Rune Dice Steam Demo Review
Verdict: Play
A physics dice roguelike where matching merges spring into chain reactions, rogue backstab deletes the back row, and one
I am a dice goblin. I saw Rune Dice on X and clicked play immediately. Good instincts this time. You launch dice across a board full of them. When values match they merge and spring toward the next match, chain after chain, while damage fires at the enemies fighting above the board. That is the whole hook. My verdict is Play.
Rune Dice is a play if you want a physics dice roguelike about merge chains, class-specific tools, and back-row backstabs. Expect to stare at the board first and miss the fight upstairs, then stick with rogue once backstab clicks. Try the demo if launch-and-fuse chain reactions sound like your kind of chaos. Wishlist when the full release lands if one perfect chain is enough to hook you.
Pros
- Merge-and-spring chains feel great when a board finally pops
- Class dice and rogue backstab change how you solve each fight
- Roguelike map adds shops, shrines, and boss pacing between launches
- Runs get more layered the deeper you push
- Achievement unlocks add reason to replay with new starters
Cons
- Enemy row above the board is easy to overlook early on
- Ricochet angles can miss your plan until you learn the physics
- Mobile-first impression fades but small UI may still strain on first sessions
Merge chains and damage upstairs
Rune Dice is a Roguelike Deck Builder from Smart Raven Studio, published by Kwalee. You fling dice into a crowded board. Matching values merge, then spring toward another die of the same number, merge again, spring again. The higher the face value when the chain resolves, the harder you hit the enemy row above.
When it all goes right at once, the chain reaction is the reason to keep playing. Planning where the first merge lands is half the strategy. The Deck Builder side is what you add between fights: new dice, healing, buffs, and the synergies that make the next launch nastier.
Classes, map, and the rogue backstab
You pick a class at the start. I played mage and rogue in the demo. Each class brings its own dice and abilities on top of the general pool. Rogue backstab was my favourite: you can punch a high-damage dealer in the back line before they hurt you. That one ability changed how I read every board.
Between fights you take a reward and move through a standard Roguelike map with branching paths, shops, shrines, hard battles, chests, and a boss at the end of each area. Complete specific achievements and you unlock higher-level starting characters and extra classes.
My first impression was that this would work well on mobile. The longer I played, the more that changed. Runs get layered and dynamic as they deepen, and by mid-run there is enough happening at once that it clearly wants a PC screen.
Readability and ricochet friction
The battle happening above the board is a bit small at first. When you are focused on dice physics below, it is easy to miss what the enemy row is doing until you train your eyes upward.
Sometimes the ricochet sends a die somewhere you did not expect. That might be the game, but it is probably skill issue on my part until you learn the angles. Even with that friction, the chain reactions when it all goes off are worth the run.
At the time I recorded, the demo was live and the full game was listed as coming soon. If dice physics and merge chains sound like your genre, this is a strong pre-release taste.
Game Info
- Developer
- Smart Raven Studio
- Publisher
- Kwalee
- Released
- 19 May 2026
- Full game
- Out now ($14.99)
- Platform
- PC
- Multiplayer
- No
- Controller
- No
- Playtime
- 1h 30min
Watch the video review: YouTube
Tags: Roguelike, Deck Builder, Strategy, Indie, RPG, Action
Appears in
- Steam Summer Sale 2026: Steam Summer Sale 2026 is here, and this collection has one filter: demos I already reviewed that have now launched as full games and are on sale. Every pick earned a Play verdict from me at the demo stage, so I have already put real time into the slice and know it works. Starting with REPLACED, Outbound, and Dead as Disco, more games will be added as I find them across the sale window. Full Demo reviews are on the site if you want the session detail before you spend money.
- Steam Deck Builders Fest 2026: Deck builders can be a hard sell. The learning curve on a new one can be tough, and there are a lot of them out there. These six are worth the time though, and they each go down a slightly different route.
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