Through the years, there have been many video games that debuted on consoles and PC, that felt good for potential cellular variations. Dicey Dungeons ($4.99) took issues additional. It even appeared prefer it was constructed for cellular interactions from the beginning, however it’s the uncommon sport that feels superb with contact or button controls throughout all platforms. The deckbuilding roguelike dungeon crawler hybrid expertise Dicey Dungeons is a captivating sport that could be my favourite cellular sport of 2022 although it’s a late port. I’ve now performed it throughout Steam Deck, Swap, and iOS for evaluate, and shall be evaluating these variations with the iOS launch as with my different port opinions.
If you happen to’ve one way or the other not heard of Terry Cavanagh and play cellular video games, he has launched and is most identified for the sensible Tremendous Hexagon and VVVVVV. When Dicey Dungeons was lastly confirmed for cellular, I used to be virtually sure it will play finest on iOS. Having now performed it on iPad and iPhone alongside the Swap and Steam Deck, the iOS port is almost good, and the few points I’ve won’t hassle you in any respect.
Earlier than stepping into the port and cellular model options, Dicey Dungeons is a really stunning sport. It appears simple initially, however is a masterclass in design so long as you’re pleased with some RNG. You discover dungeons as a strolling cube in procedurally generated mayhem involving cube rolls, an excellent soundtrack, nice visuals, and extra. Dicey Dungeons initially felt prefer it would possibly put on skinny after an hour or so, nevertheless it opens up a lot with new characters to make every thing really feel contemporary as soon as once more. It additionally helps that the cellular model has arrived with further free content material proper from the get go making this a tremendous worth package deal.
What makes Dicey Dungeons stand out from different video games like Slay the Spire, in addition to catering to the same viewers, is the way it blends in puzzles with its deckbuilding and roguelite gameplay. Whereas different video games lean closely on the random parts, Dicey Dungeons feels equal half puzzle in a number of the phases. That is elevated by how every of the playable characters will increase the problem and introduces new mechanics. This isn’t to say that the beginning character is boring, however the design for the opposite later characters may be very particular, and making your approach to the ultimate degree and boss for every character in their very own episodes goes to check you for positive.
The assorted flooring, character designs, enemies, and animations are superb. I’ve at all times preferred the aesthetic from the preliminary reveal, however seeing it in movement on excessive decision shows actually hits dwelling with how polished and lovely Dicey Dungeons appears to be like and feels. Marlowe Dobbe’s artwork deserves an artbook launch for positive. One factor to remember is that the sport isn’t natively fullscreen on fashionable iOS units. There are appropriately coloured borders which you can disable, however I left them on as a result of this is likely one of the finest examples of implementing a border for a sport designed for 16:9 shows dropped at iOS.
This launch of Dicey Dungeons on iOS and Android contains the sport, the Halloween bonus pack with its personal new content material, and the brand new Reunion DLC that arrived on different platforms the identical time the cellular model launched. Even with out the free DLC and bonus content material, Dicey Dungeons is greater than well worth the asking worth on cellular.
Efficiency on my iPhone 11 and iPad Professional has been good. The spotlight of the cellular model is the load instances. Dicey Dungeons masses close to immediately on iOS in comparison with the Swap model. The PC model additionally masses close to immediately like iOS on Steam Deck.
In the case of the controls, Dicey Dungeons has good contact controls which can be responsive and intuitive. It actually makes me extra disillusioned in how Slay the Spire nonetheless hasn’t seen management enhancements. Dicey Dungeons performs finest with contact controls. In reality, I’ve been utilizing contact controls on Swap and Steam Deck as effectively. It does work very well with a controller on these platforms too, however the cellular model doesn’t have controller help as of now. At the very least it didn’t work with my DualSense controller. This isn’t a dealbreaker for me given how effectively the contact controls are, however it’s price mentioning in any console/PC to cellular conversion.
Dicey Dungeons seemingly doesn’t have iCloud syncing help between iOS units. That is disappointing for positive, nevertheless it does have an Edit Progress choice to let gamers from different platforms or between units manually transfer progress by selecting what character and episode you wish to unlock. That is an attention-grabbing addition and approach to let individuals “deliver over” progress, however I’d have most popular correct iCloud sync as an choice between iOS units. Whether it is in, I’ve not been in a position to get it to work throughout 2 completely different iCloud accounts on 4 units.
I do know the anticipate Dicey Dungeons on cellular has been so much longer than I anticipated, nevertheless it has been price it to see the sport launch in such a refined state. Whereas it has a number of points that I hope might be mounted in potential updates, Dicey Dungeons is apparent sensible and an ideal match on iOS. If you happen to aren’t a fan of deckbuilders or don’t like all RNG, this won’t be for you. If you happen to loved Slay the Spire, I believe you’ll love Dicey Dungeons. It will be laborious for something on cellular to prime this for me, and I’m wanting ahead to experiencing the brand new DLC on Swap this weekend throughout breaks from taking part in Sunbreak having performed the bottom sport and checked out the DLC for evaluate on iOS.
