A (2.5d?) chess game. Play against the computer (at various difficulty levels) or against another player. Instead of the traditional chess pieces, the pieces are animated as characters, An actual bishop fighting with a staff, an armored knight, spearmen for the pawns- I’m not sure how to depict the rooks, though. Movement is animated as walking, except the knight whose horse leaps to its new position. Possible idle animations. Killing a piece is animated with an attack animation by the attacking piece and a death animation from the captured piece.
Tickets are awarded for playing, with a bonus for winning (in single player, winning at a higher difficulty level nets more tickets).
A simplified version can be used as video checkers. Perhaps if checkers is built first it can be used to develop and troubleshoot the foundation before being expanded into chess?