I’ve always said that I’m not a fan of roguelikes, but I happen to find myself playing a great deal of them lately, and something inside me has apparently shifted. Lost In Random: The Eternal Die might just be the tipping point towards me admitting that, actually, I really do enjoy roguelikes. I guess times are changing, and my gaming taste is doing the same. 

Maybe it’s not all roguelikes. I’m able to admit that, with this particular genre, I’m easily frustrated and sometimes have a hard time coming to terms with my own ineptitude. However, I am willing to admit that I don’t just like The Eternal Die, I love it. So much so that I’ve not only purchased it on Steam, but also on Switch as well. 

I’m even struggling to write this because the game keeps pulling me back in. 

The friends we meet along the way

One of my main issues with roguelikes, generally, is that the stop-start nature of them as a genre makes it difficult to establish or follow a story. Perhaps that’s just a “me” problem; my mind is known to be somewhat distractible at the best of times, but I didn’t face that issue at all with The Eternal Die. 

You play as Aleksandra, shrunken former queen of Random, with your trusty buddy, a little dice named Fortune, at your side. Aleksandra is driven by a need for vengeance against Mare the Knight, otherwise known as the Black Die. But, as much as the aim of The Eternal Die is to defeat Mare, he fails to be the focus. 

The real fun of The Eternal Die is the friends you’ll meet on the journey. 

The first time you die and end up back in the discard pile that leads you into the Sanctuary, you’ll meet Chance. He’s a ‘suspiciously helpful’ marble statue with button eyes, and he’s convinced you can help him to escape the Black Die. Also in the Sanctuary from he very beginning is Arma, a Witch Sister who looks a lot like a frog who offers you Blessings and asks that you find her Diceling children. 

As you repeatedly enter the realm of the Black Die, you’ll slowly begin to unlock other friendly faces. There’s Mannie Chex, who can be found inside the Realm in her pop-up shop. There’s The Rug Reader,  who will transfer to the Sanctuary after the first time you find her inside the Black Die, and through her, you can change your outfit. 

Blessings, cards, and pearls

It’s a pretty standard practice for roguelites to throw you in at the deep end as a complete weakling, facing the inevitability of a quick and painful death, probably more than once. The Eternal Die is just the same, but you quickly begin to find some strength.

When you enter the Realm of the Black Die, you’ll find a card waiting for you. This card decides what secondary attack you’ll be able to use during that run, or at least until you find a different card and switch it out. 

Then there are Pearls, which can be found in the Pearl Coffers that appear after some of the rooms after you’ve defeated all of the enemies. These can then be placed onto the board in your inventory, offering perks or additional power boosts, and again, these change each time you play through a run in the Black Die. 

One thing that doesn’t change each time, however, is your Blessings. These are purchased from Aama using Pip Dust, obtained after completing some of the rooms within the Realm. Blessings permanently increase your HP, increase your damage output, and boost other stats. Once you start to unlock Blessings, things start to feel a whole lot easier. 

Floored by the art style and dialogue

The art of The Eternal Die is, and excuse me for gushing here, absolutely stunning. As a huge fan of Tim Burton and that entire fairytale-grunge aesthetic, I immediately knew that, visually, I’d be a huge fan of the game. That was before I played it, but now I know how phenomenal it is to play; the art is the perfect added bonus. 

The artists behind the gorgeous settings and characters in The Eternal Die are Borislav Kechashki, Leo Brynielsson, and Victor Becker. Honestly? I’d never heard of them before this point, but they’ve gained a follower on every social media platform on which I can find them. They’ve done a phenomenal job of bringing this dark and gothic concept to life. 

On top of that, The Eternal Die is fully voice-acted. Again, maybe this is just a curse of my distractible mind, but I sometimes struggle to retain information or really get to grips with a story if I have to read every line.

Which is strange, considering the fact that I own a veritable library of books both physically and on my Kindle, but that’s a completely different story. 

Elsie Lovelock does an incredible job of filling Aleksandra with personality and bringing her backstory to life. The emotion just spills out of her, and some perfectly executed hints at humor don’t distract from the vengeance-driven plot. All of the VAs that put their talents into The Eternal Die do an excellent job of keeping my attention, and that’s a talent in and of itself.

This is not a review

Let me be clear, this isn’t actually a review, although if it was, I’d be throwing the 10/10 at The Eternal Die quicker than even my most disastrous attempt inside the Realm of the Black Die was over. Trust me when I say that run was pretty quick. I don’t want to talk about it. 

This is just me, a player and an advocate for indie developers, telling you that you should absolutely throw your money and your time into Lost in Random: The Eternal Die. If you’re a fan of roguelikes? You’ll love it. If you love that Burton-esque vibe? You’ll love it too! 

If I’ve convinced you, then you can play Lost in Random: The Eternal Die on PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox One & X|S. If I haven’t yet managed to convince you, then you’re in luck: There’s a free demo available to play right now on both Steam and PlayStation.