Rollin' the Dice on Dicey Dungeons

I have found that I enjoy deckbuilding games and was on the fence about snapping up Slay the Spire in the Steam Summer sale.  Thanks to a special promotion where I had Origin Access for a brief period of time and my semi-brief stint with Xbox Game Pass, I had experience playing the excellent (but challenging) deckbuilding roguelike.  I decided to pop it into my cart and think about it overnight--eventually I decided that I would rather play something fresh, but still sort of similar, and settled on Dicey Dungeons.

Dicey Dungeons isn't exactly a deckbuilder, but it does have roguelike elements that remind me of Slay the Spire.  The major difference is that the game is dice based, which is a unique spin on the deckbuilding genre that seems to have blossomed largely thanks to StS.  The game starts off introducing you to the main characters--a group of people who were playing a D&D style campaign and are transformed into dice and thrust into a fictional gameshow-like world.  When you first start the game you can only play as the warrior, but after you've beaten then first "episode" other classes unlock, beating subsequent episodes with unlocked classes will further unlock more characters.  Each dice character has its own special abilities and talents--for example, the warrior has the ability to re-roll three times; the inventor can create its own special gear which grants special attacks, and there are many other characters!

The game is played on boardgame-like levels--there are spaces where you can choose to move; some spaces have enemies on them which means that you will have to fight them to access the spaces they are blocking.  Generally, these enemies are strategically positioned to be blocking things you want--like treasure chests which can contain gear (which gives your character special abilities), merchant carts where you can use gold that you gain from winning battles to buy gear, other powerups, or, most importantly the exit to the next level.

The Robot in combat with a magician.

Combat in Dicey Dungeons is based on using dice to carry out the attacks unique to your character--at the start of each turn you roll your dice and then you place the dice on the ability that corresponds with the number you've rolled (some abilities require specific numbers and others might require a minimum or maximum number).  Each opponent you face has their own unique attacks--some might use fire based attacks which will burn your dice which means that in order to use them you will take health damage.  These opponents also might have special resistance to certain kinds of attacks.  Upon defeating an opponent, your character gains XP which can be used to level up your character.  Leveling up is important because it increases your health and can also grant additional dice (for some characters).

After navigating 5 different, increasingly complex levels, you will face a "boss" on the final level.  The boss is randomized, so you won't face the same one every time.  The "boss" fight will require you to use all the abilities you have accumulated through the previous levels.  Once you've defeated the boss you unlock new episodes which throw in special circumstances that make replaying the levels different and more challenging.  You also unlock new characters.

Pros:

+ Deceptively simple gameplay.  Rolling dice isn't the same or as complicated as deckbuilding, but you still have to strategize to figure out which abilities to use or which equipment to pick.

+ Multiple dicey characters.  As you unlock new characters it throws some variety into the gameplay--each character has their own abilities and it's fun to learn a new character and their abilities.  Some characters are more complicated to learn than others.

+ Various abilities sprinkled throughout the game which are customizable.  Characters have a backpack where they can carry a certain amount of equipment.  You can swap out equipment as much as you want before fights--some enemies have specific weaknesses so it can be beneficial to prioritize gear that will grant you an advantage.

+ Beating one episode will unlock new episodes.  Each episode has different rules/requirements which adds to the replay value.  There are multiple episodes for each character, so there's plenty to play.

+ The type of game you can casually hop into and play a round.  If you're looking for something where you can play short sessions, Dicey Dungeons is a good option.  I would warn though that this can be deceptive--it has the ability to suck you in and then you don't realize how long you've been playing.

Cons:

- For some reason I find the soundtrack and music to grate on my nerves a bit.  It's very fast-paced music and I should just turn it off once it starts annoying me...but I never do.

- Some players might find the gameplay too simplistic--it's not as complicated as a deckbuilder, but there are still degrees of challenge.

Recommendation:

Dicey Dungeons is a simpler, but still fun version of a roguelike, semi-deckbuilding game.  If you get frustrated at more complicated deckbuilders, it is a good option.  I've had a lot of fun unlocking the various characters and learning how they work and mostly failing at unlocking episodes.