Lost in Random: The Eternal Die preview: Fortune’s favor

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Lately, I’ve found myself pondering about two key distinctions between rogue-lites and rogue-likes. While these definitions aren’t set in stone, here’s an interpretation:

In essence, a rogue-like game relies solely on chance and skill. The idea is that you could potentially win the game on your first try or your hundredth; it all comes down to luck and your ability. Over time, through practice, knowledge, and a bit of good fortune, you’ll eventually reach victory.

Conversely, a rogue-lite lets players enhance their character between games. This could mean boosting health, increasing damage output, or unlocking new abilities. The initial run in a rogue-lite might be the most challenging due to your lack of resources and skills, but as you progress, you’ll gain more tools to help you along the way. Both luck, skill, and practice are still important factors, but other mechanics come into play as well.

Designing a game is not about finding the perfect method; each strategy excels in its suitable setting. Both methods aim for consistent advancement and enhancement. As you delve deeper into the game, your skills gradually improve. However, it can undeniably be disheartening in a rogue-lite, where one starts with limited power and must initially grind before unlocking stronger abilities. My early attempts at Lost In Random: The Eternal Die left me feeling frustrated, but I found myself compelled to return for additional tries.

Although I didn’t particularly enjoy the grind for resources to enhance my character, I found the entire rogue-lite concept deeply integrated into the game’s story captivating. I kept returning to uncover more of the narrative, engage with the challenging combat, explore fresh labyrinths, and experiment with the diverse set of abilities that appear randomly during each playthrough in Lost In Random: The Eternal Die. This game, developed by Stormteller Games, offers a compelling dark fantasy setting that delves into the concept of games and what drives us to play them.

Getting Lost

A Fresh Gaming Experience: The Eternal Die

Innovative gaming studio Stormteller Games presents their latest creation, “The Eternal Die,” which is a spin-off from the original Lost in Random launched in 2021 (formerly known as Thunderful Gothenburg). Unlike its predecessor, this game adopts the rogue-lite genre instead of traditional action-adventure.

While many games prioritize gameplay over storytelling, in The Eternal Die, the narrative remains a crucial aspect.

The narrative unfolds in the realm of Random, a gothic fantasy backdrop inspired by classic games such as chess, cards, and dice. This is the setting for “The Eternal Die“, where you assume the role of Aleksandra, the Queen of Random who served as the main antagonist in the original “Lost in Random” game. Your objective is to break free from the Black Die, a fractured world under the control of an entity named Mare the Knight. Throughout your journey, Aleksandra interacts with characters from the previous game and new additions, finding solace only in a sanctuary amidst a twisted landscape of distorted memories. However, when you’re prepared to confront Mare’s games, you’ll have to traverse through a maze of hostile rooms and formidable bosses. Mare allows this challenge because it feeds on your despair, hopelessness, and frustration with each defeat. This demanding action rogue-lite serves as Mare’s ultimate prison. It’s not merely a game mechanic, but a deliberate design choice by the primary villain.

This intricate video game never ceases to captivate me with its creative world-building and clever exploration of gaming concepts. It’s not just that I’m controlling a character in a video game; instead, I’m immersed in a character trapped within a warped game, where even the surroundings seem like peculiar game elements.

Previewing

From the brief access I had, I could only progress through the initial two stages in this game. Despite spending eight hours trying to advance, I barely managed to get to the second level on a few occasions, and eventually conquered the second boss. Unfortunately, I lost against the first boss quite frequently. Upon reaching the second stage, I secretly hoped it would serve as a checkpoint. However, I soon realized that each attempt starts anew, right from the beginning. The more victories you accumulate, the harder every subsequent defeat feels.

Building a Run

In the game Lost in Random: The Eternal Die, there’s an engaging system for upgrading artifacts, which essentially functions as a mini-game for inventory management. You have a limited number of slots; each artifact occupies one slot and may display between one and three colors. If you arrange three artifacts with the same colors consecutively, your base power increases accordingly. For instance, red enhances weapon damage, blue boosts dice damage, and so on. Whenever you acquire an artifact, you must immediately decide where to place it. The challenge lies in finding the optimal spot to maximize the chances of getting three in a row. Unlike enhancements for abilities within the sanctuary, this artifact puzzle resets with every playthrough.

Each item grants a distinct power. For instance, certain items cause enemies to drop poisoned daggers, while others enhance your dash with explosive effects. Some are more thrilling than others, but it doesn’t matter since you often select them based on the color needed to complete a three-match series. Beyond these items, you have Fortune, a tiny dice companion. During battles, you can throw Fortune and she will inflict damage equal to the number rolled. A six eliminates smaller foes, but a one might not be as effective. After rolling Fortune, you must retrieve her manually; she doesn’t automatically return when in combat. Be careful where you toss her, or else you might miss out on a Steam achievement for tossing her over an edge.

In essence, the main cause of destruction in this game stems from the selection of four weapons at your disposal: initially you wield a standard sword, but as you amass resources, you can acquire a bow, spear, and hammer – the one I found myself frequently preferring. Each weapon possesses unique traits that can be modified, offering distinct strengths.

In addition to the weapons, you’re also provided with a card at the beginning of each game session, though you often have the chance to trade it for another if desired. There exists a multitude of cards, each boasting potent abilities such as burning foes, freezing them solid, or producing other engaging effects. As you battle enemies with your chosen weapon, you accumulate points that enable the use of these cards. Each card also features a “perfect” ability, which is activated by holding down the button for a specific duration before releasing it. This technique triggers an additional effect.

Final Thoughts

As I delved deeper into the world of Lost in Random: The Eternal Die, I found myself captivated by the intricate details that made each character come alive through their fully-voiced performances. Battling countless unique enemies was a thrilling challenge, and despite the rogue-lite format’s repetitive nature, the game masterfully balanced randomness to keep things feeling fresh.

Though I knew what to expect in some ways, there were always surprises around every corner. Even areas I thought I had completely explored yielded new hidden secrets during my eighth hour of gameplay, keeping me on my toes and eager for more.

Among the many intriguing spots I’ve discovered during my exploration are rooms that occasionally house game areas. In these spaces, you can take a chance by placing Fortune on a specific spot. One such room presents a group of adversaries with varying levels of challenge based on the number you roll. Another room operates like a traditional board game – roll the dice to move your piece the corresponding amount of squares. Each square offers different prizes, ranging from valuable artifacts, additional resources, or healing options. These games not only offer a refreshing change from combat, but they also subtly motivate lower rolls, while higher numbers are generally more advantageous in battle. Moreover, it’s fascinating to immerse oneself in this game-centric world by playing a game inside another game!

As a dedicated gamer, I’m absolutely thrilled to delve deeper into “Lost in Random: The Eternal Die.” It may have its rough patches in the initial stages, and it can be downright challenging, but the allure of what lies ahead keeps me going. Having traversed just the first two levels, I’m intrigued to uncover how Aleksandra’s journey unfolds as she marches towards victory. Will the villain start to doubt the sufficiency of their trap? How will this tale conclude? Not many rogue-lites have managed to ignite my imagination quite like this one has.

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2025-05-15 16:02