Dicey Dungeons is a roguelike deck-building game created by Irish game designer Terry Cavanagh. It became available for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux in August 2019. The game was later released for Nintendo Switch in December 2020, for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S in November 2021, and for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in February 2023. Versions for iOS and Android devices were made available in July 2022.

Gameplay

Dicey Dungeons mixes two types of games: roguelike games and deck-building games. The game takes place in a setting similar to a game show, where a character named Lady Luck challenges adventurers who have been turned into dice. These adventurers must complete a dungeon, but their chance of winning their freedom is very small. The player chooses one of six characters, and each character starts with different equipment. The player moves their character across a dungeon map, facing encounters with monsters, treasure chests, health items, shops, and upgrade stations, as well as exits to the next level. The goal of each game is to reach the lowest level of the dungeon and defeat the boss. Doing this unlocks progress in the game, such as unlocking new characters or adding new episodes for existing characters that introduce more difficult rules.

When a player encounters a monster, combat happens in turns. During their turn, the player sees their equipment, which has slots for dice. The player then rolls a number of dice equal to the number their character has. They place each die into an equipment slot. Once all slots are filled, the dice create a combat effect. For example, a sword might have a slot for one die, and the number rolled on that die determines the damage dealt. Some slots require specific numbers, like odd or even numbers, or numbers above or below a certain value. Some equipment or abilities can change how dice are rolled, allowing dice to be used again. The player keeps placing dice into equipment or abilities until they use all their dice or choose to end their turn. The enemy also uses equipment with dice slots and attacks in a similar way. Both the player and enemy can use equipment to give themselves advantages or disadvantages during combat. Combat continues until either the player’s health or the enemy’s health reaches zero. If the player’s health drops to zero, the game ends, and the player must restart. If the enemy’s health drops to zero, the enemy is defeated, and the player gains in-game money, experience, and other rewards. As the player gains levels, their character gains more health and an extra die to roll. The player can also find new equipment at any time outside of battles. Shops in the dungeon allow the player to buy, trade, or sell equipment. Upgrade stations can improve the power of one piece of equipment.

Development

Terry Cavanagh introduced Dicey Dungeons in May 2018, after working on it for about three months before that. A free version of the game was available for users to try before the official release. Cavanagh planned to create a paid version of the game for release later in 2018. Dicey Dungeons was inspired by an early roguelike deck-builder game called Dream Quest. The game’s artwork was made by Marlowe Dobbe, its music was composed by Chipzel, and the writing was done by Holly Gramazio.

Dicey Dungeons was officially released on August 13, 2019, for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux computers. It was later made available for Nintendo Switch on December 15, 2020. Ratalaika Games ported the game to Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, and it was released on November 11, 2021.

Cavanagh originally intended to release versions of the game for iOS and Android devices by 2020. These versions were finally released on July 7, 2022, along with new free content called "Reunion."

Reception

Dicey Dungeons received "mostly positive" reviews for Windows and Switch, according to Metacritic, a website that collects game reviews. The mobile version of the game received "high praise from almost everyone." Another review site, OpenCritic, said the game was strongly recommended by 87% of critics. The game has been described as a good way for players to learn about roguelike deck-building games. The Windows version of the game was one of the most popular new games on Steam that month.

After the game was first released only on Bandcamp, a music and game distribution platform, the game's soundtrack record label, Materia Collective, released the official soundtrack by Chipzel on December 20, 2019.