DICE LEGACY: REVIEW

Dice is one of the oldest entertainment in the history of mankind: according to some sources, people have been throwing dice for about four thousand years. Now, in addition to gambling and not so games, all kinds of variations of cubes are used even in mathematics – with their help, for example, it is easy to illustrate the foundations of the theory of probability. Video games also did not stand aside – and how could it be otherwise for RPGs, which grew out of the board, the symbol of which is the dice.

We are used to being sad or happy about exactly which edges fell out when the dice were thrown. Dice Legacy from  DESTINYbit went even further: how do you like the strategy, where all your units are the same dice?

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Roll the dice

It is noticeable that it was the originality of the idea that was a priority for the developers. For example, the world here is not a ball or even a flat “pancake” (nothing surprising for a fantasy), but a huge ring hanging among the stars. People live on the inner side of this ring, and we have to play the role of one of the local rulers, who goes with his people in search of a new land and, after a long sea voyage, founds a new kingdom.

The standard setting for real-time strategy, which seems to be Dice Legacy . But the rest of the game will no longer be so similar to brothers in the genre. The main difference, of course, is in units: as I said, cubes play their role. These are the most ordinary six-sided dice, only instead of numerical values ​​on their faces, the types of work that the cube can perform are displayed. On the map, there are “points of interest” – buildings, resources, camps of other factions and similar places where the work of our subordinates is necessary. We throw the dice and see what happened: the “sword” can be sent into battle, the “hammer” is suitable for construction, and the “compass” – for reconnaissance.

A steam generator comes in handy in the winter – if you have fuel on hand, of course.

Did you drop the line that you need now? Either wait for the opportunity to use it, or throw it over again. In the second case, remember that each roll reduces the strength of the die, which can die for this reason. After completing the work, the cube returns to the pool, but becomes inactive until the next roll, so you still have to spend durability, even if you are lucky with the edges.

The number of cubes is limited (we start with five, and the maximum is a dozen), so you have to carefully monitor the condition of your subjects. In addition to a decrease in strength (replenished in the dining room), they are threatened with frostbite, illness, damage and wounds received in battles. With the help of buildings, you can heal cubes, pump them skills (increasing the strength of a particular face) and even construct from several subordinates “constructs” – special cubes with special properties. Do not forget that buildings must also be built, and resources must be obtained. There is also a research tree in which new buildings are unlocked. Despite the original idea with units, the features of the classic strategy are fully present here.

Building a catapult deep in enemy defenses is the shortest path to victory.

Class question

Cubes are much more “human” than they seem at first glance. They can reproduce, for example. To do this, it is enough to place two cubes in one house – after a while you will have one more unit. And cubes also have “estates” – just like humans. We start with ordinary “peasants”, but by placing the cube in the training building, you can get a specialized subordinate: a city dweller, warrior, monk or merchant. They differ in color and a set of faces – if you take a soldier’s cube, then it has as many as three faces with “swords”, one of which has double strength. There are also unique skills inherent in only one class – for example, only townspeople can do research.

Winter is not so easy to survive – crops do not grow, frozen cubes are inaccessible for work, and enemies still continue to attack.

Estates have an indicator of happiness, which changes depending on the actions of the player. If there are too many dissatisfied, then a riot may begin, but lucky cubes work better and give a small positive effect during the execution of tasks.

In addition to internal affairs, there was a place for foreign policy: on the opposite edge of the map, there are mysterious Others who periodically raid our miniature kingdom, plus here you can meet local tribes, with whom they are allowed to both fight and be friends.

Finally, so that it is certainly not boring, you have to fight not only with the enemy, but also with nature. Despite the strange shape of the world, the seasons also change in it – you have to prepare for each winter ahead of time, and certain features (like steam generators for heating) make you remember another original strategy –  Frostpunk .

If we get lucky

By the way, about strategies. If you try to determine the genre of Dice Legacy after a closer acquaintance, then the statement that we have an RTS in front of us will no longer be so categorical. Here you can find tower defense elements – because of the constant bandit raids, you have to build defensive structures and send your soldiers to intercept the raiders. A lot of attention will have to be paid to time management: given that the unit spends time on each task, you begin to calculate the work plan in advance so as not to throw dice again or not be left without free hands at the moment when workers are urgently needed.

At the beginning of the scenario, you can choose a ruler (each has its own characteristics) and starting conditions.

Not forgotten and now fashionable “bagels”. The ubiquitous randomness that accompanies every roll of the dice is a key element of the gameplay. More than once you will have to desperately roll the last dice in the hope that the necessary edge with the sword will fall out, at the moment when the enemy is about to break an important building.

From the “roguelikes” also got such a feature as the orientation to multiple playthroughs. After the first victory, everything is just beginning – new rulers and scenarios become available (like an eternal winter), and if you wish, you can increase the difficulty and use “ascended” cubes – units sent using a special building “to heaven” are available at the start of a new game.

Despite the outwardly unprepossessing, battle scenes cause intense tension – sometimes the fate of the kingdom is decided in them.

Don’t be fooled by the cartoonish graphics and seemingly simple gameplay. In fact, Dice Legacy  is a fairly hardcore game in which, despite a large element of randomness, it is necessary to think ahead and make important strategic decisions. Random helps to create especially dramatic moments, without which what is happening in the world-ring would be too insipid.

Pros: original idea of ​​dice units; genre-based gameplay.

Cons: training does not cover all aspects of the game; too stupid opponent.

by Abdullah Sam
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