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It feels like every day, there's a new roguelike to try out. There's always something interesting with them, but they all have very similar gameplay loops. Lost in Random: The Eternal Die is no exception to this, and feels very familiar in its general gameplay loop. But there are a couple of features that really help it stand out, and I can see it being my favorite roguelike to play, possibly overtaking greats like Hades.

Lost in Random: The Eternal Die on Steam Deck

The general roguelike gameplay is very much the same as we have seen before. You run around going into different rooms, using your attacks to eliminate enemies. You have a basic and charged attack, a ranged attack, dash/dodge, and a special. After every room of enemies you defeat, you get some reward with perks that help you during the run or currency to use to power yourself up permanently. However, while it does feel similar, the actual roguelike mechanics and world feel wholly unique and much more strategic.

Instead of choosing rooms that get you specific upgrades, every room is random, and the upgrades you get go on a board. The mechanics feel reminiscent of a Match 3 game, while also finding ways to give yourself specific buffs. As you play, you will get Pearl or Relic chests, which give you objects to put on the board. Relics have specific buffs attached to them, as well as a color, while Pearls just have a color on. If you match 3 colored objects in a row, you will get increased damage using weapons, dice, and more.

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Not only does this mean you have to choose strategically where you place the buffs you get, but also where you want to make sure the Pearls go. When you match 3, the colors and Pearls will disappear, but the buffs remain on the board. This means that Pearls can unlock new spots on the board to allow you to try getting a new set of colors. It leads to a lot of ways to build out your run the way you want to and maximize your damage in different ways, and it's awesome.

I also really like how the game handles special attacks. You find cards throughout the map and only equip one at a time. You have an energy bar that designates how often you can use the attack, but my favorite aspect is letting it rip at a specific time to enhance its effects. You can hold a button and charge up the attack, and if you lift the button when it shines, it will make it more powerful. This can be essential at times to put effects on enemies like slowing them down, chilling them, and making them take more damage overall.

The Eternal Die's world also reminds me of Little Nightmares mixed with Tim Burton films like The Corpse Bride. It's beautiful, easy on the eyes, and reeks of charm. I love the designs of all the characters, which feel so unique and interesting, and the game has some solid voice acting on top of that. It makes it hard not to enjoy just running around the world and talking to every individual I see.

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I also want to mention that the game is nearly flawless on the Steam Deck. For a 3D game that looks this good to run at 90 FPS with no changes in-game and stick under 15W battery drain on average is nuts. I don't recall a moment when it wasn't running smoothly, even when action got heavy. These are on relatively high settings with no anti-aliasing and no upscaling, which really helps make the game just look so good while running so well.

Lost in Random: The Eternal Die has a lot going for it, and while it may look like a familiar experience you've played before, it definitely feels different the more you get into it. I can't wait to play more of the game ahead of its full release, and if you are a fan of the genre, this is going to be an essential addition to your library.

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Lost in Random: The Eternal Die can be wishlisted ahead of its release in Q2 this year. It's already Steam Deck Verified, and I can confirm it deserves this green checkmark.

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Noah Kupetsky
A lover of gaming since 4, Noah has grown up with a love and passion for the industry. From there, he started to travel a lot and develop a joy for handheld and PC gaming. When the Steam Deck released, it just all clicked.
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