Dicey Dungeons: A Tale Of Luck And Dice

 The roguelike genre is not one that I am the fondest of. If someone likes it, I am glad they do, but for me the main appeal of losing all progress and starting over never stood out to me. I tried Spelunky 2 when it came out and never made it past the third floor before calling it 1quits. I enjoy watching other people play and conquer these games known for challenge, but aside from Flinthook there are not many titles in this genre that click with me. This one did as well though, a game of dice, cards and chance. Where you pick from multiple classes with different skills to learn and try to win, this is Dicey Dungeons.

This game greets you with the host, Lady Luck herself as you are on her T.V show, the name of the game, beat the boss and earn your prize. Or so it is made to be that simple but there is more then meets the die.. I mean eye. You take control of people transformed into sentient dice as you traverse each stage as it is an episode for the show. The game is bright and has a great look and aesthetic, greeting the player with a bright and fun environment. The music also fits very well and is a great listen while suiting the mood, characters and enimies alike pop out and make this game look fantastic, the 2D hand drawn style looks as if it was made from arts and crafts and it works very well.

I played this on Nintendo Switch but revisited it on Gamepass on my XBOX Series S and I have to say this game is nothing short of fantastic. You are given one of six classes each with their own skills as you navigate to defeat enemies, all ending with the defeat of the boss. The name of the game is dice, not only is your character a dice but the whole game is built around them. You are given a dice with a random number each turn, you use said dice to activate equipment or attack your enimies, with each piece of equipment needing dice to be used. Some need a specific number, some need an odd or an even, and some need a singular side of the die such as a one or two, or a number above or below three. Use your dice wisely to inflict many different status aliments or attack your foes to earn gold and EXP.  Use the gold in shops, and level up to gain more dice and HP, reaching the boss at the end and winning the episode at play but if not it is back to sqaure one... literally because you are playing a dice.

Each class also has their own special, take enough damage in a fight and use a super move to turn the tides, with each class also having their own play styles. The warrior, thief, robot, inventor, and witch with one hidden character all await. For example, the thief relies on using smaller numbered dice to do the most damage while the robot has a meter that can bring fourth more dice, but can overheat and discard all your equipment for that turn. Each class is easy to learn and fun to play with their own challenges tailored for them, leaving for a balanced experience. Each character has six episodes to play all with its own rules to change things up, such as stronger enimies or changing your skill, or adding new rules. This leads to a fun and engaging time, encouraging the players to try all the classes and learn how to use them best and in multiple ways.

This game had me doing what I never thought I would do, enjoy a roguelike game. I found myself going back, and back again just wanting one more try. Wanting to learn each class and beat each episode, there are in game achievements with fun little rewards attached that are inconsequential in the grand scheme of things but there is plenty to do. An unlockable character, a hard mode, free DLC with very challenging episodes and a very decently long base game await the player. This game warrants it's base price tag and is an absolute steal on sale, I found myself even playing stages I beat over and over for fun I enjoyed this game so much. The gameplay is easy to learn but hard to master, and sometimes the RNG will come back to bite you, whether the enemy pulls enough numbers to end your run or you can not pull the dice you need, or you get hit with a status that foils your plan. This game relies heavily on RNG but it goes for the game and the player, the player is then encouraged to play around the RNG so that you can do something every turn in some fashion, leading you to choose your equipment and plans of attack carefully.

This game has so much detail, charm in its very fun writing, there are several great jokes in this game, and in the gameplay. The game is fun and packed to the brim with charm, style, and is a blast to play. Funny writing, a great set up with great presentation, fantastic gameplay that uses the genre to create a one of a kind experience, this game is worth taking a roll of the dice for anyone who wants a fun journey with some challenging elements in it. 

Final Thoughts: Funny, great looks, good music, fun to play, easy to learn, heavily relies on RNG, tons of variety, good length of base game, some fun but optional unlockable.