Review: Can you roll correctly in Lost in Random?
In the world of Random, there are six worlds, each representative of the side of a die. There’s Onecroft at the bottom of the world and Sixtopia at the top, where the evil and towering queen lives. She has decreed that there will be no dice in the world of Random, and nothing will be left up to chance. Instead, she will control everything with her die, including the fates of children. This is where Even comes in. Her sister, Odd, has been taken from her to live with the queen, and she must go and rescue her with a die of her own.
Lost in Random, when described like this, feels a little too on the nose. The dice imagery is very heavy-handed, and the idea of randomness is worn on its sleeve. Even so, this indie from Zoink and EA Originals works. It’s a game that takes an idea and spreads it throughout every bit of itself; it’s much deeper than a vague description would lead you to believe. Sure, it’s not spread evenly and suffers slightly when it comes to combat, but the game’s writing is great, creating that connection to the randomness theme and bringing you along for the ride.
Lost in Random
Bottom line: Lost in Random is all about randomness, and while that idea doesn’t go far enough in some cases, the game is still a great coming-of-age tale with tons of laughs and tension.
The Good
- Excellent writing
- Neat combat system
- Gorgeous aesthetic
The Bad
- Combat doesn’t scale super well
- Map is atrocious
Lost in Random: What I liked
Category | Lost in Random |
---|---|
Title | Lost in Random |
Developer | Zoink |
Publisher | Electronic Arts |
Genre | Action-adventure |
Minimum Requirements | Windows 10 (64-bit) AMD FX 6100 / Intel i3 6300 8GB RAM NVIDIA GTX 750 / AMD Radeon R9 270X |
Game Size | 20GB |
Play Time | 12-14 hours |
Players | Single-player |
Launch Price | $30 |
Lost in Random is centered around a die, specifically a dice (the game uses “dice” as singular here) named Dicey that has two stick arms, two stick legs, and walks around muttering in a foreign language. Our hero Even finds him in what is essentially a junk pile, and the two become fast friends. He becomes her weapon as well, interacting with some cards she found to do damage to enemies or heal her. With the cards, Lost in Random almost becomes a full-fledged board game where the idea of randomness is paramount.
Combat always follows the same formula. You have to gather crystals from enemies (usually by using your slingshot to shoot them off their bodies). After a certain amount of crystals, you draw a card. You can choose to roll Dicey at any time after the first card, but eventually, your hand will become full of potential cards to use. You then roll Dicey, and the number you get equals the number of points you have to play cards, which each have an assigned point value.
Source: EA Originals
Lost in Random hits a lot of the most important notes many of us would recognize from our favorite fairy tales.
It’s interesting to watch all these sobering lessons about life, determination in the face of adversity, musings about the complexities of war, the stresses of labor, socio-economic class differences, the power of intrusive thoughts, and more come to light in the middle of what is a fairy tale, but it works. Sure, there are moments when things just magically happen to Even to move her from place to place, but that seems in line with its influences. However, the theme of randomness and the constant transitions between the magical and more grounded tones make the down moments feel more effective.
Source: EA Originals
It’s also a great way to keep you motivated in not just following the main questline, but in doing sidequests where you interact and do small errands for others. They’re not essential to completing the story (I skipped a number of them and never felt like I was missing out on rewards), but you want to seek them out anyway. In general, while a couple of the quests feel like an excuse to make you explore each of the six areas more, they’re mostly a way to get you to learn about the world, to move Even’s story forward, and to just have fun with the surroundings.
Lost in Random: What I didn’t like
Source: EA Originals
There are two types of battles here: the regular ones where you just fight enemies and the board games where you have to move a piece around the board and fight enemies. Despite the slight change-ups, they’re still straightforward. The boss battles, on the other hand, are long and don’t feature any checkpoints. So, if you mess up, you have to start all over again. Considering that the rest of the game is so forgiving, even on the greater difficulty, it feels a bit dissonant.
While the developers strive for randomness, it never fully feels like the player is a full participant.
I played the game on PC, and it’s worth noting that Lost in Random would be played better on a controller. Movement is imprecise, especially in some of the narrow paths around Random, and mouse sensitivity needs to be adjusted. I also want to point out the in-game map, which is atrocious. There’s no marker that tells you where you are, and the layout often feels incorrect. When you have multiple quests to complete, you’ll often find yourself looking at this map and feeling let down. It’s easier to use landmarks in the world to figure out where you are, but even then, I found myself going around in circles. The elements are all there for a clean experience, but it needs a cleanup.
Lost in Random: Should you buy?
Source: EA Originals
It’s also a game where the writing sticks with you long after you’re done. It tackles a lot of topics, but none of them feel out of place. All of them feel relevant to Even as she goes about her journey, and they make you care about what she learns and where she ends up. It’s a typical hero’s journey, coming-of-age tale, but it ensures you’re along for the ride where it matters, and no matter your roll, you’ll make it to the end.
Lost in Random is out now on PC through Origin, Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One. This is certainly a game to check out if you’re looking for one of the best Xbox games.
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