Ever since the release of Hades, intense action-oriented roguelike games have gotten a bit of a boost in profile. There were certainly ones before it, as well as some decent ones since, but outside of its sequel in Early Access it still pretty well reigns supreme in the space. Now, with The Eternal Die, we have a bit of a new take on the genre, with a quasi-sequel to the very different Lost in Random providing the general style, background story, and vibe for a roguelike actioner that manages to differentiate itself nicely in a few areas, in the process carving out a bit of a space of its own.

Getting started it’s likely that most everything will feel quite familiar, and possibly a bit predictable. You’ll have your base attack, which can be charged, a dash, and a magical attack that will vary depending on the card you manage to get for it. This makes for a flow that is easy to get into, and that’s pretty well common to every title in the space. Where things first start to take a turn into their own direction is the use of your die named Fortune, who is initially just good for a simple attack, but with the right enhancements can become so much more. It’s when you begin to see the depth and breadth of the relic system and bonuses from properly managing your character’s inventory, looking to find synergies and amplify your base power, that you can properly begin to see the game’s potential.

To be sure, to get to the point where you start seeing a proper return on your investment, may take some time depending on your skill level. Collecting the right materials that will help you unlock new weapons and enhancements for them, then deciding on which of those 4 suit your play style the best, will be a major tipping point. Working out what blessings you’ll want to roll with is also critical, as they’re the perfect tool for trying to compensate for the areas you struggle the most with. Finally, once you’ve got your core game together, you’ll need to look for opportunities and synergies between the different relics and cards you’ll get to choose from in your run. Being mindful of what can best help you against the game’s 4 challenging boss battles may need to take priority over simply surviving the mobs to get there, but you’ll obviously need to find either a balance or perhaps go all-in on a particular aspect of your build, and then capitalize on it the best you can.

Putting together the bigger picture of my play experience, I’d say that this is a title that snuck up on me. I’ve just played so many games in this style, that it was hard not to initially be skeptical, and while it looks good and performs well, I wanted to be wowed with something that felt fresh. It did take me quite a number of runs to get there, but then when I had a proper strategy to work with by pairing some relics that complimented each other, it all suddenly clicked. It does manage to stand on its own, throw in a strategic component that I’ve not seen before, and fully utilize what worked well in the original game and apply it in a different but satisfying context. Hades, with all of its diversity and polish, still may rule the roost, but this contender plays exceptionally well if you’re willing to give it a chance.