Lost in Random: The Eternal Die preview: Fortune's favor

Recently, I have begun to believe there are two main differences between a rogue-lite and a rogue-like. The differences are far from official, but at least here’s one theory. A rogue-like will rely purely on luck and skill. In theory, it’s just as easy to win the game on the first run as it is on the hundredth. But practice, knowledge, and a little luck are what will get you there in the end. A rogue-lite, on the other hand, allows the player to improve their character between runs. This could be increasing health, increasing damage, or unlocking new abilities. In some ways, the first run of a rogue-lite is infinitely more challenging than the hundredth, because by that point, the player will have more tools at their disposal. Luck, skill, and practice still play a factor, but so do other mechanics.

There is no better way to design a game; each approach works well in the proper context. Both styles chase that steady progression and improvement. The more you play, the better you become at the game. But it can certainly get frustrating in a rogue-lite, where you start less powerful, and have to grind at first before you start unlocking more powerful abilities. I began to feel frustrated on my first few runs of Lost In Random: The Eternal Die. But I still couldn’t stop myself coming back for more.

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While I didn’t love the grind for resources to strengthen myself, I did appreciate how the entire rogue-lite premise was a major part of the narrative. I kept coming back to see where this story went, to engage with the challenging action combat, explore each new labyrinth, and discover and experiment with the wide range of random abilities you can encounter on each run. In Lost In Random: The Eternal Die, the protagonist knows they are playing a game set up by the antagonist, and not just that, they know it’s a rogue-lite. The team at Stormteller Games has crafted a fascinating dark fantasy world that plays with the idea of games and why we play.

Getting Lost

Lost in Random: The Eternal Die is a brand new game from developer Stormteller Games, the same team that created the original Lost in Random back in 2021 (they rebranded from Thunderful Gothenburg between then and now). Where that game was a straightforward action-adventure, The Eternal Die takes a rogue-lite approach. But at least for this preview, the story has not been sacrificed at the altar of gameplay.

The story takes place in the kingdom of Random, a gothic dark fantasy setting where everything is based on classic games like chess, playing cards, and, of course, dice. In The Eternal Die, you play as Aleksandra, the Queen of Random, the primary antagonist of the original Lost in Random game. Your goal is to escape the Black Die, a broken world controlled by an entity known as Mare the Knight. Aleksandra connects with characters from the previous game and some brand-new characters in the only sanctuary within a world of twisted memories. But when you’re ready to take on Mare’s games, you’ll have to navigate through a labyrinth of hostile rooms and challenging bosses. Why Mare allows you to attempt this challenge is to feed on your misery, hopelessness, and frustration at every failure. This challenging action rogue-lite is Mare’s perfect prison. It’s not just a game mechanic, but a conscious design choice by the primary villain.

I am continually fascinated by this game’s world-building and how it plays with the idea of games. Not only am I playing a video game, but the character is trapped in a twisted game, and everything around you is a strange interpretation of a game piece. Playing this preview makes me want to play the original Lost in Random while I wait for the opportunity to play the full version. I think it will enhance the experience and satiate some of my curiosity. But to be clear, I still had a great time with this game without playing the original.

This preview only allowed us to play through the first two levels. In the eight hours I was able to commit to it, I only reached the second level a handful of times, but I was eventually able to defeat the second boss. I failed against the first boss so often that when I finally reached the second level, some part of me hoped it would be a checkpoint. But I was mistaken. Every run starts from the beginning. The more success you have, the more crushing each eventual defeat becomes.

Building a Run

Lost in Random: The Eternal Die has a fascinating upgrade system in its artifacts, which are a sort of inventory management mini-game. You have a certain number of slots; each artifact takes up one slot and has between one and three colors. If you place three artifacts with the same colors in a row, you get a corresponding boost to your base power. Red boosts weapon damage, blue boosts dice damage, and so on. Every time you pick up an artifact, you must place it somewhere. You have to consider where the best spot is to give yourself the best opportunity to get three in a row. Unlike upgradeable abilities in the sanctuary, this artifact puzzle starts fresh with each run.

Each artifact also gives you a unique ability. Some examples I had fun with are artifacts that spawn poison daggers from poisoned enemies, and another that gives your dash an explosive elemental effect. Some are more exciting than others, but that’s fine, because half the time you are picking just to get the right color to complete a three-in-a-row. Aside from artifacts, you have Fortune, a small dice companion. You can throw Fortune in the middle of a fight, and she will deal damage equal to the number rolled. Rolling a six takes out smaller enemies, but a one might be underwhelming. You must also pick up Fortune after you roll her; she doesn’t just return to you automatically when in combat. So you do need to be careful about where you toss her. I learned the hard way that there is a Steam achievement for tossing Fortune over an edge.

Your primary source of damage will be your weapon, and there are four to choose from. You start with a classic sword, and once you’ve started gathering resources, you can eventually unlock a bow, a spear, and a hammer. For most of my time, I enjoyed the hammer. There are ways to customize the strengths and abilities of each weapon. Finally, you also have a card. You are granted one randomly at the start of each run, but most of the time you’ll find an opportunity to swap it out for something else if you want. There are a bunch of cards, each with powerful abilities that can burn enemies, freeze them in place, or have other fun effects. You build up the ability to use cards by attacking enemies with your weapon, and each card has a secondary “perfect” ability that has an extra effect. This works by holding the button down for the right amount of time before letting go.

Final Thoughts

There are many great details about Lost in Random: The Eternal Die. Every character is fully voiced, and there are dozens of unique enemies to fight. Despite the repetitive nature of a rogue-lite, it balances the randomness so well that it rarely feels that way. While you can expect certain things, it’s never guaranteed. In my eighth hour of gameplay, I discovered new hidden secrets, even in areas I thought I had explored thoroughly.

One of my favorite things from exploring the various rooms is that you’ll occasionally come across a game room. Toss Fortune onto a certain spot to try your luck. One room provides a group of enemies with difficulty depending on how high you roll. Another room plays like a classic board game. Roll the dice, and your piece moves the corresponding number of spaces. Each space provides different rewards, such as a bonus artifact, extra resources, or healing. These games are not only a great way to break up the combat, but they also encourage rolling low numbers, whereas higher numbers will almost always be better in combat. Plus, it’s just amazing in this world built around games to be playing a game within a game within a game.

I can’t wait to play more of Lost in Random: The Eternal Die. It’s not perfect, the early hours can be punishing and frustrating, but it’s worth pushing through. So far, having only played the first two levels, I am curious to see how the story changes as Aleksandra pushes further towards victory. Will the antagonist begin to worry that their trap is not enough? How will the story end? Few rogue-lites manage to capture my imagination the way this one does.

Lost in Random: The Eternal Die

June 17, 2025

Want It!

• Overview

• indie games
• singleleplayer / campaign
• roguelike / roguelite
• 2D action games / isometric / top-down
• PC
• Switch
• PS5
• XSX