by Ojogo
Editor’s Note: This is a preview from our overseas journalist of a mobile title that hasn’t yet released in the US!
There was a time in gaming history that RPGs meant you’d resort to playing it on a table, with pens and papers, a big rule book, a Game Master and some dice to represent the success of whatever it is you’re planning to do in the game. RPGs were more analog then, and dice acted as your only controller.
The people from Springloaded decided to bring that sense of powerlessness against the mighty dice roll in their mobile combat RPG, Tiny Dice Dungeon.
Gameplay
Tiny Dice Dungeon puts you in a world where everything your hero does is dependent on your dice rolls. Your hero’s mission is to help out the world stave off rampaging angry monsters that have been wronged one time too many, and are now hell-bent on destroying mankind. With the help of your trusty Buster sword and your ever faithful dice, you set off to an adventure that’s full of killing and capturing monsters.
In Tiny Dice Dungeon, the player makes use of six-sided dice rolls to determine attack damage and hit chances. Rolling anything but a one allows you to dish out the corresponding numerical value as attack damage. You can also “capture” monsters that you face in battle as long as you hit the required numerical value of a solo monster.
Your hero won’t be carrying anything at all since the game doesn’t have any options for you to buy equipment. It’s basically you and your dice that does most of the work. The typical dungeon run in Tiny Dice Dungeon is surviving a series of predetermined areas filled with monsters. After you brisk through the dungeon grunts you are then left to face the Dungeon Boss at the end.
Dice Dice Baby
Tiny Dice Dungeon doesn’t have any equipment or weapons for your hero. Instead your power grows based on the power of dice you can acquire.
There are tons of different dice that you can use in Tiny Dice Dungeon. There’s the “normal” attack dice which, as the name states, provides only normal damage per numerical value you roll with it. There’s the multiplier dices which has a different rule set than the normal dice; their goal is to multiply the damage your dice would be dealing, so rolling a one with this won’t block your damage out entirely. The game also has status ailment and elemental dice that provide certain kicks to you attacks as long as you roll anything higher than a one.
The game only allows you to create these dice and not purchase them. You have to earn, “dice pieces” that can either be purchased through the game’s premium store or from monster drops. You need to have both the required number of dice pieces and blueprint to start making a dice. There’s a different chance mechanic in place when you attempt to create the dice you’d want.
Another thing to keep in mind is that your character has a certain amount of available dice slots. These slots can be used to equip the dice you have in your inventory. You can mix and match your attack, status ailment, elemental and multiplier dice to provide a more varied way in eliminating the monsters in front of you.
Tiny Dice Dungeon also has a dice roll stacking mechanic in place. This means that you can keep on re-rolling your dice as long as you don’t roll a one. These attacks then add up so you can hit with attacks higher than six. This mechanic allows you to finish off boss monsters in one go, however, the game makes your dice rolls more difficult as the number of your stacks increase. Those willing to take the major risks to score these ultimate attacks will snag extra gold in addition to the superior damage output.
Monsters Galore
As I mentioned earlier in the review, you can also capture monsters you face in Tiny Dice Dungeon and turn them into your flying monkeys, I mean- your extra attack pets that acquire experience points and level up. Your “pet” monsters are equipped with dice as well since they roll to support your attacks during dungeon runs.
To be able to capture a monster, the game requires the monster to be the only monster in the field. You need to hit the equivalent numerical value on its head and then attack it. Once you have those met, the game puts you in the capture monster instance and then would require you to roll the dice to hit another required number. Once that’s accomplished you now have a monster that you can use.
Tiny Dice Dungeon only allows two monsters to be used simultaneously. These monsters also have dice slots that are unlocked as they level up with you.
Multiplayer
Tiny Dice Dungeon also allows you to fight against other players asynchronously online. Dice are still required in the PvPing but to win, you need to destroy the locks their big treasure chests have. You need to destroy them before they kill off your character.
Critique
I thought at first that Tiny Dice Dungeon was a game that I wouldn’t really enjoy playing since it’s all about dice and I wasn’t really keen on playing a game that looks so outdated. But once I jumped into the world of Tiny Dice Dungeon, I was floored by how fun and addicting the game really is. The game is in itself a parody of the whole RPG genre as the dialogue is chock full of smart-ass quips about saving the world, on how things ended up the way they are, and often includes fourth wall breaking moments.
The dice stacking mechanic is utterly ingenious since it appeals to my “all in” mentality that I keep on dying in dungeon raids because I hoped to hit another successful dice roll but I get a dud instead. The game appeals to my table-top gaming self and its novelty is really appealing.
I liked how the game provides more options for you with your dice and how you equip them. I liked the logic that the game already has a lot of dice that you can buy or craft covering all the basic RPG needs so the only other items available are phoenix downs (to revive you or your pet), luck altering items or experience boosts.
Conclusion: Great
Tiny Dice dungeon is a good time sink for those lazy afternoons that you have nothing to do or when you’re commuting to wherever you need to go. So download it and have fun dice rolling!
