I'm obsessed with new roguelike Die in the Dungeon, and it just got even better

I'm continually impressed by the ability of people to come up with new ways to use dice. Dicey Dungeons remains an all-time classic, Dice and Fold uses the eponymous chance cubes to play out a distinctive dungeon crawler, and Lost in Random builds a whole fantasy adventure from them. Right now, however, my brain is filled with Die in the Dungeon, weaving a web of interconnected rolls to bring down my foes. The early-access roguelike has its hooks under my skin, holds a 91% Steam review score, and its new update is a great excuse to give it a try.

The new Die in the Dungeon update is touted as 'The Big Relic Overhaul' by developer Atico, and boasts a "huge wave of balance changes and fixes." More than 25 of the game's relics, each of which can have dramatic impacts on your build, have been reworked, "making them easier to use, more fun, and generally more rewarding." Rarities have also been adjusted for many, "mostly downgrading them so the relic pool feels more diverse and more accessible."

It's a welcome upgrade as Atico continues to hone Die in the Dungeon, which I'm prepared to rank among our best roguelikes even in its early-access incarnation. Not only does it immediately invoke that dastardly one-more-run feeling, but it does it with a strikingly unique battle system. The general progression and the way you face off against enemies will feel familiar if you've played the likes of Slay the Spire, but the core combat loop, which is about placing your hand of dice into a grid to create powerful combos, is all new.

The color of each die determines its effects; red deals damage, blue creates shields, green heals you. Of course, that's just the start. Pink dice boost the values of other dice on the grid, orange dice unleash area-of-effect attacks, salmon dice leave a lingering buff on the board space they're on, and the pale brown 'blood dice' hurt you to increase your Might, which makes future attacks stronger. Even that's a relatively small sampling, and it creates a new breed of strategizing that feels different from your average deckbuilder, and that's before the enemies begin slapping down their own effects too.

Atico's latest update also gives all the game's events brand-new art and animations, along with some improvements to the backgrounds in the second and third areas. Menus have been given a touch up as well. "We're always looking for ways to keep the game fresh and interesting, and the next area we see great potential is enemies and mobs," it writes in the patch notes. "Expect redesigns, new mechanics, and a few fresh modifiers coming in the near future."

Normally, I'm one to wait for early access to finish before plunging into a game, but I tried Die in the Dungeon briefly to get a feel for it and couldn't put it down. If you fancy giving it a shot for yourself, there's a Steam sale discount right now, bringing it under the magic $10 mark.

Die in the Dungeon is 25% off in the Steam Summer Sale, which ends Thursday July 10, so you'll pay just $9.74 / £8.24. Get it right here if you're ready to roll.

For more curious contemplation, take a flick through our picks of the best strategy games and the best puzzle games on PC right now.

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