Lost in Random: The Eternal Die Preview
It’s always fun when a game franchise takes off in an unpredictable direction. It can be a risky move, too, especially if the first game was a success. 2021’s Lost in Random was a third person action adventure RPG, set in a charmingly grotesque world. The setting and art style were attention-grabbing, a dark gothic union of Tim Burton and Alice in Wonderland. The story was a hero’s quest of one sister’s journey to save her sibling, accompanied by a sentient magical die named — of course — Dicey. Lost in Random ended with the defeat of the misunderstood evil Queen, who now becomes the player character Aleksandra in the new game, Lost in Random: The Eternal Die. The Queen has a dice companion named Fortune.
The Same But Very Different
While some players had problems with Lost in Random’s mechanics and pacing, it was hard not to appreciate that game’s art and unique world building. Lost in Random: The Eternal Die keeps the setting, the gloomy-yet-colorful kingdom of Random, a land that’s by nature unpredictable. The NPCs and enemies are still combinations of grotesque machines, 19th century royalty and aberrant biology. They use magic, guns and other weapons to attack Aleksandra and Fortune. The game’s big bad is Mare the Knight, and he’s a wildly imposing figure throughout the narrative.
Where Lost in Random: The Eternal Die gets interesting is that developer Stormteller has chosen an entirely new genre for the sequel. This time around, the game is an action RPG/roguelike. While it certainly looks like the first game in its art direction, its gameplay couldn’t be more different.
Die and Try Again
Lost in Random: The Eternal Die’s structure is pretty simple. There’s a hub area filled with a growing population of NPCs and vendors, and a magic portal through which Aleksandra and Fortune travel to combat arenas. There are four randomly generated realms to visit, each an interconnected labyrinth of small combat arenas or special locations, all heading towards an end boss.
Aside from defeating enemies and picking up rewards from combat, there are treasure chests and mini-games in some rooms, too, making each run surprising. The game has a robust RPG system with multiple weapon types, combat-enhancing Relics, upgrades for Fortune and a host of Spell Cards for magic. Like most roguelites, despite dying the player earns persistent rewards which can be used to permanently improve their characters.
Cramped Quarters
The vocabulary might change, but most of The Eternal Die’s mechanics are pretty standard stuff. There are a few interesting synergies to explore in the Relic system. In terms of level design, each realm’s combat arenas are thematically consistent, generally small and filled with traps and hazards. This can be frustrating, because the game’s dash/dodge invariably lands Aleksandra into spikes, fireballs or other health-reducing environmental elements. A better strategy is to stand and fight but there are often far too many enemies for the small spaces. That said, movement in the game is fast and fluid, and combat looks colorful and feels good.
Like most — or at least, many — roguelites, the early hours of The Eternal Die invariably result in lots of death and truncated runs. Rewards and upgrades are pretty incremental at first. If there’s one criticism I have of the game at this point in its development, it’s that The Eternal Die needs a really immediately fun tutorial level where the player can anticipate the eventual power they will have.
A Risk and a Reward
For most developers, “sequel” means “more of the same.” Kudos to Thunderful for taking Lost in Random in a different direction. Who knows, maybe there’s a grand plan to make each game in a different genre. Lost in Random’s world and fiction would certainly support that approach. Lost in Random: The Eternal Die takes a bold step away from the first game but one that looks to move the series forward.
Thank you for keeping it locked on COGconnected.
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