It may have passed you by, but back in September of 2021, Lost in Random arrived from the EA Originals label. Releasing a lavish indie game in peak gaming season was always going to be a challenge, and – as to be expected – not many people bought it. Now though you’ve no reason to not, as today it drops into Game Pass.
But there was much to love about this gorgeous action-adventure game, developed in tandem with EA by development house Zoink. We handed it a 3.5/5, saying “All in all, Lost in Random is a very unique game. It has great writing and some of the best art direction of the year. However, the combat system plays a risky gamble that I don’t feel quite works out in the game’s favour. Still, if you’re willing to look past the combat or if its particular eccentricities hit the spot for you, there is a lot to love here.” We also criticised the £24.99 price tag, but when it’s ostensibly free with a Game Pass subscription, well, that price becomes less of a factor.
It’s the story of a world where, on a person’s twelfth birthday, the Queen arrives and rolls a dice to determine their fate. The higher the roll, the better the role for them in life. For a girl called Odd, it’s a significant moment, as on her birthday, she rolls a six and gets taken under the wing of the malevolent Queen. Unable to accept this bargain, her sister, Even, takes it upon herself to rescue her sister.
What happens next is a mish-mash of genres, as exploration of an action-adventure world is mixed up with some turn-based combat. You are given fifteen cards that can be changed within the menu, and it’s these that determine your attacks. Your goal is to shoot glowing crystals with your slingshot, and dodge attacks to fill up your meter to randomly select a card. After receiving cards, you can call on your dice friend, cunningly named Dicey, to get a random number and pick whatever cards are available to play them. These can be weapons, healing potions, traps and hazards, etc.
As a gaming hybrid, it almost works – if you’re to believe our review – but there’s a lot to admire in the sheer innovation of it all. Perhaps now’s the time to give it a go.
Lost in Random can be downloaded from the Xbox Store and is the last of the announced games for April, but Microsoft tend to reveal more for the second-half of the month on the 15th, so keep an eye out. In terms of those leaving, Rain On Your Parade, MLB The Show 21, Pathway and The Long Dark are departing Game Pass on April 15th, and the musty old F1 2019 is leaving on April 18th.
Remember: these games are 20% for Game Pass subscribers until the day they leave the service, so now might be the time to pick them up. You’ll find them on the Xbox Store.
Do you fancy trying out Lost in Random? Let us know what you think of it in the comments below, or on our social media channels.
