Alright. [i]Right and Down and Dice[/i] is the second game in a series that features the game [i]Right and Down[/i]. Somehow, this game is both better and yet also less compelling, at least from my perspective. If you have played the first game, then you are already going to be familiar with the playing card boardgame set up. This game builds on that by adding dice into the mix.
So, how this game works is:
You have your starter character, which is the fire barbarian. After playing through a run, whether you complete it or not, you will unlock the next character. Who will unlock the next character. And so on, until you have everyone unlocked. I've only beaten a dungeon using the Mechanoid, and so I will subjectively state that it is the most user friendly of all the characters available. Why? Because although it has the lowest hit point pool, it starts out with more armor and also has a starter artifact that allows it to gain additional dice each round while in combat. Which was almost like easy mode in my opinion. With more time, I'll definitely defeat dungeons with other characters, but the Mechanoid was the easiest way to get the first win.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3433811125
There is one broken gameplay mechanic. The game can and will sometimes generate monsters that require dice your character doesn't have available and has no means of accessing in a battle. As you progress through the game, this becomes less of an issue due to the ability to buy and earn different dice or to unlock faith dice that can be used as any color, but this broken RNG can and does happen on the first few maps periodically, which effectively ends a run unless you're using the Mechanoid.
This game really deviates from its predecessor by featuring dice and strategy attached to using said dice. Where the first game basically had you simply bumping monster cards and let the better stats win, this one actually has you duking it out with turn-based dice battles where you need to fill in a monster's squares with dice. Completely filling in the squares kills the monster. However, your abilities also require dice to fill in their squares. And of course, monsters also have special abilities which trigger either every round or in response to your actions. There will be between two and four monsters per battle. This screenshot will give you a visual representation of what I'm describing.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3434368224
As you can also see, some squares have a number on them, such as +3. That means the die required in that slot must be equal to or greater than the number shows. Some linked squares will also have an + sign between them. That means you have to use the same numbers across the square synergy. Like, 3's across the line. Also, you will see certain squares have colors above them. Those squares will only accept dice with the same color, or in the case of two colors shown, you can pick one or the other color die to use there. This is the part that I mentioned as being a broken gameplay mechanic above. Characters don't start with all colors in their pool of dice, and as mentioned, sometimes the game randomly picks one that isn't currently available in a run.
The game board is pretty much the same as the first game, but smaller. There are enemy cards, merchant cards to buy artifacts, and temple cards to buy limited use special abilities. There are however no potion, coin, or armor cards. Instead, you will earn coins fighting enemies and the more difficult cards will also give you an additional coin. The final card on each board alternates each round between moving to the next board or moving to camp and then to the next board. Camp is simplified. You can select a health potion, armor, or coins. And then you will also be given a choice between three permanent special abilities or will be given a new die where you will select its color and then add it to your permanent dice pool.
And. Defeating a dungeon only requires twelve levels this time around. Which is more forgiving. Each time you defeat a dungeon, you will unlock a new difficulty level (i.e. a new dungeon level) with some sort of handicap to the player. Each character has five total dungeons to defeat. At some point, you will also unlock daily challenge dungeons, but I haven't done so yet.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3433957406
I personally find this game to be more challenging than the first game. Your mistakes are more unforgiving. The broken mechanic I mentioned will happen from time to time. But. It is unquestionably a fun game. Moreso than the first game, I think. The dice mechanic is really cool absent the issue I mentioned and really makes this game stand out. I got this in a Fanatical bundle and that's going to be the best way to grab this game IMO, but there is definitely enough game here to justify the $11,99 retail price. However, since it's already been bundled three times, safe bet it will be bundled again as well. Either way, it's worth a look.
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