Devil Dice (PlayStation)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.0 stars Good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 6.9 (3.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  James Mielke
• Reviewed on: 07/21/1998
• Updated on: 04/28/2000
• Released on: 06/30/1998
• Originally published on GameSpot: Devil Dice (PlayStation) Review

Devil Dice is another mind-warping puzzle game created by the makers of last year's sleeper hit, Intelligent Qube. In Devil Dice, you take control of a (wait for it) little devil and must manipulate and match endless swarms of six-sided dice that sprout up on the playing field. Unlike the legions of Tetris clones that populate the puzzle-game market, Devil Dice is as unique a game as its predecessor was and about ten times as hard.

The challenge in Devil Dice originates from its unique concept. You control a little red devil who in turn controls each die he happens to be walking on. If the die he's controlling makes contact with another, he then has the option of moving on to the next one or any other die that happens to be connected to it. The playfield is made up of a grid, which has an equal number of sections in all directions. For example, one playfield might equal 15-by-15 blocks, etc. Each time you move a die, it rotates one side per movement. Your goal is to match up like numbers with their own value (you'll want to line up three threes, four fours, five fives, etc.), which will in turn start a reaction that will cause the dice to sink into the ground. Confused yet? As the dice are sinking you can run to another die and attempt to turn and connect it to the chain you just started. If you're fast enough, you'll be able to continue this exercise for multihit combos.There are also a number of dice lying around with a single red dot on the face (called the "happy one"). Connect any one of these to a chain, and every happy one on the playing field will sink as well, freeing up precious space. Freeing up space is important because once the field is completely full of dice, your game is over.

Apparently the secret to success in Devil Dice is your knowledge of, naturally enough, dice. According to the general principles of the die, the value of the number facing up, added to the number of the opposite side of the die, will equal seven. Knowing this, and actually being able to keep track of it, will enable you to know what number will surface in however many moves. For example, if you're standing on top of a two, the other side of the die will be five. Let's say you're trying to link up five fives to start a chain. If you've already aligned four fives, you'll move your die two times in order for the five to come up. Provided you're already connected to the other four dice, your chain will begin. If you can make sense of this logic, it will make for a more efficient process, because the secret to quickly initiating chains and combos in this game is knowing how many moves it will take to make your desired number come up.

Which is all well and good except for the fact that this game is way too fast-paced for that kind of strategy. Now, there are probably some analytical geniuses out there who could probably pick apart this game as ifit was checkers, but for the rest of us, blind luck is probably the best tactic. In Devil Dice, this point is perfectly highlighted by the inclusion of a puzzle mode. Considering the intense strategic nature of this game, you'd think that it would best thrive as a turn-based strategy game, and it does. In puzzle mode, you're given a series of problems that you must solve in a limited number of turns. Succeed and move on tothe next challenge; fail and do it again until you solve it. For each group of ten that you complete, you'll unlock a new picture to cover your playing field with. These pictures vary from a close-up shot of your little devil, to some abstract art, to a beautifully CG-rendered woman's face. There are over 20 different pictures to unlock, so replay incentive is high.

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