Muhammad Ali once opined that “Life is a gamble.” This is doubly true for the residents of Random, an exuberant fantasyland spanning six cities, representative of each face on a six-sided die. In developer Zoink’s upcoming Lost in Random, players will find out how the chips are stacked and dice are loaded among the Random’s social strata.
Lost in Random has been in development for almost four years now, with early peeks at the title revealing a beautifully twisted world inspired by Tim Burton’s artwork and Henry Selick’s stop-motion classics like The Nightmare Before Christmas. Creative Director and Lead Writer Olov Redmalm self-describes Zoink as, “a very art-driven studio,” where Lost in Random’s genesis began with the team “…painting, sketching, even making figurines.” That formative basis is very apparent on the screen, with a handcrafted quality that differs in style from its previous Ghost Giant but remains similarly tactile and richly presented.
Lost in Random stars Even, a young resident in the impoverished district of Onecroft. Her life is disrupted when the creepy Queen arrives for a scheduled dice roll, a rite of passage for young Randomites which sees them tossing a sacred die to determine their future standing. When sister Odd rolls a six, it’s apparent destiny that she go off to reside in Sixtopia, the highest civic echelon, instantly dividing her family. Even sets out to rescue her sister and contend with the presumably capricious forces which power the world of Random.
Screen Rant was able to test the initial hours of Lost in Random, and in fitting fashion, the game is chock full of rules and randomness. The game may read like a 3D platformer in screenshots, but this isn’t quite right. There’s no dedicated jump button in Lost in Random, for example, with the game flow prioritizing exploration and side quests, sandwiched by frequent instanced combat encounters and a longform boardgame arena mechanic. It quickly makes sense, and the lovely scenery and eccentric NPCs help flesh out how this fantasy land is governed.
Even soon meets a little six-sided die homunculus and names them Dicey, a spunky companion who factors heavily into the narrative and combat. Whenever enemies appear, Even equips a slingshot and can toss Dicey, freezing time and summoning a growing assortment of cards plucked from a deck, with abilities powered by these dice rolls. Lost in Random features a diverse assortment of cards which offer buffs, magical weapons, traps, and other tools which she can wield to dispatch Even's enemies, but Dicey can’t be rolled until she amasses enough energy, drawn from hitting random crystal targets on enemies.
During the Q&A session, Zoink’s leads were quick to dismiss any roguelite inclinations, despite the CCG aspects of this battle system. In our hands-on preview, there were already some familiar deckbuilding facets like synergies, but it’s all couched in an action framework with no real turn-based tactics. While tossing Dicey freezes time for everyone but Even - which allows for some inspired trap-laying gameplay - Lost in Random's combat prioritizes positioning, aiming, and dodging. The boardgame encounter appeared in the preview several times, which strings battles and light random tabletop events as a playing piece is automatically pushed from one side of a board environment to the other.
The action is fairly lightweight after all is said and done, and aiming for crystal targets can make some fights somewhat disorganized and drawn out. Outside of the combat, though, is Lost and Random’s world itself, a series of winding streets and peculiar Randomites with optional objectives. It’s a lively environment with some fun dialogue, and the chatty denizens are out in full force; The team for the game includes Ryan North of Dinosaur Comics and The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl fame, and every character was amusing and worth the time to engage.
With an estimated 8 to 16 hours of playtime, Lost in Random looks like it should hit the sweet spot for the distinctive adventure it’s aiming for, and it’s likely Zoink’s most elaborate project to date. The question remains as to whether its distinctive, somewhat incomparable combat system will hold up through the rest of the game, as a boss fight near the end of the preview brought the more muddled aspects of these mechanics into relief. Still, Lost in Random’s aesthetic qualities and discounted $29.99 MSRP should make this a strong September selection, and a great addition to the EA Originals roster.
Lost in Random releases on September 10 for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Screen Rant was provided with a preview session for the purpose of this article.