The beauty of Dice Legacy is that this isn't your run-of-the-mill resource manager simulator, and you'll quickly discover that the moment you boot it up. Your main goal is to utilize dice to gain resources, build various structures and fight off enemies. Depending on the scenario you choose—there are several that are unlocked as you play—each die you start off with has a set of properties that change upon rolling. You might get three-building die—which you allocate to build various structures—and maybe a material gathering set of dice. Where luck plays in is that throwing your dice for what you need is really based on luck. However, the majesty of Dice Legacy is that luck is only half of the game.

Each roll provides various opportunities to grow your city/land. Yes, you might get an unlucky one roll and only get a few dice that are useful for that particular turn, but it's up to you to make those unlucky rolls somehow work. Even on the worst roll, you can maybe spend time gathering more food to replenish your die—which can degrade after every roll—or find some resources for later use. There's a very deep system in Dice Legacy that, while luck orientated, is also skill-based.

The problem with this kind of game is that they require a more hands-off approach. Once you click something, you watch your turn play out, and really that’s all there is to it. Dice Legacy rectifies this idea by having the player constantly debating what moves they want to make with what dice they have. It can be daunting at first trying to understand every nuance Dice Legacy offers—we won’t call ourselves experts, to say the least—but as you master the various systems at play, you’ll realize Dice Legacy is very engaging.

Dice Legacy’s fundamental flaw is that, while the dice rolls do create a new risk/reward gameplay mechanic, it sometimes relies too much on RNG. We have had several games end prematurely, not because of wasted moves but because our rolls would be constantly bad. Even replenishing the dice and making more of them—which is possible with certain structures—wasn’t enough to change our ill-fated luck. If you ever run out of dice, the game ends, and you’re forced to either reload a previous save or restart the entire campaign. In our minds, if there were fewer resources to juggle between and more initial stamina, then Dice Legacy would work far more despite the chances of bad RNG. As it is, though, be prepared to find yourself restarting scenarios numerous times before getting that luck you’re desperately looking for.

We shouldn’t have to spell this out, but, like most games in this particular genre, Dice Legacy can be quite time-consuming... for better or worse. A single campaign can last hours, and you’ll feel that time as you play. Yes, if you love manipulating your resources and trying to make a small Rome-like empire, then Dice Legacy will entrap you and not let go. For those who like quicker titles, Dice Legacy can be a chore. Even the tutorial campaign lasts hours regardless of how well you do. Grab a snack, maybe some coffee, and be prepared to roll your fictional dice for quite a bit of time.