Dice With Death

I went into Dice With Death expecting a clever Yahtzee-ish diversion—and came out with a cozy, sometimes maddening roguelike that hooks hard. The core idea is deceptively simple: roll dice, build poker-like hands, bank points and hurt Death. What sells it is the layering of relics, classes and a bratty anthropomorphic Death who loves to cheat. If you like tense push-your-luck decisions and pixel art with a cinematic vibe, this one will sit nicely in your after-work rotation.

Rolling for Survival

Dice With Death plays like poker at the crossroads of a roguelike: each turn you roll a handful of dice, try to make pairs, straights or better, and then choose whether to bank the points or push for more. The rhythm is addictive—there's a satisfying tension when the numbers almost line up and a horrible, delicious dread when you watch your perfect bank slip away. Instead of cards, modifiers come from relics and special dice types that warp scoring rules. Each class has its own twist: some score conventionally, others (like the Witch) rely on very specific faces to cast spells. I find myself planning not just for a single roll but for how relic synergies will change future turns.

When the Relics Change the Rules

Where Dice With Death shines is in how artifacts and relics rewrite the game's grammar. A relic might turn a pair into a damaging hit, let you re-roll one die, or convert certain faces into wilds; some relics even change what a bank counts as. That makes the choices feel meaningful—unlocking a relic can open whole new strategies or ruin an expected combo. Players have complained (fairly) about wanting a way to banish bad relics; I agree. The tension of hunting for the right relics is thrilling, but losing the chance to get a coveted relic forever because you picked up a mediocre one stings. The AI opponent, Death, also has its own relics and dice tricks, which keeps runs unpredictable and forces you to adapt rather than memorize a single optimal loop.

The Look, Sound and Performance of the Afterlife

Visually the game is a pleasing mash of crisp 2D pixel backgrounds with chunky 3D dice that pop off the table—the mix works surprisingly well and gives the rolls some tactile joy. The soundtrack leans moody and cinematic, fitting the game’s slightly macabre humor; Death's voice lines add personality and occasional salt. On the flip side, technical polish is uneven: some players report UI quirks, controller troubles and performance drops in certain screens. There are speed-up options and animation toggles that help, but I’d welcome more accessibility features—skip-on-deaths-turn, clearer tooltips for obscure relics and better controller remapping would go a long way. Despite these rough edges, the presentation mostly nails the tone: spooky, charming and a tad snarky.

Dice With Death is a clever, mood-rich twist on dice poker that I found both relaxing and occasionally infuriating in the best way. It's ideal for players who like short, strategic runs with lots of emergent combos—just be prepared for some rough edges and to live with occasional bugs until more polish arrives. Recommended on sale, a solid buy if you love dice-driven roguelikes.