Lost In Random (Switch eShop) Review


Lost in Random tells the story of two sisters, Even and Odd, who live in a fantastic world of tales of woolen chess pieces and steampunk teapots and the like. They are separated by the Queen according to a draconian tradition that sees children roll a dice on their twelfth birthday to determine their position for the rest of their lives. When Odd is taken away, Even sets out to search for her, befriending a magical die named … Dicey.

The world is structured in six kingdoms, linked to the faces of the dice, from Onecroft, the humblest of the basses, to Sixtopia, representing a luxurious fantasy life with the Queen. Even starts at Onecroft and sets off to find Odd in Sixtopia, passing through Two-Town, Threedom, etc. Gateways between realms can only be opened when you have enough pips on your dice, and those are acquired by completing missions. in the world while you explore. In the course of traversing cities to find and complete these missions, you come across battles.

This structure is by no means revolutionary, but it does serve as a framework to cover the game. Walking around and chatting with NPCs in search of quests is a very familiar thing, relying on artwork, sound design, and writing to elevate you above routine work. However, it is in battles where the gameplay is distinctive. We’ll get back to that, but the graphics, sound, and story are for the most part capable of doing the heavy lifting that is asked of them.

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The obvious benchmark here is Tim Burton’s work, but by comparison, Lost in Random is by no means sinister. It is a straightforward fairy tale, not a subversive one. The history is Alice in Wonderland Satisfies The dice man, so there was plenty of room to go dark with it, but developer Zoink was more family-friendly.

The aesthetic resembles stop-motion animation in the use of naturalistic and handcrafted materials. We see wood, leather, cloth, clay, and bone-like substances. It’s these naturalistic finishes that make Lost in Random stand out with magical verisimilitude on more powerful hardware. While the Switch may lack the specialest For the sake of its contemporaries, the game still looks fantastic and never feels like a compromise. Only if you put different versions side by side will Switch players feel left out. Dropped frames and pop-ups are rare and cause no real annoyance. However, portable gamers should be careful: there is a real downgrade once the Switch leaves its base. On the big screen, however, it looks beautiful.

It sounds beautiful too, with a delightful sound design that breathes into any part of life that Switch visuals might have missed. Surrounding materials are felt through the texture of their sounds, while the dramatic orchestral soundtrack rings timpani and bells for enigma and gravity, with Tom and JerryStyle score in action in cut scenes that further polish the production. The voice acting is sometimes silly but always funny, although it seems like lip syncing wasn’t even attempted, unfortunately.

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But battles are where Lost in Random really tries something different, combining real-time action, dice rolling and deck building, and sometimes board games, in a seamless loop. First, Even must aim his sling at enemy weak spots to dislodge the crystals, which Dicey then collects. As the crystals are collected, the cards are passed from the deck to your hand. When you have a five-card hand, Even can roll Dicey to determine how many points can be spent, each card costs the number shown on its face. At this point, all of your enemies freeze, allowing you to choose your cards and line up your next attack.

The cards grant abilities or modifiers of various types, which must be used strategically to defeat your enemies. Once the action resumes, you attack again, with your card advantages, and another loop. Between battles, you will have the opportunity to buy new cards and manage your deck.

There is a lot going on here but, impressively, it is much simpler and clearer to play than it is to describe. What on paper looks like a Byzantine process of hitting a robot with a stick plays with a totally welcoming and approachable air, freed from the intricate tables and menus you might expect.

However, while the battles are easy to learn, they are also too easy to master. The strategy never gets too deep, and while the addictive RNG of drawing cards and rolling the dice always tickles the brain, it doesn’t really matter much what comes up. On the occasions when you’re looking for a particular card, a heal when it’s low on HP, for example, turning around until you get it is more irritation than danger.

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This is what exposes the limits of the system that Zoink has invented: a deeper strategy and randomness would seem unfair; Anything but randomness and all the presumption of the game evaporates. In that sense, then, it is very well balanced, albeit within its own inherent limitations. However, one adjustment that was certainly still on the table is the total duration of combat encounters. Our hearts sank occasionally as the end of a never-ending fight turned out to be just the signal for another wave of enemies.

conclusion

If there’s an idea that no one has done before, it’s probably because it’s a bad idea. But Zoink has managed to come up with something original that really works with Lost in Random. His construction of the audiovisual world is tremendous, deftly elevating a useful search structure and story, and inventive combat plays to his strengths and carefully pushed to the limits of his potential. However, the layers of interaction during battles promise strategic complexity that is not delivered, and encounters last too long without the depth to sustain interest. Everything is packed nicely though, and Lost in Random doesn’t beat its welcome either, leaving you craving one last roll of the dice.




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