Roll

About

Roll is a single player casual strategy game. It was developed by Joseph Distler and was released on May 13, 2021. It received very positive reviews from players.

"Roll" is a relaxing and meditative strategy game with clicker and roguelike elements, where you have 2500 rolls to craft the ideal dice set and earn points. The unique dicebuilding system lets you explore different strategies and synergies between upgrades in each run. The game features minimalistic UI and peaceful music to create a zen environment for players.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

92%

Audience ScoreBased on 688 reviews

gameplay6 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

The game offers a unique blend of strategy and luck, making it engaging and addictive.
There is a high level of replayability due to the variety of dice and upgrade combinations available.
The calming atmosphere and satisfying mechanics provide a relaxing experience while still challenging players to optimize their strategies.

The game can become tedious with long run times and a lack of meaningful progression or achievements.
Some mechanics and upgrade descriptions are unclear, leading to confusion and frustration during gameplay.
The user interface can be slow and cumbersome, particularly during transitions between menus and when purchasing upgrades.

gameplay
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
75%
8%
The gameplay is characterized by a relaxing and lighthearted experience that contrasts with more aggressive titles, offering impressive strategic depth through simple mechanics. While some instructions can be confusing, players appreciate the inventive design and high replay value, making it a worthwhile investment for those seeking a minimalist yet engaging game. Overall, it provides a tranquil sanctuary for gamers, allowing for enjoyable play during breaks or downtime.
- “Impressive depth of strategy from such simple mechanics.”
- “Chill, uncompromised, lighthearted gameplay with strategic depth for when you inevitably get hooked.”
- “Its high replay value and simple gameplay make it well worth the price in my opinion.”
- “It takes a mechanic (incremental upgrading) core to a hundred games I love and hold dear, and reduces it to a naked skeleton, laying bare the stupidity of the reward functions in my brain.”
- “Mechanics: so complicated they have an entire paragraph explaining each of them.”
- “Some of the instruction writing is a little confusing but the longer I spend with it the more I'm impressed by the design and the inventiveness shown in creating the mechanics.”
replayability
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
41%
14%
Overall, the game "Roll" is praised for its high replayability due to its diverse build styles, random upgrades, and strategic depth, appealing to players who enjoy experimenting and competing for high scores. However, some users noted limitations in replay value, citing glitches and a lack of post-game content, which may affect long-term engagement. Despite these criticisms, many find the game entertaining enough for multiple playthroughs.
- “Roll is a fantastically made dice builder with a crazy amount of replayability; there are so many build styles and strategies to perfect to make numbers go up.”
- “The replay value is also really good as the upgrades are always randomized.”
- “Fantastic roguelike game, high replayability if you have a drive to get to the top of the leaderboard and like finding new strategies to achieve higher and higher scores.”
- “Not a huge replay value, rather glitchy, and the animations are too slow, but aside from that rather fun.”
- “Neat game, lacks (some) replay value though (like post-game upgrades, similar to idle games, or other minigames), but the main game still is entertaining throughout.”
- “I had enough enjoyment for one playthrough out of it, and did not feel there's enough replayability there.”
optimization
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
The game offers a flexible optimization experience, catering to both casual players and those seeking intense optimization challenges. While it features engaging puzzles and a rewarding UI, players have noted performance issues, particularly lag during extensive gameplay, which can hinder the optimization process. Activating performance mode is recommended to mitigate these issues, although some players wish for additional automation features to streamline gameplay further.
- “One of my favorite games for optimization puzzles and deck building.”
- “The game also does a good job of balancing the cerebral optimization elements with a satisfying UI that makes making good choices feel very rewarding and which makes you care about how big the score is getting.”
- “It's a really interesting optimization game based on chance.”
- “I am currently at 608th place with 597 trillion points, and I had not forced myself to finish the game instead of living out my actual nightmare of ineffective optimization. I could've gotten a lot higher.”
- “I managed to upgrade so much that it took over a minute to roll 100 rolls even on the fastest setting (pause: none, performance mode, vsync on/off, fx off).”
- “Remember to turn on performance mode when (not if) it gets laggy.”
graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
72%
17%
