Dicevaders turns dice rolls into a strategic roguelike deckbuilder

Dicevaders is a roguelike deckbuilder about leading an alien invasion, with the results of three dice determining which units on a grid score damage.

Players place units in columns tied to the dice values. For example, rolling two threes and a six gives units in the third column a 2× multiplier, while the unit in the sixth column scores its base strength.

The objective is to reach a target damage score over four turns. Missing it causes health loss on subsequent turns until the run ends.

Resources soften the role of chance

The game gives players several ways to influence randomness. One Budge point can move each die up or down by one once per turn, while Chrono rerolls all three dice. Both resources are finite but can be replenished between turns.

Players receive cash between turns to buy units, artifacts and resources. Items can also be frozen for purchase on a later turn.

Unit abilities create different builds

Units have strength values and special abilities, including teleportation between turns, repeated attacks under specific placement conditions and random activation of other units. Artifacts can increase strength, while one unit can be sacrificed between turns to transfer its strength to another.

Some combinations change the value of entire sections of the grid. A network of Swarmers, for example, can share one strength value with adjacent units of the same type.

The article’s author says the game produced scores in the millions after only a few tutorial screens, while many of its systems remained unexplored. The author also describes Dicevaders as not entirely original and notes that it appears to reuse some art and characters from Starvaders, but praises its range of synergies and the control it gives players over each run.