the jam, additional polish and improvements were added before the concept evolved into the full Steam release. The Ludum Dare version represents the raw origin of the idea... built quickly, iterated rapidly, and designed purely for creative challenge.
Game Overview
- Event: Ludum Dare 43
- Development Time: 72 Hours
- Theme: "Sacrifices must be made"
- Genre: Strategy puzzle
- Mode: Single Player
Features
- Chess inspired movement system
- Minesweeper style hidden danger tiles
- Progressive leveling system
- Score system based on remaining pieces
- Risk versus memory gameplay loop
Videos
Screenshots
