# Rookspire: Chess Roguelike RPG — Turn-Based Strategy & Tactics

> Chess roguelike RPG with piece leveling, relic collection, and procedural generation. (iPhone/iPad app by Leon Plienig.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rookspire-chess-roguelike-rpg/id6817786773 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Leon Plienig](https://appshunter.io/developer/6817728010)
- Category: Games, Board, Strategy
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings · 1 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 9+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 327 MB
- Languages: American English, French (France), German (Germany), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, European Spanish, Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan)
- Released: 2026-10-10
- Data updated: 2026-10-29
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rookspire-chess-roguelike-rpg/id6817786773/reviews.md

## What is Rookspire?

A chess roguelike where your pieces level up and learn new moves.

Rookspire is a turn-based strategy RPG built on chess. Lead a small army up a ruined spire, one short tactical fight at a time: capture the enemy king or wipe out its army on a 3D board, then choose your path on the map. Every run is a new campaign, and the pieces you lose stay lost.

No ads, no subscription, no account, and it plays offline.

Made for fans of chess puzzles, roguelites, tactics games and strategy board games.

GROW YOUR ARMY
• Pieces earn experience and level up. Each level offers a choice of new moves: a rook that smashes through two enemies, a knight that leaps further, a pawn that charges two squares every time.
• 38 upgrades across all piece kinds, shown as clear move diagrams, so a new move never feels like a bug.
• Recruit fairy chess pieces like the Archbishop, Chancellor, Camel and Grasshopper.

COLLECT RELICS
• 46 relics that bend the rules of chess, from a horn that leaves every enemy army one piece short to boss relics with a real price.
• Beat each boss once to unlock its trophy relic for your later runs.
• Visit merchants, rest at campfires and decide how to answer 16 strange encounters.

FACE THE SPIRE
• Three acts with branching maps of fights, elites, events, merchants and rest sites.
• 15 enemy squads, elite affixes and 6 bosses, each with its own rule, from the Moss Warden to the Grand Vizier.
• Terrain changes every fight: rubble blocks lines, chasms swallow the unwary, brambles slow riders, shrines grant a ward and portals open new routes.

CLIMB WITHOUT END
• Conquer the spire, then keep climbing: endless floors guarded by Wardens, with a boss returning every fifth floor.
• Enemies, gold, experience and glory grow with every floor. How high can your army get?
• Chase your highest floor and earn a rank from Climber to Sky Stormer.

PLAY YOUR WAY
• 4 armies to unlock, or build your own company from 15 points and set your line-up before every fight.
• 3 difficulties and 8 ascension levels for veterans. Harder fights pay more glory and better trophies.
• A Daily Gambit: the same seeded run for everyone each day, with a streak and a result to share.
• New to chess tactics? Enemy threats are shown on the board, the easier difficulties allow undo, and a guided first fight teaches the rules.
• Rotate and zoom the board, adjust the text size and turn off motion effects or vibration.

MADE FOR IPHONE AND IPAD
• Single player chess strategy with large touch targets: one hand on iPhone, any orientation on iPad.
• Your run is saved after every move. Close the app at any time and continue later.
• An offline game: no internet needed to play. Haptic feedback, handcrafted sound and six sunlit biomes.

TRY IT, THEN OWN IT
Play the whole first act as often as you like. If you enjoy it, a single purchase unlocks the full game: acts 2 and 3, the endless climb, three more armies, Grandmaster difficulty, the ascension levels, the full Daily Gambit and every future update. Only the purchase itself needs a connection.

Available in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Korean and Traditional Chinese.

## Key features

- Pieces level up and learn new moves
- Collect 46 unique relics
- Three acts with branching maps
- Endless climbing mode
- Unlockable armies and difficulty levels
- Offline play

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full game | $4.99 | one-time |


## Is Rookspire safe?

Not enough ratings yet to assess Rookspire.

## Is Rookspire legit?

Rookspire: Chess Roguelike RPG has limited verification signals. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for Rookspire is 58 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.

## Recent user reviews (1 of 1)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rookspire-chess-roguelike-rpg/id6817786773/reviews.md

### 4/5 — New player

*2026-10-18*

I like the concept- my only real beef so far is where you vary from the rules. Most especially (and on the free level so far, it’s not quite a deal breaker) is the fact that a King can place himself in check. Most other variations I get, but the King/Check thing is so central to the heart of chess. I’d pay for the option to play your cool game by straight rules- just having the small board sort of endgame challenges.

**Developer response:** Thanks a lot for taking your time and the great feedback :)
I'll let it flow into the next patch!

## Frequently asked questions about Rookspire

### What is Rookspire?

Rookspire is a turn-based strategy RPG that combines chess mechanics with roguelike elements. Players lead an army up a ruined spire, with pieces leveling up and learning new moves.

### Does Rookspire have ads?

No, Rookspire is ad-free. The game is designed for an uninterrupted single-player experience.

### Is Rookspire a paid game?

Rookspire is free to play with an option for a single purchase to unlock the full game. The first act can be played as often as desired before committing to the purchase.

### Can I play Rookspire offline?

Yes, Rookspire is an offline game and does not require an internet connection to play. Your progress is saved after every move.

### What platforms is Rookspire available on?

Rookspire is made for iPhone and iPad. It supports large touch targets for single-player chess strategy.

### How often is Rookspire updated?

The latest version is 0.5.4, last updated on October 25, 2026. Future updates are planned to add more content.

### What is the age rating for Rookspire?

Rookspire has an age rating of 9+. This indicates it is suitable for players aged 9 and above.

### How does piece progression work in Rookspire?

Pieces earn experience and level up, with each level offering a choice of new moves or upgrades. There are 38 upgrades available across all piece kinds.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 0.5.4 — 2026-10-25

Small improvements under the hood.

### 0.5.3 — 2026-10-18

Fixed: the trophy notice shows its full text again, and the labels of buttons with an icon are centred.

### 0.5.0 — 2026-10-14

New: you can help improve Rookspire. The game asks once whether you want to share play statistics and error reports. Nothing is sent without your yes, and you can switch it off at any time in the settings under Privacy. No name, no ads. Fixed: the price of the full game is shown correctly.

### 0.4.0 — 2026-10-11

Rookspire now speaks ten languages: French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Korean and Traditional Chinese join English and German. New: a run you started can always be continued from the title, a new run is one tap away when a run ends, and the merchant's page stays where you scrolled it. Fixed: volume sliders no longer change while you scroll, notices leave on their own, and the captures of a lost fight are counted.

### 0.1.2 — 2026-10-10

No release notes.

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## More apps by Leon Plienig

- [Recheneule: Math Grades 1-4](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/recheneule-math-grades-1-4/id6817728008)

All apps by Leon Plienig: https://appshunter.io/developer/6817728010

## Related topics

[chess roguelike](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/chess-roguelike)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-10-29.*