Worthy follow-up to Starvaders and Balatro-like
Mentioned in ~1 in 2 positive reviews
“These guys just don't miss, this game and Starvaders both absolutely nail everything I love about this genre”
Steam review · 8.5 h played ↗
Dicevaders
Worth buying? What 165 Steam reviews say.Worth buying? Here’s what 165 Steam reviews actually say.
Overwhelmingly PositiveOverwhelmingly Positive · 96%Pengonauts2026Deckbuilding · Roguelike · Strategy
$14.99
Open on Steam ↗US Steam price, checked 6 h ago
The verdict
A charming, deep Balatro-like where you roll dice and build unit and artifact synergies on a grid, with many distinct commanders. Skip it if you dislike RNG-driven number-go-up games.
Great for
Balatro and Starvaders fans who love chasing synergies, big numbers and trying different commanders
Main risk
RNG-driven runs that feel shallow, samey or overcomplicated if the number-go-up loop doesn't click
What players love
Addictive synergy and big-number dopamine
Mentioned in ~1 in 3 positive reviews
“There is something immensely satisfying about finding just the right artifacts, watching their synergies fall into place, and seeing your units grow ridiculously powerful.”
Steam review · 13.1 h played ↗
Varied commanders that play differently
Mentioned in ~1 in 7 positive reviews
“They genuinely feel DIFFERENT from. one another, as opposed to a variation of the same mechanics.”
Steam review · 44.4 h played ↗
Charming art and great music
Mentioned in ~1 in 7 positive reviews
“Charming art, banger music, multiple varied playstyles; this is a truly great game.”
Steam review · 23.9 h played ↗
Lots of content and replayability
Mentioned in ~1 in 9 positive reviews
“Tons of content especially for the 15 dollar price tag as well.”
Steam review · 8.3 h played ↗
Flexible builds that encourage pivoting
Mentioned in ~1 in 9 positive reviews
“There is a pretty big focus on pivoting your strategy, the game generally encourages you to go for broad builds, as opposed to just stacking any one thing forever.”
Steam review · 5 h played ↗
What players complain about
Too much RNG, little agency
Mentioned in ~1 in 2 negative reviews
“I can't quite shake the feeling that my decisions are not contributing to my success (or failure), which makes the game feel like a rainbow colored chore.”
Steam review · 10.5 h played ↗
Shallow gameplay, mediocre animation
Mentioned in ~1 in 3 negative reviews
“You are just staring at one screen the entire game.”
Steam review · 1.4 h played ↗
Repetitive and short-lived
Mentioned in ~1 in 4 negative reviews
“Good for a decent 10-15 hours, then people move on.”
Steam review · 8.3 h played ↗
Unclear information and overcomplicated
Mentioned in ~1 in 5 negative reviews
“The multiplier also isn’t displayed clearly enough.”
Steam review · 0.7 h played ↗
Builds come too late or score ramps too fast
Mentioned in ~1 in 5 negative reviews
“you don't get into an actual build until maybe mid-late game, and at that point, you already beat the last boss of the run.”
Steam review · 16.5 h played ↗
Slow turns and animations
Mentioned in ~1 in 15 negative reviews
“Turns are extremely time consuming. Needs a much faster top playback speed.”
Steam review · 5.5 h played ↗
Since the last analysis (Oct 9)
- New complaintBuilds come too late or score ramps too fast (#5)
- New complaintSlow turns and animations (#6)
- New praiseLots of content and replayability (#5)
- New praiseFlexible builds that encourage pivoting (#6)
- Complaint goneJust a Balatro clone, not for everyone
- Complaint goneDemo overlap and limited content
- Praise goneDeep synergies and varied builds
- Praise goneClever dice, budge and chrono mechanics
- Complaint movedShallow gameplay, mediocre animation: #6 → #2
- Complaint movedRepetitive and short-lived: #2 → #3
- Praise movedAddictive synergy and big-number dopamine: #3 → #2
- Praise movedVaried commanders that play differently: #5 → #3
System requirements
From the Steam store page
Steam Deck: VerifiedController support
Minimum
OSWindows XP, Vista, 7, 8/8.1, 10, 11
Processor2.0 Ghz
Graphics4GB Video Memory
OSWindows XP, Vista, 7, 8/8.1, 10, 11
Processor2.0 Ghz
Graphics4GB Video Memory
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