Dicey Dungeons Had a Surprise Launch on Switch Last Night

Shadowdrops! The whole point of them is that you’re never quite sure when they’re gonna come, and that goes for knowing when you might reasonably expect to see a couple. Yesterday’s Indie World Showcase hosted by Nintendo had a few surprise releases in store, but that wasn’t all: when a Japanese version of the presentation aired later in the day, it brought the Switch port of Dicey Dungeons with it.

Initially announced for a Switch launch back in March, Dicey Dungeons is a deckbuilding roguelike from Terry Cavanagh (Super Hexagon, VVVVVV), Marlow Dobbe, and Justo Delgado Baudi. It also features music from Chipzel, who first worked with Cavanagh on what became Super Hexagon.

Like Cavanagh’s games before it, Dicey Dungeons presents a pared-down take on its genre of choice: RPGs. Playing as different dice with special abilities, the goal of a Dicey Dungeons run is win fights, collect upgrades, and make it to the end of the dungeon you’re in. You can nudge your rolls this way and that, but you’ll need some good luck if you’re going to fly through every dungeon.

“For better or worse, Dicey Dungeons is glaringly simple,” wrote former Reviews Editor Mike Williams in his review of the PC version last year. “Did the dice rolls go in your favor? Did you upgrade or draw the right skills to proceed? On one hand, this makes it very easy to get into, as the rules are strict and dice are a simple concept. On the other, it doesn’t feel as ‘meaty,’ lacking the depth some might be looking for.”

If you need a game on Switch that’s as easy to pick up and play as it is to put down, it seems like Dicey Dungeons might be a good pick to press your luck and bob your head to (also, it’s discounted a bit at launch). Of course, it isn’t the only thing that just rolled in out of nowhere on Switch: 2020’s sleeper smash hit Among Us closed out yesterday’s first Indie World with a surprise drop, flanked by puzzle-battler Grindstone and cat cafe-sim Calico.