Lost in Random: The Eternal Die review – A delightfully twisted dice roll

by MaddOx
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There’s a moment early in Lost in Random: The Eternal Die where it properly clicks – you’re Queen Aleksandra, navigating your cursed fate with little more than a weapon, a deck of colourful chaos, and your trusty dice-shaped companion, Fortune. The atmosphere is gothic-fairytale perfection, the kind Tim Burton would sell his stripey soul to direct. And then you realise… this is it. This is your life now. Fighting off nightmare fuel with a glorified rolling pin, trying not to screw up your grid layout like a budget Tetris wizard.

And honestly? I bloody loved it.

Developed by Stormteller Games and Thunderful Games, this standalone spin-off is set in the same twisted realm as Lost in Random, but don’t panic if, like me, you missed the original, The Eternal Die does a solid job of catching you up through its grim fairytale vibes and lore-spattered NPCs. You’re in for a rogue-lite experience where your goal isn’t just to survive the nightmare, but to rewrite the story by giving hope back to its discarded characters. Think Hades, but swap Greek tragedy for dusty marionettes and existential dread.

Combat is dicey, in all the right ways

At its core, The Eternal Die is a loop of enter room, defeat weirdos, collect loot, rinse, repeat. You’ve got four weapons to choose from – a sword, a lance, a hammer, and a comically-named striker – which you can upgrade using cinders earned mid-run. Each weapon feels good enough, but don’t expect Devil May Cry levels of mechanical depth. It’s a button-basher, but a satisfying one.

Where things get spicy is in the relic/pearl grid system. Relics offer abilities, while pearls act as fuses to activate bonuses – all colour-coded and placement dependent. Match three and you’ll set off status boosts like increased weapon damage, improved conjuring success, or sheer luck. It’s a mini puzzle layered on top of your build, and while it sounds complicated at first, it quickly becomes second nature.

Get it right, and you’re basically the RNG overlord. Get it wrong – like when I binned off a burn-based skill that was single-handedly carrying me – and you’re back to the discard pile, wondering where it all went wrong.

Lost in Random: The Eternal Die - Relics and Skill Upgrade Screen

The Discard Pile – and no, it’s not just you

Speaking of the Discard Pile, this odd little hub world acts as your safe space between runs. Every time you die or finish a run in The Eternal Die, you return here, greeted by misfit characters you’ve met along the way. If you can help them by finding items like dicelings, memories, or even body parts (don’t ask), you’ll unlock upgrades, currencies, and new little nuggets of story.

You also get Pip Dust (for permanent stat boosts) and the aforementioned cinders (for weapon unlocks and upgrades). It’s a proper satisfying loop – you’re rewarded for exploration, but also gently nudged into trying new builds and tactics.

Enemy variety? Well… not quite

While each world in The Eternal Die introduces a different aesthetic and a few new baddies, combat variety is the weakest link in this otherwise slick chain. Most enemies stick to the same movesets, meaning once you’ve figured out their patterns, you’ll blitz through early runs on autopilot. Bosses fare a bit better, especially Mare, who turned out to be an absolute nightmare clad in a knight’s armour. That was the first time I felt like I was genuinely being challenged, after coasting through the first three worlds like a smug dice-wielding queen.

Once you beat Mare (after a few tense revives and sweaty palms), the game opens up a bit, letting you replay with added modifiers like harder boss mechanics or focus on collecting every last secret and character. It adds some replay value, but I couldn’t help feeling like there should’ve just been… more.

The one thing that did feel fresh was the layout and variety of rooms. Sure, the majority were just a case of quickly dispatching enemies, but there are many other rooms as well, from those where you must dodge traps to reach the off switch at the end, to the local shop where you can purchase everything from health boosts to relics. There were even a few challenge rooms, some you’d just have to roll your dice to beat that of the games master, and you’d get a reward. Others, waves of enemies would spawn, or you’d be made to hop around a game board to unlock goodies.

Lost in Random: The Eternal Die - Combat

Overall thoughts on Lost in Random: The Eternal Die?

What The Eternal Die lacks in length, it more than makes up for in personality. The writing is sharp, the character designs are just the right blend of creepy and charming, and the world feels lovingly cobbled together like a child’s nightmare turned storybook. The pacing is tight, which is a polite way of saying it’s over a bit too soon, but I didn’t mind that. Not every game needs to be a 60-hour epic. I just wish the content matched the potential.

Still, The Eternal Die got me out of a gaming slump, and for that alone, I owe it a high roll.

Short, sweet, and slightly haunted, Lost in Random: The Eternal Die is a smart little roguelite with bags of charm and just a few missing dice rolls.


Lost in Random: The Eternal Die is developed by Stormteller Games and Thunderful Games, while also published by Thunderful Publishing. It releases worldwide on June 17th, 2025, and will be available on PC, Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo consoles. While you wait for it to download, why not check out more of our game reviews here?

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