These days we are seeing a lot of new auto battler games enter the market. However, I noticed a very particular pitch in all of them. If they have more than 50 heroes, then they are likely very similar to Auto Chess - the original. Almost all the auto battler titles after Auto Chess "recycle" its mechanics and heroes with a different name.

Hero Chess 1
This is Hero Chess, a new auto battler title from Robot Panda.

That is also the case for Hero Chess, a new product from Robot Panda (a San Francisco game developer). Hero Chess comes with the familiar pre-built synergies and combinations that any auto battler fans are already used to. Luckily, it offers some redeeming features. The game is on mobile with some edge over the original Autochess mobile by Drodo studio. The game is now available on both Android and IOS phones.

Fast and Streamlined

While this new title is visually and mechanically very similar to other games in the auto battler genre, its pace is much faster. The development team has taken the lesson from the high popularity of fast mobile game titles such as Arena of Evolution. The default mode in Hero Chess has rapid preparation phases, while the player only has 30 health. Thus, each match ends in only less than 20 minutes.

Capture
Each Hero Chess's match ends in only less than 20 minutes.

The build of the game is also stable and smooth. The connection speed is impressive, and the queuing for matches are lightning-fast. The game UI is responsive and clean. The art style is fun and bright.

Not items, just buildings!

Hero Chess has taken a further step in streamlining the auto battler gameplay. It does not have items. In that place, it has a somewhat unique hero building style. It has the Gold Mine. The Mine generated a certain gold amount in each round, which offers strategies focus on the economy. Just like your heroes, you could combine the Mine into a 2 or 3 stars version to get more income.

Hero Chess 3
It delivers a kind of “Diet Autobattler” gameplay.

It is an entertaining combination of tower defense and auto battler genres. My advice for them is to expand the building mechanics to differentiate Hero Chess with other auto battler titles. They can also make the Gold Mine be more like a building. With the game version that I tried, it has deficient health and even the heroes could push it around by using collision.

Until they added those into Hero Chess, it delivers a kind of “Diet Autobattler” gameplay. The game is simple, responsive, and fast. But it doesn't have anything over other auto battlers.