Rune Dice is a brand-new roguelite that wants you to convince yourself that flinging dice across a board like a game of billiards to dictate your damage and gameplay choices is the next great hook. For the early stretch of its runtime, it succeeds. The presentation and art direction are gorgeous, the music is beautiful, and the sound design is satisfying. But peel back this beautiful presentation, and you will find a gameplay loop that is heavily stained by RNG and a lack of control. The game shows your number going up, but forgets to give you the tools to manage it.
The Satisfying Snap of Dice
The first noticeable thing about Rune Dice is how good it feels to look at and listen to. The soundtrack is a highlight with its upbeat and rhythmic nature. The pixel art is charming, and the animations are fluid. The gameplay loop is also satisfying. From launching your dice into the board to interacting with other dice and merging to create new ones is a satisfying experience.
The runs are addictive in the beginning. The scattering and collision of dice is a refreshing take on the roguelite genre, and there is a small rush of dopamine every time matching numbers slam together and jump into a bigger dice. The runes, which are upgrades and modified runes that provide health and damage bonuses, add an extra layer to the gameplay loop. There is no doubt that the gameplay loop is addictive and refreshing, but there are some glaring issues that hold Rune Dice back.
When the Table Decides for You
Besides what it says, Rune Dice is not actually a dice game. Traditional dice games earn their name through variance. Each die has six different faces offering different values. In Rune Dice, however, all the faces of the dice have the same value. The value only increases when a dice merges with a dice of similar value. This decreases the randomness factor of the game, and it only comes from where the dice lands on the table. It is more of a physics-based merge game inspired by billiards or pachinko. The gameplay system is intuitive, refreshing, and creative in its own right, but it does come with its own handful of issues.
The game offers customization and different abilities through its different classes and characters, but that’s pretty much it. A progression system does exist, but it barely offers any build crafting or strategic depth. The game offers Runes, which are limited special items that provide interesting bonuses and gameplay alterations. There are also special dice that provide health and other powers. The acquisition of special dice is based on initial character selection, but the runes are reliant on RNG.
Rune Dice has some interesting enemy and character designs, and some bosses / mini bosses overstay their welcome. Each boss fight has a unique mechanic that is infuriating to fight against. Losing to bosses at the final stage through damage-over-time effects and wasting throws to clear space is a disheartening feeling that tarnishes the overall satisfying gameplay loop.
Some enemies and bosses are genuinely interesting, and they change up the gameplay in a refreshing way. However, there are also enemies whose attacks feel impossible to play against. Ranged attackers chip away at your health nearly every turn, with a lack of meaningful ways to defend and counter. Some boss fights feel like a slow and inevitable war of attrition instead of being a tense challenge.
Final Verdict
This all results in a game that is heavily reliant on RNG and physics mechanics, which may sometimes feel frustrating and annoying. Lack of any meaningful progression system and build crafting is another glaring issue. Certain enemy designs actively work against whatever agency the player has left. Despite all this, Rune Dice is a refreshing take on the roguelite genre and has a satisfying gameplay loop. It is a game worth trying, especially for the fans of this genre who are hungry for something visually and mechanically different.
