When I finished my initial preview of Lost In Random: The Eternal Die, my first thought was: “When can I play this on the Switch?” While it’s been something of a running joke that I’m CGM’s resident Nintendo fanboy, there are just some games that are better suited to the hybrid handheld. However, as has always been the case, ports of most games on the Switch can be a bit of a dice roll, and some are better left off the system—looking at you, Mortal Shell…
I was excited to dive deeper into Lost In Random: The Eternal Die, given everything I had experienced during my preview, but much like the world of Random, games on the Switch can be a bit chaotic. What’s on offer is a stellar game, somewhat held back by the limitations of the system it’s on.
I touched on it during my preview, but I’ll reiterate here for anyone who either didn’t read it or can’t be bothered. Taking place after the events of the original, Lost In Random: The Eternal Die casts players as Queen Alexandria, now trapped within the Black Dice she once used to rule the world of Random. There she is confronted by Mare the Knight—a chaotic, evil being that had been powering the Black Dice—and is trapped within his dark game.
Alexandria must fight through his twisted labyrinth if she is to destroy not only Mare but the Black Dice once and for all; however, she’s not alone. Joining her throughout her trails is her Living Dice Fortune, as well as a collection of new and familiar characters who will assist her on her quest. Like I said in my preview, it’s an incredibly interesting story, particularly because of who is cast as the main character.
Playing through Lost in Random, you mainly come to see Alexandria as an antagonist, but getting to see a different side of her adds a lot more complexity and depth to her. There are several ghosts from her past that shed a bit of light on her past and give the player some clues as to why she became the way she did. Even from a design standpoint, having Alexandria resemble the way she did in the prologue of Lost in Random casts her in an innocent and possibly redeeming light.
I talked about the gameplay a little in my preview, but I was genuinely impressed by how well Lost In Random: The Eternal Die worked the more I got into it. I had said in my review of the previous game that the one thing that could have been better, and even on subsequent playthroughs, that sentiment remains true. The elements of chance that were intrinsic to both the story and gameplay are perfectly suited to an action roguelike, but it’s amazing how much the more intricate elements of Lost in Random fit in here.
In cased you missed it, Lost In Random: The Eternal Die works the dice-rolling, card-drawing mechanics from its predecessor in a much more straightforward, action rougelike way. At the start of every run, players are given one combat card, which acts as their special ability. Players will fight enemies not only using a combination of their weapon and magic, but by throwing Fortune as an AOE grenade—dealing different amounts of damage depending on the number rolled.
“…I will say once more that the audio/visual design in Lost In Random: The Eternal Die is fantastic.”
I talked about it in some depth in my preview, but the way cards and relics work in tandem with each other adds such a unique layer of depth to progression that I found myself being far more considerate about my choices than I usually am in most dungeon-crawling roguelikes. Furthermore, the way certain relics will provide bonuses based on the numbers rolled by Fortune adds a really exciting element of risk vs. reward. Do you go for a safe relic that just increases attack power by 10 percent, or one that reduces damage by 40 percent every time you roll a six?
Furthermore, while I was a bit saddened to learn that Board Game Arenas had been axed from this game, Lost In Random: The Eternal Die does find ways to utilize the dice mechanic in interesting ways outside combat. Certain reward rooms will act like little board games, where rolling Fortune will move a piece across a sequence or tiles, netting players health or relics for every space landed on. While still largely based on luck, these rooms can be an absolute lifesaver if you’re really in a pinch, or make an already solid run even better.
Of course, not everything is fully left up to the rule of Random. Players can utilize permanent upgrades by gathering Pip Dust or Cinders during their run. It was something I joked about early on that this game really puts an emphasis on The Eternal Die, because when you start playing, so much of the game can feel very random and somewhat unfair. But it manages to have that really satisfying sense of progressively getting stronger as you slowly start to read telegraphs and figure out how bosses operate.
And now we get to the real meat of this review—how does Lost In Random: The Eternal Die function on the Nintendo Switch? For the most part, its pretty okay. Coming off playing the PC version at a crisp 1080p at 60fps I was naturally expecting a bit of a dip. But games like Hades manage to run pretty smoothly on the Switch, so I was optimistic about this one.
“The more I talk about Lost In Random: The Eternal Die, the more I want to play it.”
While playing in handheld, the game ran at a fairly consistent 30fps with the visuals dropped to 720p, but there were some moments I could see the game trying to push a little above its framerate limitations—I imagine for the sake of gameplay fluidity. While on the dock, things get a little better with the visuals and framerate kicked up; however, in both modes, there can be some sporadic lag and framerate chug.
While it’s not particularly game-breaking at any time, it can detract from the experience somewhat. However, all that being said, the fast-paced nature of both combat and the game as a whole does make it the perfect handheld companion, much in the same way Hades, The Binding of Isaac or Enter The Gungeon always felt the most perfect on the Nintendo Switch.
And while I did talk about it in my preview, I will say once more that the audio/visual design in Lost In Random: The Eternal Die is fantastic. The pared-down perspective still maintains a lot of the weird and interesting aesthetic of its predecessor, and it continues its brilliant use of colour and Burton-esque designs. Voicework for all the new characters is superb, maintaining the fun and whimsy that even these grotesque creatures have, and the music continues the sense of intensity and strangeness of its predecessor.
The more I talk about Lost In Random: The Eternal Die, the more I want to play it. It strikes a perfect balance between challenging and chaotic—such is the nature of Random—and keeps you coming back for more. If you’re willing to overlook a little bit of performance hiccups, then it’s a worthy addition to any Switch library, and hopefully an indicator of a bright future for the series.
