While the pieces on the board have similar relative abilities to the different pieces in chess, when one piece attempts to take another, the removal of the targeted piece is not automatic. Instead, the two pieces are placed into a full-screen 'combat arena' and must battle to determine who takes the square.

Generally (but not always) in combat, a stronger piece will succeed over a weaker piece in either defending or capturing a square. It is also possible for the fight to result in a double-kill, in which both pieces are eliminated. This uncertainty adds a level of complexity into the game, since it is not always possible to predict if taking a square will be successful.

Each character's strength is also affected by the colour of the square on which the combat occurs and by a light-and-dark cycle on the 'neutral' squares, indicated by the changing colour of the board. The 'light' side is stronger on the white squares and during the light cycle, and the 'dark' side is stronger on the dark squares and during the dark cycle.

Different pieces have different abilities in the combat phase. These include movement, life, and weapon effectiveness. The weapons vary by reach and the amount of damage inflicted on an opponent. For example, the pawn (represented by knights on the 'light' side and goblins on the 'dark' side) moves quickly, but has very little strength; its weapon, a sword or club, has limited reach and power. A dragon is considerably faster and can fire a powerful projectile blast, while a golem moves slowly and fires a slow but powerful boulder.