Bored with roguelikes? You might still want to play Dicevaders, a game about perfecting dice rolls

The author found themselves drawn to Dicevaders, a roguelike deckbuilder game, after becoming accustomed to playing similar games. The first thing they did after waking up was launch Dicevaders on their Steam Deck to play another match before starting their workday. This compulsive behavior was not a new habit for the author, as they had previously played games such as Titanium Court and Blue Prince. Dicevaders is set in space, where players control an alien invasion force.

In the game, the player's objective is to reach a target damage number over four turns, activating units on a grid to score points. Each column on the grid corresponds to a number on three dice. When the dice are rolled, the outcome determines which columns of units will score. Units have a strength stat that forms the base score of each turn. The goal is to hit the target damage number across four turns. If the player fails, their health decreases on subsequent turns until the game ends.

Dicevaders provides players with both chance and resource management, creating a fair gameplay experience. Players can use resources called Budge and Chrono to manipulate dice rolls and re-roll them, respectively. The game is fair as these resources are not scarce and can be obtained through various means, including buying units, artifacts, and currencies. Players can also freeze items to purchase them on the next turn if they run out of cash.

Additionally, players manage their units by positioning them and increasing their strength stats. Units have unique abilities, such as teleporting around the grid or attacking multiple times. Players can sacrifice one unit between turns to give its strength stat to another unit or feed it to a unit with a special ability, further enhancing the unit's usefulness in the game.

Dicevaders offers a wide range of strategies to achieve high scores and provides a complex gameplay experience with many moving parts. The game has a roguelike feel, teaching players new strategies as they progress. Its combination of managing resources, positioning units, and employing various tactics makes it an engaging and satisfying game for players who enjoy roguelikes.