Review — Dicefolk
Wield magical dice and build a team of powerful Chimeras to stop a mysterious evil in the tactical roguelite adventure game Dicefolk.
From the minds of Tiny Ghoul and LEAP Game Studios comes Dicefolk, a tactical turn-based roguelike/roguelite adventure game that sees the player take control of Alea. This young heroine is tasked with saving humanity from the forces of evil, and sets out to do so with the help of “chimeras”. These chimera are (mostly) loveable creatures that can be captured and sent out in battle by Alea, who controls their actions by rolling dice.
Pocket Chimeras
The game wastes no time and, after a brief cutscene detailing the story, sends the player straight into the fight. These first few battles serve as the game’s tutorials and provide the details on gameplay. Dicefolk is deceptively simple: send out your team of chimeras and roll some dice to determine their actions. Various dice results can happen, and they’ll allow your roster of little chimera monsters to fight. You can click on any of the dice results to have a corresponding action played out. The chimera in the front of your team will be able to dish out basic attacks against the monster in the front on the other side. You can rotate your roster to have another one attack instead. You can also guard from incoming attacks, perform a ranged attack on a enemy in the back or apply buffs and debuffs to either team.
Once you have defeated the enemy, you’ll gets some loot and gold coins, and you’ll the be able to move across a map not unlike in classic roguelikes like Slay the Spire. Determining where to go will have a major impact on your success and future encounters. You’ll be able to recruit stronger chimeras as you go, visit shops to buy special dice or equipment for your monsters, or loot random treasure chests for goodies. Just like in similar games as Slay the Spire, you’ll have to carefully plot out your route along the map to ensure success, as fighting too many strong enemies with your basic roster of chimeras you get at the start of your run is a recipe for disaster. Team and equipment management is paramount to success, and in this regard Dicefolk does not differ too much from any other roguelike.
You are your worst enemy
Where Dicefolk differs quite a bit from other games in the genre is that you also control your enemy’s attacks. You won’t just be making the decision for your own team, but you’ll also have to choose how the enemy team attacks and rotates, which adds a delightful spin to the genre. Not only are you relying on the luck of the dice roll for your own team, you’ll also have to ensure you can survive whatever dice your opponents get dealt. Giving the control of this to the player does not mean you’ll always be able to get the best results. You’ll often have to choose between the lesser of two of three evils, as your enemies don’t hold back, especially the game’s boss fights can be terribly unforgiving. As is typical in roguelikes, your initial roster of moves (in this case your team of chimeras and starting dice) is rather weak. Even early enemies will give players troubles, and only by carefully navigating the world map and recruiting and buying the proper chimeras and items will you be able to succeed.
Visually, Dicefolk aims for the “cute cartoonish” look, and this is especially evident in its monster design. Dicefolk does not seem to take itself too seriously, and offers a wide roster of about 100 little chimeras you can collect and utilize in battle. A nice compendium is included offering more details on the monsters as you collect them, not unlike a PokéDex in the classic Pokémon games, with details such as height and weight of the monster, and some background information. There are even “shiny” chimera that can appear, in game known as “iridescent”, which will also have additional powers aside from looking more sparkly.
Dicefolk has clearly taken some inspiration from ancient Central American civilizations such as the Inca and Aztec cultures in the design of the chimeras, while adding a “cuteness” factor of their own to it. However, while the chimeras are intricately designed, they do contrast a bit too much with the fairly bland background images, which don’t seem to have gotten the same amount of attention as monster design. Nevertheless, Dicefolk is a great looking game, and sound design is stellar.
The Verdict
All-in-all, Dicefolk is a fine addition to the ever growing roster of roguelikes/roguelites, and thanks to its unique addition of letting the player control the actions of the enemies its stands out enough from all the other games in the genre. Given that I’m personally quite a big fan of roguelikes, I can have an immense amount of fun with these games, as you can do multiple runs throughout the game that will almost all feel different and require different tactics to succeed. Games like Slay the Spire, Hades and Dead Cells keep me entertained for long stretches of time because of their variety. Dicefolk certainly has that aspect to it as well, however, since you are reliant on the random rolls of dice, combat can sometimes feels suite unfair.
Dicefolk should not necessarily be compared to action roguelikes like Hades, but compared to something like Slay the Spire, it falls flat quickly due to the many uncertainties that plague the dice rolls. There are of course ways to mitigate this, as with any other game in the genre, but somehow Dicefolk feels a lot more bland in this regard. Nothing feels more disappointing than cobbling together a great team of chimeras, only to fall on your face because the dice decided to roll on their bad sides. Nevertheless, I believe Dicefolk deserves a spot in the top ranking of turn-based roguelikes. It is a fun game, and its spin on enemy combat adds a unique touch to ensure Diceolk stands out from its peers.
4/5
Reviewed on PC.
Download code provided by the publisher and PR agency.