The game's graphics are characterized by a minimalist aesthetic that some players appreciate for its simplicity, while others criticize it as being lazy or boring. Many users feel that the graphics do not detract from the overall experience, emphasizing the relaxing nature of the game, but there are calls for more visual elements to enhance engagement. Overall, opinions are mixed, with a notable divide between those who value the minimalist approach and those who desire more graphical detail.
- “Very relaxing game with a simple art style and quiet music/fx.”
- “The sound design and overall aesthetic is surprisingly relaxing.”
- “The game has a very minimalist aesthetic which I do like, but there's a big difference between minimalist and boring.”
- “Somehow, this game has bad graphics.”
- “Simple but it's not at the same time; I would like some more graphics to see what's going on, like colors on the best dice or some fireworks for lottery dice.”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
56%
19%
The music in the game is consistently praised for its calming and soothing qualities, featuring a minimalist and atmospheric blend of piano and strings that enhances the overall relaxing experience. Players find the chillout soundtrack hypnotic, effectively creating a zen-like ambiance that allows them to escape the chaos of the real world. Overall, the sound design contributes significantly to the game's charm and enjoyment.
- “The minimalist UI and slow, peaceful music create an ambiance that lulls you into a state of zen, leaving behind the chaos of the real world.”
- “It's quite relaxing and soothing with the background music.”
- “It's a very chill experience with some nice atmospheric piano and strings music in the background.”
- “The minimalist UI and slow, peaceful music create an ambiance that lulls you into a state of zen, leaving behind the chaos of the real world—unless you accidentally click your spacebar with manic enthusiasm.”
- “There is something almost hypnotic about repeatedly rolling dice to a chillout soundtrack.”
- “Very relaxing game with a simple art style and quiet music/effects.”
grinding
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
86%
Reviews indicate that while the game's concept is appealing, the grinding aspect is often seen as tedious and frustrating, primarily due to unclear descriptions and excessive trial and error. Players note that certain mechanics, like the "big spender" passive, can trivialize the experience, making it both easier and more monotonous. Overall, the grinding process detracts from the enjoyment, with many feeling it requires unnecessary effort to progress.
- “Conceptually it's nice, but as a clicker, it's extremely tedious and there is a lot of trial and error due to weird descriptions of certain things/effects.”
- “As another reviewer previously mentioned, 'big spender' is an overpowered passive that breaks the game and makes it incredibly easy and excruciatingly tedious.”
- “Switching between upgrade menus is bogged down with tedious, pointless flourish.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by the amusing design of the dice, described as "funny" with "many many dots." Players find the game's value for its price and replayability to be a humorous point of contention, as some believe $5 is too much for such a simple game, while others see it as a worthwhile time-filler.
- “Funny dice, many many dots.”
- “I personally would say for its price and replayability, it's not bad for the price (which I find funny because a lot of people think $5 for a game with this much replayability is too much) and is worth buying if you want something to just fill in time between games or things in general.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere of the game is described as calm and relaxing, enhanced by soothing piano and string music. Players enjoy a satisfying experience as they engage in thoughtful decision-making while watching numbers increase, creating a chill yet engaging environment.
- “It's a very chill experience with some nice atmospheric piano and strings music in the background, and the decisions you'll be making will make you scratch your head in a good way, at least as you learn, but for the most part, you can fake your way through it and still have a lot of fun watching small numbers get a lot bigger.”
- “Probably a combination of the calm atmosphere and the satisfaction of watching numbers go up.”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The reviews indicate that the game lacks a story, with multiple users noting the absence of any narrative elements.
- “No story.”
- “No story.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is less focused on traditional narratives and dialogue, instead immersing players in a captivating auditory experience through the rhythmic rolling of dice and satisfying sound effects. This unique approach creates a different kind of emotional engagement, emphasizing sensory pleasure over storytelling.
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization model of the game "roll" is praised for its absence of advertisements and loot boxes, offering a straightforward and enjoyable experience without the typical pressures of microtransactions. This approach emphasizes simplicity and enhances player satisfaction.
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been widely criticized for its numerous bugs, leading to a perception of significant instability.
- “This game is buggy as hell.”
- “This game is buggy as hell.”