What is it? A dice-based roguelike with old-school charm
Who is it for? Fans of racking up satisfying high scores
How much does it cost? Free with ads; $3/£3 without
What makes it special? Unique skull powers and lightning-fast rounds
Dice of Kalma pits players against the guardian of the Underworld in a simple roguelike built around rolling dice and collecting skulls. The pitch is simple: roll five dice, reroll the ones you don’t want, and try to build the best poker hand you can. It’s like Yahtzee, but with a grim reaper adding wry commentary throughout. It’s a nice little package, though I personally think the name “Dice with Death” is a missed opportunity.
If you’ve played the smash hit Balatro, you’ll recognize the bones of the game. (Pun intended). Work your way through as many levels as you can, making choices along the way that affect your strategy, and racking up more and more insane combos to beat each level’s score threshold. Lose, and you start over from nothing.
Between rounds you collect skulls, each with its own perk or bonus, that stack up to multiply your score in deeply satisfying ways. Watching them pop off one by one is a highlight, as are the satisfying sound effects that ping off as your points multiply.
But those skull powers can be hard to keep track of, and some of them feel too situational and random to actually build around. Many rounds I found myself watching the points go up without fully understanding which bonuses were active. That might be a me problem, but unless you really commit to memorizing your skull powers, you might end up in the same boat.
Kalma is simpler than many other roguelikes we’ve played, but that’s not to say there isn’t depth and replayability for those who want it. More that it’s well-suited to short play sessions on mobile, with no extra fat to slow things down. It’s a joy to behold, too, with charming pixel graphics and a good pace to the animations.
Overall it’s a lovely little game, toeing the line between satisfying chaos and frustrating randomness. It won’t convert everyone, but if you like this kind of thing, it’s worth rolling the dice.