Lost in Random: The Eternal Die Review – Rolling Up a Respectable Roguelite

While not a smash hit, the 2021 EA Originals release Lost in Random has earned a modest yet dedicated fanbase thanks to its memorable Tim-Burton-meets-Double-Fine setting and unique combat system that incorporates cards, dice rolls, and other board-gamey elements. In the years since its release, the main creative minds behind Lost in Random went their own way, recently releasing a rather charming little horror game called The Midnight Walk, while original Lost in Random developer Zoink (now merged with another studio and rebranded as Stormteller Games) have opted to take the series in a new direction.

Lost in Random: The Eternal Die reimagines the series as a roguelite, very much in the vein of Hades and that game’s ever-growing army of imitators. Has this toss of the die paid off? Or does the change of genre come up snake eyes? Roll on to find out...

Lost in Random: The Eternal Die is, technically, a sequel to the first game in the series, with players now taking on the role of misunderstood antagonist Queen Aleksandra and her living die companion, Fortune. When we last saw Aleksandra, she was about to face off with the Dark Lords who had ruined her life and kingdom. In fact, one of these Dark Lords, named Mare, actually resides within the cursed Black Die that was central to the first Lost in Random. Aleksandra is sucked into the Black Die and must battle through various realms in order to defeat Mare and ultimately earn her redemption.

While Lost in Random: The Eternal Die is loosely connected to its predecessor, you don’t really need to have played the first game to get the gist of what’s going on. While there are Easter Eggs and nods for established Lost in Random fans, the vast majority of the original game’s characters have been jettisoned. Taking a page from Hades, between runs you’ll return to Sanctuary, which is populated by a growing number of characters you’ll encounter as you play. Most of these characters are likable enough, and you can return to them repeatedly to hear new dialogue and bits of lore, but they don’t have anywhere near the depth and personality of Hades’ demigods. Overall, The Eternal Die takes a fairly light touch with its storytelling, which may disappoint some who enjoyed the richer worldbuilding of the first Lost in Random.

At least this version of the Lost in Random universe looks quite nice. While the game opts for a more zoomed-out isometric camera, some may have to get used to the charmingly twisted visual style of the first Lost in Random carries over, and everything runs flawlessly on the PS5. I also didn’t encounter a single bug during my entire playthrough, which is a rare treat.

As for how Lost in Random: The Eternal Die actually plays, the game doesn’t stray far from the standard roguelite structure. Each run begins with you picking one of four weapons (sword, spear, bow, or mace) and then a card, which grants you a specific special attack. There are four biomes to work your way through, consisting of a randomly-sorted array of rooms, each of which contains a combat encounter, traps to evade, a minigame to play, a character to rescue, a bit of lore, or a store where you can buy things with the gold you collect during your run.

As you progress through a run, you’ll collect Relics, which confer a variety of passive buffs and abilities for your die companion. Each Relic is placed on a grid and has a specific color, and if you line up enough Relics of the same color in a row, you’ll get a stat increase. For instance, line up three red Relics and you’ll get a 50-point boost to weapon damage. There are quite a few of these Relics (over 100 in all), many of which have the potential to build on and create synergies with one another, so there’s a decent amount of strategy to be found in wisely picking Relics and arranging them on your grid.

Of course, this being a roguelite, if you die, you go right back to the beginning and most of the stuff you’ve collected goes out the window. That said, you do collect materials that can be used to purchase permanent upgrades for your character and weapons. So yeah, it’s all pretty standard stuff, but there’s a reason there are so many roguelites kicking around now – the formula works.

As for Lost in Random: The Eternal Die’s moment-to-moment action, once again, the game cribs fairly liberally from Hades. Players can dash freely around battle arenas and take it to enemies with basic attacks or their card ability. The most unique aspect of The Eternal Die’s combat is your titular die, which can be thrown for AoE damage, with different effects being generated depending on the number randomly rolled. In order to throw your die again, you actually have to run over and pick it up, and there are times when the die may generate its own attacks or effect while deployed. Making sure you keep track of your die, and deciding whether you want to pick it up or leave it down so it can, say, generate fireballs or poison while you do your own thing, adds another layer to combat.

Make no mistake, your die definitely isn’t as core to the combat experience as it was in the previous Lost in Random. To some degree, it feels like it was just added to a familiar Hades-like combat system in order to justify calling this a Lost in Random game. That said, while not exactly groundbreaking, The Eternal Die’s combat generally feels good and responsive, with a healthy array of enemy types and attack patterns to face. Boss battles are also quite solid, although you may get a bit tired of fighting some of them time and time again over multiple runs.

Really, that repetitiveness is the core issue with Lost in Random: The Eternal Die. Even if a roguelite plays well, as The Eternal Die does, it needs a certain level of variety and novelty to keep those repeated runs feeling fresh. The Eternal Die doesn’t have the depth in terms of weapons, temporary and permanent upgrades, and the synergies between all those things that you get with Hades, nor the more complex randomized level design you see in something like Dead Cells. The end result is a game that starts to wear on you after a while, particularly when playing those early biomes you have to pass through a million times.

This is somewhat balanced by the fact that Lost in Random: The Eternal Die isn’t the most demanding or lengthy of roguelites – I managed to beat it in the most basic terms in under 10 hours (of course, there are incentives to keep playing after that). Unlike many other roguelites, The Eternal Die also has an easy mode that will make the grind even less burdensome. How eternal your experience with this game is, is really up to you.

This review was based on a PS5 copy of Lost in Random: The Eternal Die provided by publisher Thunderful Publishing.

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7.5

WCCFTECH RATING

Lost in Random: The Eternal Die

Lost in Random: The Eternal Die is a solidly-crafted experience, offering up satisfying action, appealing visuals, and that reliably-addictive roguelite formula. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite deliver the sharp writing or mechanical depth of obvious influences like Hades or the quirky individuality of its own predecessor. That said, if you're looking for a low-barrier roguelite for younger players or newcomers to the genre, The Eternal Die is a solid gamble.

Pros

• Polished presentation
• Simple yet satisfying action
• Basic roguelite formula still works
• Less intimidating than others in the genre

Cons

• Story isn't very engaging
• Run-to-run variety somewhat lacking

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