Lost in Random: The Eternal Die

Roguelikes certainly feel like one of the more saturated genres in gaming today. We live in the era of likes, with both Soulslikes and Roguelikes trying to sell themselves on the fact they're not quite as good as the games they take heavy inspiration from. A pessimistic view? Perhaps, but one I've grown more accustomed to as the years go by and yet more of these games throw themselves into the same crowded pit.

It's why I withheld any form of excitement when first stepping into Lost in Random: The Eternal Die. I've not played the 2021 original, and while I had heard good things, this seemed to follow very little of its successful formula. However, I quickly found myself in a string of runs, hoping to just push that little bit further towards the Black Die.

Developer Stormteller Games does not hope to reinvent the roguelike wheel, here. Very much akin to Hades, you start off in one room, fighting your way to the next and gaining power-ups along the way, as well as currency to upgrade your character back at camp. The powers aren't quite as satisfying as the boons gods give you in Hades, but the fact they're laid out in a little game board - requiring you to match three buffs of the same colour for a permanent upgrade - adds a little element of gamification that keeps your mind actively thinking about the build you could create.

Builds in Lost in Random: The Eternal Die usually revolve around some mix of your abilities (Weapons, Cards, Dice, Conjurations, and Luck). There's the occasional Legendary Relic that defines how you play, but often you'll begin to see a complimentary pattern as you go along. In Hades - especially the first game - you could quite easily make such an overpowered build that bosses are melted in seconds. The Eternal Die doesn't give you many chances to really feel like you've gamed the system, but there's nothing wrong with letting the player rely primarily on their own skill.

If you've played an isometric roguelike before, combat in Lost in Random: The Eternal Die will come quickly to you. It relies on moving quickly through an arena, keeping an eye on enemies looking to surround you, and dashing through them to create space. Normal attacks from your weapon, special card attacks which can do anything from roll massive dice on the screen to turn you into a whirlwind of ice, and a throw of your plucky dice Fortune can all deal damage to foes, but to be as effective as possible in combat, you'll want to balance a mixture of these tools. Just spamming weapon attacks can get the job done, but as I quickly learned, it's a slow and laborious process. I found the weapons to be a bit underwhelming. Responses and animations are smooth, but it didn't feel as if I was getting anything but slightly different attack animations when I picked up a different weapon. Compare them with the weapons in Hades, which drastically change your playstyle, and you'll see what I mean. The upgrades, too, don't really alter the essence of a weapon.

When you do manage to perfect your synergy with dice, cards, and weapons in Lost in Random: The Eternal Die, though, the game becomes an absolute treat to play. The boss fights especially feel daunting and difficult without being irritating. Watching the first boss bring two forms into the fight feels immediately unfair when you first encounter it. Then, when you manage to bring it down, you get a great sense of accomplishment. It's what games like Hades and the best of this genre do well, keeping you going run after run, knowing the satisfaction of victory is greater than the sorrow of defeat.

Both in trying to defeat Mare the Knight and readying yourself for the next run at base camp, Lost in Random: The Eternal Die keeps your attention with its effortlessly charming world. The Alice in Wonderland and Burtonesque lands of the Black Die are weirdly wonderful, always full of life and personality. A lot of that personality is thanks to the great voice performances in the game. NPC allies feel wacky enough to be pulled out of a home D&D game, and bosses are as intimidating as they can be ridiculous. The story of the game revolves around Lost in Random's villain and The Eternal Die's protagonist Aleksandra choosing a path of revenge or forgiveness. It remains consistently engaging, with a slowly unravelling narrative that'll have you risking a run just to search every corner of the map in the hopes of finding some more information. I would have liked a bit more dialogue, as even in the early hours I found I was returning to camp with barely anyone having anything to say, but perhaps that's expecting a bit too much.

Lost in Random: The Eternal Die might not be as overtly addictive as the best of its genre, but it makes a strong case for why we shouldn't put down the roguelike experiment just yet. It's a game that understands the roguelike formula very well, picking out the best bits of it. Simple but effective and engaging combat, a neat story wrapped up in an interesting, quirky world. It makes Lost in Random: The Eternal Die a game that's very difficult not to like, even for an aging grump like me who has all but had it with the idea of roguelikes, roguelites, and any other like or lite.