Lost in Random: The Eternal Die review: "This sequel's roguelike shift squanders the potential of its Burton-like world, yet I can't stop rolling the die for one more go"

Lost in Random: The Eternal Die has me torn. There were times where I may as well have rolled a die or flipped a coin to decide on a final verdict. Then minutes would pass and I'd change my mind again. This is a sequel that isn't quite a sequel, a continuation of a story but framed within an entirely different genre, the same world but from another angle… it toys with you. In some ways I was thrilled, in others, disappointed. And yet, I couldn't stop playing it.

Sequels can be tricky, but in general you'll either get a self-contained story – fully accessible to newcomers, but offering an enriching experience for existing fans – or an exploration of themes and characters that only really make sense to those who have engaged with the original material. Lost in Random: The Eternal Die's storyline falls fairly solidly into the latter category, all while the gameplay gets a big refresh more in-keeping with the former. You don't have to be a roguelike fanatic to enjoy – and complete – The Eternal Die, it's a gentle intro to the genre with flexible difficulty settings. But to truly appreciate, or extrapolate much of use from the storyline, you'll need to have played the first game.

Rogue roll

The introductory cutscene is a quick succession of still-ish images and a voice-over that tells you a great deal of information with very little context. If you've ever sat, fully dissociating your mind from your body, as a friend explains the rules to their favorite board game, you'll understand a little of how this feels to a newcomer. Here's the Queen, here's her sister. She's dead. There was a war. There's a massive Black Dice and it's evil. This smaller die is your mate. You're the Queen now and you've fallen "into" the Black Dice. For some reason you now look like a child. That's your introductory 30 seconds, now fight.

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As such, there's no time to feel anything for either the protagonist, or her late sister. This brief catch-up just isn't enough to entice new players fully into this world, it doesn't explain why they should care about Aleksandra and where they sit in the narrative. It's a fundamental rule of gaming – your players need to know what the stakes are before they roll the die. As satisfying as the combat is, the decision to return specifically to a story-rich world only to ignore that potential is something I can't quite make peace with.

For those who battled through the first game – in contrast, a game packed with nuggets of story in an interactive world – Lost in Random: The Eternal Die's initial narrative can at least be pieced together. In terms of additional story, you get the occasional room which reminds Aleksandra of a few sentences of a memory, or you might bump into some familiar faces who provide a crumb of lore here and there, but in the hunt for depth or emotional heft, you'll still come up short.

Reviews for the first game often pointed out issues with the combat, but raved about its wonderful, whimsical, Tim Burton-esque world with its rich story and interesting characters. There were hints of secrets yet to be uncovered and stories to be unearthed, only for Lost in Random: The Eternal Die to give us… nothing. The sequel, curiously, seems to have done a complete U-turn. Now we have crunchy, quick, tactile combat that feels varied and rewarding, but the story – the very thing that will draw many players back to the series – lands with a half-hearted thump. It leaves me wondering who the decision to move away from story-first writing serves.

It's frustrating. You feel tantalized, like something of substance might just be out of reach. For players who spent hours in Random the first time around, facing Aleksandra as the Big Bad, there's not enough here to put you firmly on her side, you're just plonked into her shoes and asked to care. I just wanted a bit more, something akin to Hades 2, or even Inscryption, where story and gameplay sit comfortably next to each other, each weighted with the same importance. That's what Random deserved.

At a certain point you have to put the story aside, though, and accept that it isn't forthcoming. It's a shame. But there is still a lot to love about Lost in Random: The Eternal Die. Combining four gorgeously gothic biomes, intelligent enemy patterns, satisfying combat, and responsive, flexible weapons – as a roguelike it ticks all the boxes.

The original game's combat was divisive, but The Eternal Die's gameplay feels like such a perfect fit for the environments and enemies dreamt up for this world. Poison-spewing frog-like creatures rise out of swamps and limping knights prod you with spears tipped with fire, bosses cycle attacks with variation and rhythm, but still provide a solid challenge. The dark atmosphere is a little watered down in the isometric view, but it still feels thematically consistent with Random's aesthetic.

Aside from a few lagging or momentarily confused foes in the more populated areas, you can't fault the combat. It's rewarding, responsive, and allows you to be creative in your approach. Alongside traditional fighting, you can employ your trusty die, Fortune, to spice up gameplay with a randomized twist. Throwing him at enemies deals damage dependent on the number rolled, and some relics imbue specific numbers with additional powers, like fireworks or poison shots.

These relics have a chance to pop up in every cleared room, or in shops fronted by the gregarious traveling saleswoman, Mannie Dex. They change various elements of the game, strengthening your abilities, granting boosts, or increasing loot drops from enemies. The maps are randomly generated, so you'll find some packed to the rafters with bad guys, while others host shops, NPCs, memories, healing fountains, games of chance, etc. Relics have colors that benefit you even further if they match in your inventory, and any lore collected is held within a journal so you don't lose your way.

There are four key weapons to choose from, each offering different playstyles, from a heavy-handed hammer that deals great clangs of damage, to the nimble bow that allows you to deftly pick off foes from afar. When you die, you are returned to the discard pile, a place where allies await your triumphant return, and offer you boons and upgrades between runs. You can enhance your weapon of choice with different perks, and earn Blessings for yourself that boost your health, abilities, and damage dealing.

Roll up, roll up

Over time you become stronger and better prepared for the games and fights that await you. One by one, you'll take down the bosses and open the way for an unspecified but assuredly positive future. It is exactly what you expect from a roguelike. Nothing majorly unique, but crafted down to the smallest detail.

There are many such little details that show how much potential The Eternal Die has. Sprites and locations are beautifully drawn, the voice acting and sound design is exceptionally good quality, and – stripped of any story-related expectation – the gameplay compels you to jump right back in for one more run. However much I may have been disappointed in the narrative, I can't deny I played it until the early hours on multiple occasions just to beat that one boss or advance one more level.

There is so much to explore in Random, a world with whispered history, brutal class divides, brewing generational tensions, and wondrous occurrences fuelled by magic. The decision to skirt over much of this in favor of revealing a few snippets of information between combat-only sequences seems odd, even when those combat periods are of good quality.

Fans want more of this world, for its secrets and mysteries to reveal themselves, and newcomers could have been equally hooked by a rich story. Were this another generic roguelike with no narrative promise, perhaps I'd have been less harsh, but to pick a world so ripe for storytelling and squander it seems an unnecessary gamble over an easy win.

Craving more runs? Check out our best rougelikes ranking!