Press Kit
Factsheet
Based in Sydney, Australia
Founded in 2023
Description
Cow Chess is a real-time artillery party game (think Super Smash Bros meets Worms). It features fluid, wall-sticking movement, punchy weapons, and fully destructible terrain. As the game progresses, you unlock upgrades that transform your abilities, pushing you to adjust your strategies on the fly.
Cow Chess has absolutely nothing to do with cows, or with chess.
History
Cow Chess technically started in 2019, when Wayne made a rough prototype and tested it in the Central Park Mall food court. It was borderline unplayable and got scrapped.
Four years later, Wayne and Andrew were digging through each other’s old prototypes and decided to bring it back. The game changed a lot, it went from a much slower simultaneous-turn-based cow artillery thing into the real-time chaos we have now.
Not long after, we set up a little studio so we could actually finish it. Lablab was born in 2023. That same year we showed an early demo at Serenade SXSW.
We’re just two Sydney-based devs who’ve worked on a bunch of small projects together. The name comes from our shared love of Labrador retrievers. Wayne’s Lab, Aldo, and Andrew’s Lab, Maple, both ended up in the logo.
Features
- Dynamic Movement System: Wall-sticking mechanics combined with a tongue grapple hook that can attach to surfaces, other players, and even rockets in flight
- Momentum-Based Traversal: Roll along surfaces to build speed for higher jumps, using the environment to gain tactical advantages
- Physics-Driven Combat: Rocket knockback becomes part of your movement toolkit, allowing for creative repositioning and escapes
- Destructible Terrain: Environments reshape during battle, opening new paths and eliminating cover
- Progressive Upgrades: Upgrades unlock every 3 rounds (across 9 total rounds), enhancing both combat and movement abilities. The leading player picks last, keeping matches competitive
- Accessible Performance: Runs excellently on Steam Deck (4K at 90fps) and low-end computers
Images
Videos
Cow Chess Trailer
Gameplay Footage May 2025
1v1 Footage Montage
Short Movement Demo
4 Ports playing
4 Ports Short
Upgrades
Logo
Awards & Recognition
Screen NSW Market Support - Funding Recipient
PAX 2025 - Exhibitor
Team
Andrew Capela
Co-founder & Developer
Andrew holds a computer science degree and has been making games and programming for two decades. He currently works as a game development teacher.
Wayne Petzler
Co-founder & Developer
Wayne is an experienced game developer who has released several small games. He has a background in design and currently works as a software engineer.
Additional Information
Engine: Unity
Influences: Duck Game (lobby mechanics and lighthearted competition), Towerfall (tight rounds and refined mechanics), Boomerang Fu (solid UX and screen flow), Super Smash Bros (real-time combat), Worms (artillery gameplay)
Demo: Early access demo available (2-6 players)
Upcoming Events: October 2025: PAX/SXSW (updated demo/full game showcase), Waypoint Constellations, Game in the Groove
Previous Events: 4 Ports, Serenade