I’ve been eagerly awaiting the full launch of Die in the Dungeon ever since I first played its free prequel. The new roguelike deckbuilder has just hit Steam, and much as Balatro diverged from the traditional format popularized by Slay the Spire, it does something similar with a clever dice-based combat system and a tremendously charming art style. Now, developer Atico has finally launched Die in the Dungeon into early access, and if you’re tempted to give it a try you can even grab it cheaply at release thanks to a Steam sale.
While it’s best described as a deckbuilder, your ‘deck’ in Die in the Dungeon is, as you might have guessed, a bag of dice. These come in a variety of shapes, but they aren’t necessarily numbered traditionally – one six-sided die might have three faces with twos on and three with threes, but another might have four blank sides and two featuring sixes. They’ll form the core of your combat potential, and each battle you face as you progress through a run of the roguelike tasks you with rolling and carefully placing your dice to maximize their effects.
The color of a die determines what it does. Red dice deal damage, green dice heal you, and blue dice block incoming attacks. You use these by placing them onto a grid on your turn to determine the actions you want to take. Depending on the enemy you’re facing, you may need to deal with certain effects on the board that might encourage you to avoid using certain squares unless you’re prepared to suffer a penalty.
That’s just the beginning, however. Purple indicates ‘boost dice’ that increase other dice around them. Place a boost die that’s rolled a two onto your board, and it’ll add two to the value of every other die placed exactly two squares away from it. Things get more intricate from there – gray ‘mirror dice’ copy other dice on your board, pink ‘terrain dice’ allow you to place a lingering buff on a specific grid slot, and two-color ‘dual dice’ give you the effects of both types at once.
In addition to this, you’ll also find dice with specific properties, much like the card modifiers in Balatro. ‘Heavy’ dice stay on the board for multiple turns, lowering in value by one each round. ‘Glass’ dice can only be used once per a fight. ‘Hollow’ dice have no energy cost to play, giving you more options. You’ll also find altars during your playthrough that can award dice with other special bonuses.
Much like Slay the Spire, you’ll also get the option to upgrade dice from certain battles or events you encounter. In most cases this increases the value of the numbers on the dice in question, although sometimes it will instead fill out faces that were previously blank. There are also a handful of unique, named dice to watch out for, but I won’t spoil the surprises there – you’ll have to find them for yourself.
Rounding out the equation are relics, with 100 to discover, providing a mixture of benefits and drawbacks that can completely alter your strategy or define a run. If you enjoy games like Slay the Spire and Dicey Dungeons, Die in the Dungeon is well worth trying. I love its pixel-art look, the gorgeous fantasy soundtrack that flows between Chrono Trigger and The Binding of Isaac, and the simple setup that leads to some really rewarding potential strategic depth.
Don’t just take my word for it, however. While it’s only been out for one day, the response so far has been very positive – 93% of the initial reviews on Steam for Die in the Dungeon recommend it. I’ll certainly be diving in now that the early access period has begun in earnest after four years of development. If you’re tempted to do the same, a Steam sale discount means that now is a great time.
Die in the Dungeon is out now in early access. A 25% launch discount means you can buy it for $9.74 / £8.24 until Friday March 7, or $12.99 / £10.99 afterwards. The current version includes the full game loop of three acts with unique events, enemies, and five boss fights. There are three playable characters, 30 dice types, 14 properties, and 100 relics. Atico says it expects the early access to last for roughly a year as it tweaks, polishes, and adds additional content.
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