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