Common Sense Media Review
By Erin Brereton , based on child development research. How do we rate?
Admirably free mix of card, dice, and adventure aspects.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Dicey Elementalist
Parent and Kid Reviews
What’s It About?
DICEY ELEMENTALIST was inspired by Yahtzee. Players roll dice with purple moons, yellow diamonds, and other symbols five times. They can choose from colored cards that correspond with the symbols to initiate actions in battles against monsters. For example, a pair of blue teardrops deals three times the damage in a fight. Players click a button to end the round when they're out of cards. They'll earn reward cards and items like stardust and EXP as they play, which can help them level up their game and artifacts they find.
Is It Any Good?
The game involves rolling dice, but there's a card component, too, and a touch of role playing. Players battle monsters they meet as they walk through rooms of a castle in Dicey Elementalist. In those face-offs, they'll roll to get five symbols. Cards are also shown on the screen that list what moves they can make, such as throwing rocks. They can put cards into play if they have symbols that match up to the dice that have been rolled. Players collect cards for defeating monsters and can build a deck as they progress. The game contains some helpful elements -- cards you can choose from in battles, for instance, are lit up, and you'll be able to see the difficulty levels for the characters they can pick for rounds, such as The Fearless, who's marked as being beginner-friendly. Information about the gameplay basics is also shown before battles start, noting if the round involves standard rules or any variations.
The initial instructions players see when they start to play can be a little confusing. They may struggle to figure out some of the basics at first as a result. The backstory behind the game is also glazed over fairly quickly in the beginning, and a few aspects of the app, like the rewards you get after winning a round, aren't really explained in detail, which can also cause confusion. But the game's overall structure isn't too complicated, so you should be able to pick it up as you play. The battles include some dynamic elements -- monsters wince when hit with an attack, for example, and shrink until they disappear when defeated. The game's card element is another plus. Because players are able to use some strategy in rounds, playing can provide more than just mindless fun. They'll likely find the outcome is not solely up to them, though -- ultimately, at least some of the success in Dicey Elementalist will depend on the luck of the draw, or roll.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how strategy is used in Dicey Elementalist. What kind of real-world challenges could you use in figuring out the best card order to solve ?
Can you identify an objective -- and several steps to take to reach it? Are there other ways that goal could be accomplished?
How can you handle not being sure of how to complete something? What can you do to determine a way to advance toward your goal?
App Details
- Devices: iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad
- Pricing structure: Free
- Release date: July 9, 2021
- Category: Dice Games
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy , Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- Publisher: Doublethink Games
- Version: 1.1.4
- Minimum software requirements: Requires iOS 10.0 or later and macOS 11.0 or later and a Mac with an Apple M1 chip.
- Last updated: August 23, 2021
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