I think the hatred towards Random Number Generators determining outcomes in games is quite overblown, and using luck-based mechanics can be a great thing.
It doesn’t always have to feel like some awful handling of all events that leaves you feeling cheated. Instead,you’re able to try your luck and get different outcomes.
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Roguelikesas a genre would be nothing without RNG determining crucial parts of the gameplay, and even outside that genre, there’s plenty of ways to do it well.
These are ten games I think show off how to make you feel lucky and satisfied without completely frustrating you, leaving fate in the hands of the programming.
11Terraria
Trial by Fate
As a game featuring seed-based world generation, everything inTerrariais determined by luck, and luck is one of the most important parts of the game.
Every bit of damage you deal will vary based on RNG, and yourrare item drops and fishing pulls will also benefit from you placing down good torches and drinking luck potions.
Even if you’re at your absolute worst luck,you can still readily succeed, as you’re more inclined to beat fights with great planning and skillful execution.
That said, it’s a system that readily encourages you to explore, get lucky on reforges, find good items, and rewards you for hitting the best numbers on your RNG rolls.
10Downwell
The Revolution
WhileDownwellis certainly one of the least luck-based roguelikes out there, the RNG mechanics all feel like intentional and fleshed-out bits of its design.
Namely, the end ofevery level grants you a choice between three randomly picked upgrades, but these upgrades make it easier to get a grip and take control of luck.
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You can choose items that improve damage or survivability, or you could make it possible to reroll your guns, get more items from the shop, or get four items instead of three
Most roguelikes make their item choices purely a matter of stats, but choosing between stats and getting luckier is a way more interesting decision, and I love that.
9Slime Rancher
Maximum Stonks
Slime Rancher
Maybe it’s a bit on the basic side of things, but I really enjoy playing the stock market inSlime Rancher. Plenty of games have done this, but I think this one is the best.
While it’s almost impossible to see the effects of your personal trading in a real-life stock market,you’re able to deposit thousands of rad plorts and watch their value tank.
It turns the game from a chill farming game with cool slimes into that, but as a capitalist strategy game. Watching stocks rise and gambling on when to sell is genuinely fun.
You need to sell on a day when prices are high, or you could wait until things get even better, and hope that the stock doesn’t crash while you’re hoarding plorts.
8Fallout 4
Simple Assistance
As a series,Fallouthas been constantly refining a mechanic called V.A.T.S. that details the body parts you can shoot at any enemy, giving you a chance of hitting each part successfully.
Far and away, the most agreed-upon best iteration of the V.A.T.S. mechanic in the Fallout series is its showing inFallout 4, slowing down time and letting you slowly build up a powerful critical attack.
The lack of a time stopmakes combat far more dynamicand interesting than it ever was before, while still allowing you some extra time to think, andmaking you wonder if you want to tear through a leg at a 67% chance.
It’s an interesting bonus mechanic, and while it’s an optional part of combat that some people opt to never use, it’s great for us gamblers who want to take our chances at shooting our shots.
7Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley
Similar to Terraria,Stardew Valleyhas a luck mechanic that governs most RNG-based interactions in the game, and it has a few readily apparent ways to manipulate it.
You can check the TV every day to see what your luck is looking like, and if it’s a good luck day, you’ll get better floors in the mines, higher quality crops, and more.
you’re able to further increase that luck stat through some good old-fashioned grinding, withluck-enhancing foods and luck ringsto get up past your random daily luck.
Once you’ve learned to max out your luck stat, you can dive into the mines and plow through floors like no one’s business, and it feels great to be rewarded like that.
6Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
While luck-based mechanics in a competitive fighting game sound like a nightmare,Super Smash Bros.has always managed to turn them into hype events.
All the way back in Melee, Mr. Game and Watch was given a side special that chooses a random number and instantly kills people on 9, and everyone loves this.
Nowadays, in Ultimate, we have Hero, a character truly meant to represent turn-based RPG mechanics by being as random and chaotic as possible.
You can randomly crit on smash attacks, causing your opponent to almost always die, and the entire down special is a random list of spells that all do different things.
5Risk of Rain 2
You Gain Nothing
Risk of Rain 2
As a roguelike,Risk of Rain 2throws a lot of random items your way, and while that would usually make luck required, you get so many chances to strategize instead.
You can scrap your worst items and print out better ones, you get new items every stage that may synergize into a good build, and you can always come back to gambling.
Shrines of Chance are one of the most powerful structures in the game if you’re great at gambling, as they can give you items of any rarity for a lower price than a normal chest.
I think this is an incredible way to stage a comeback, and even if you get unlucky and get something bad, it’ll always feel worth doing just to get a little more scrap.
Supercede Synergy
Dead Cells
Another roguelike,Dead Cellshas a far greater focus on making a complete build with synergy between all your items, and the modifier rerolling is a big part of that idea.
After every stage, you get to go to a safe place where you can spend money and cells on upgrades, namely weapon upgrades that give your tools different attributes.
These attributes vary from dealing burn damage to enemies, to shooting out bombs, to anything in between, and they can absolutely make or break your run.
I managed to get a perfect reroll on a sword and blade combo, removing the first and second hits from the combo, meaning I could just shoot everything to death, and that was awesome.
3Dicey Dungeons
Take a Gamble
Dicey Dungeons
If you just take a glance atDicey Dungeons, you could probably tell by the cover that it’sa dungeon crawler heavily centered on its random elements, and I find that great.
Every attack in this game hassome random dice roll attached to it, and your only method of attack is rolling the die and hoping you get enough to succeed.
This feels like a genuinely strategic thing you need to account for, since you can manage your inventory and plan around those random rolls to keep on living forever.
Getting some healing online, stacking poison, and throwing as many small hits at enemies as possible is a strat I live by, and it works with every number from 1-6.
In The Bag
Likely the most iconic iteration of a random mechanic,Tetriswas slowly refining itself into the perfect video game for years, and they finally reached it with the hold system.
The pieces you get aren’t entirely random. They’re sets of all seven unique pieces, shuffled among themselves, with another set afterward, leading to a perfect strategy being attainable.
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With the hold system, you can choose to hang on to an inconvenient piece for later, or a useful I piece to guarantee you get a Tetris on every line clear, and it’s genius.
It means your skill is the focus, while never letting you forget about the strategy of managing the shuffled pieces, letting randomness change your strategy while never ruining it.
