2025 has already been a great year for roguelikes. On the action side of things, we’ve got the likes of Sworn, Reignbreaker, and Heroes of Hammerwatch 2. If you prefer a bit more considered strategy, there’s options such as Grit and Valor 1949, Aotenjo, and Nubby’s Number Factory. But when it comes to deckbuilders – or dicebuilders, in this case – Die in the Dungeon has proven itself an early frontrunner for my top games of the year. Combining a delightful pixel-art style with some really clever strategy reminiscent of genre pioneers like Dicey Dungeons and Slay the Spire, it’s a surefire winner, and it just got even better.
Rather than building a deck of cards, Die in the Dungeon instead has you collect a bagful of dice as you progress through each run. The fundamentals are much as you’d expect from the best roguelikes in the Slay the Spire style, but the combat puts its own distinct twist on the format. Each color of dice represents a different effect – damage, healing, shields, or more advanced options that can amplify or replicate the effects of other dice on the board. By arranging them carefully on a grid, you determine your moves for the turn, while also dealing with whatever threats your opponents are throwing down.
Much like Slay the Spire, another core component of your adventures is the relics you find, which provide various beneficial effects that can help amplify your build’s potential. Today’s new update introduces twelve more of these spread across all rarities. Developer Atico says these additions have “a special focus on supporting more offensive play styles.” The relic selection algorithm has also been adjusted to increase the variety you’re offered, and the studio adds that the pool will continue expanding in the future.
Among the new additions are the ‘Visionary Egg,’ which gives you an extra energy but stops you from skipping dice rewards, meaning you’ll always have to expand your pool when offered. The ‘Wandering Helmet,’ meanwhile, gives all of your attack dice an extra six to their value, but reduces that number by two for every block dice present in your deck. You’ll have to commit to a fully aggressive build in order to take advantage of its capabilities, then.
Not all news is good news, however, although you might still enjoy this next inclusion if you’re someone who loves a challenge. Four more curses have been introduced – these negative counterparts to relics can be dumped on you during certain events, and will also stack up gradually over the course of a run when playing at higher difficulty settings.
The new curses include ‘Amnesia,’ which hides your enemy’s intent (meaning you won’t know their next move), and ‘Inflation Pouch,’ which increases all shop prices. Personally, I’m most curious about ‘Acidic Blood’ – at the end of each turn, one of the dice in your hand becomes pointy for the rest of the fight, meaning you’ll take damage each time it’s played. While that’s ostensibly a negative, there are some ways to take advantage of self-damage, so perhaps you could turn it into a benefit with a clever build.
Die in the Dungeon early access update five is out now. The game is available via Steam, priced at $12.99 / £10.99. Take a look through the full patch notes courtesy of Atico for an extended changelog including further modifications, balance changes, and bug fixes.
Looking for more? Put your tactics to the test in 2025’s best turn-based strategy games, or dig through our pick of the best indie games on PC right now in search of other hidden gems you might have missed.
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