Massive Chalice

Massive Chalice

Massive Chalice is a turn-based strategy game developed and published by independent studio Double Fine Productions. As an immortal king, protect your kingdom from evil forces by recruiting and training generations of heroes, building custom castles, and crafting powerful chalice
Massive Chalice image
turnbased-strategy roguelike procedural-generation permadeath

Massive Chalice: Turn-Based Strategy Game with Innovative Bloodline Mechanics

A turn-based strategy game where you recruit, train, and craft heroes to protect your kingdom from evil forces, featuring permanent character death.

What is Massive Chalice?

Massive Chalice is a turn-based strategy game developed and published in 2015 by the independent studio Double Fine Productions. The player takes on the role of an immortal king defending his kingdom from evil forces invading from the underground. Gameplay is centered around managing generations of heroes as they age, retire, and die while fighting back the encroaching enemies.

One of the defining features is the bloodline and hereditary trait system. Heroes can be paired to produce offspring that inherit a blend of their parents' traits and abilities. There are opportunities to evolve powerful bloodlines over successive generations. However, there is permanent character death, so the loss of elite heroes can set things back.

On the battlefield, combat plays out in a similar fashion to XCOM. Heroes can perform actions like moving, attacking, and using abilities in turn-based tactical fashion. There is an emphasis on defense and turn manipulation, rather than raw aggression. Back at headquarters, the player has a home base to build facilities, train recruits, customize teams, and craft powerful chalices to equip heroes.

With charming storybook visuals and reactive narration, Massive Chalice creates a whimsical fantasy world to frame its complex, high-stakes gameplay. It challenges you to balance short-term offensive goals with long-term planning around your bloodlines and kingdom.

Massive Chalice Features

Features

  1. Turn-based strategy gameplay
  2. Manage a bloodline of heroes across generations
  3. Recruit, train, and equip heroes with different classes and abilities
  4. Build custom castles and structures
  5. Craft powerful chalices for bonuses
  6. Permanent character death mechanics
  7. Procedurally-generated worlds
  8. Challenging boss fights

Pricing

  • One-time Purchase

Pros

Innovative bloodline mechanics

High replayability due to procedural generation

Engaging hero progression system

Strong art direction and music

Challenging but fair difficulty

Cons

Steep learning curve

Can feel repetitive after multiple playthroughs

Limited customization options for castles/structures

Hero abilities could be better balanced


The Best Massive Chalice Alternatives

Top Games and Strategy and other similar apps like Massive Chalice


Into the Breach icon

Into the Breach

Into the Breach is a turn-based strategy game developed and published by Subset Games in 2018. As the leader of an elite mech squad, the player must defend the planet from the Vek - gigantic alien insects that burst out of the ground and wreak havoc on the world's cities...
Into the Breach image
Final Fantasy Tactics (Series) icon

Final Fantasy Tactics (Series)

The Final Fantasy Tactics series is a spin-off franchise from the popular Final Fantasy RPGs developed and published by Square Enix. It consists of games focused on strategic, turn-based tactical combat on grid-based battlefields.The first entry in the series, Final Fantasy Tactics, was released in 1997 for the PlayStation. It...
Final Fantasy Tactics (Series) image
Phoenix Point icon

Phoenix Point

Phoenix Point is a turn-based tactics video game developed by Snapshot Games and published by Epic Games. It was released for Microsoft Windows in December 2019 and is planned for release on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The game is led by Julian Gollop, the original creator of the X-COM...
Phoenix Point image
Valkyria Chronicles (Series) icon

Valkyria Chronicles (Series)

Valkyria Chronicles is a tactical role-playing video game series developed and published by Sega for PlayStation consoles. The series takes place on the fictional continent of Europa, which is based heavily on 1930s Europe. The first Valkyria Chronicles game was released in 2008 for the PlayStation 3 to critical acclaim.The...
Valkyria Chronicles (Series) image
Silent Storm icon

Silent Storm

Silent Storm is a turn-based tactical role-playing game developed by Nival Interactive and set in World War II. Players take control of a small squad of elite Allied soldiers and complete covert operations missions across German-occupied Europe.Gameplay involves strategically maneuvering soldiers around environments and making use of cover during combat....
Silent Storm image
Xenonauts (Series) icon

Xenonauts (Series)

Xenonauts is a series of turn-based science fiction strategy video games developed and published independently by Goldhawk Interactive. Inspired by the original X-COM games from the 1990s, the Xenonauts games task players with defending Earth from alien invaders using tactical combat and global strategy.The first game in the series, Xenonauts,...
Xenonauts (Series) image
Fallout Tactics (Series) icon

Fallout Tactics (Series)

Fallout Tactics is a tactical role-playing video game developed by Micro Forté and published by Interplay Entertainment in 2001. It is the third video game to be set in the Fallout universe, following Fallout and Fallout 2, utilizing turn-based combat and focusing on squad tactics and strategy rather than role-playing...
Fallout Tactics (Series) image
X-COM (Series) icon

X-COM (Series)

The X-COM series is a long-running and critically acclaimed turn-based strategy video game franchise focused on science fiction and alien invasion themes. First launched in 1994 with X-COM: UFO Defense developed by Mythos Games and MicroProse, the series tasks players with forming an elite international organization known as X-COM to...
X-COM (Series) image
Shadowrun Returns (Series) icon

Shadowrun Returns (Series)

Shadowrun Returns is a series of turn-based tactical role-playing video games developed by Harebrained Schemes and set in the fictional Shadowrun universe. The setting mixes science fiction and fantasy and is considered cyberpunk. The games take place in a near-future where magic has re-awakened, allowing humans to become magicians, elves,...