Disclaimer
I was sent a free copy of the Odds Chronicle demo to review for my blog. The game is not finished yet, so I will try to be a bit more lenient with my review. That said, this will be my honest impression of the demo.
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Table of Contents
What is Odds Chronicles
Odds Chronicles is a tactical roguelike RPG coming to Steam sometime this year. Make sure you check out the demo, and don’t forget to add the game to your wishlist!
Hook
Evryn was once a great warrior, and a royal guard to the king. Evil forces drove their way into the city, killing the king and Evryn. That tyrant remains, spreading his evil influence across the land. Feeling the deepest sense of regret, Evryn wakes again, but not in her own world, or even her own time. Evryn finds herself resurrected in the tavern outside of time, with a chance at redemption and revenge.
Travel back to the land you once failed, and use your abilities to fight back the tyrants evil forced. Along your journey, you will meet new allies to fight with, abilities to use, and people to save. Will the dice be in your favor? Can you put an end to the tyrant’s evil reign?
Gameplay
Odds Chronicles features the traditional roguelike structure, but with a unique board game-like feel to set it apart. Players start a run with a basic set of abilities, and earn more powerful ones as they progress through the map. Maps are split into different nodes that feature events, plot, shops, and encounters. Players can choose the path, but the demo has limited paths to the same outcome. A run is over when the player character’s health hits zero.
Combat
Players cast abilities by spending dice rolls. Dice are rolled at the start of each combat round. Any dice that isn’t spent on an ability is used to fill up the wild dice meter. When the wild dice meter fills, players get a wild dice to spend on any ability, even if it has been expended. Each ability has a set number of charges. Once those charges are used up, they can no longer be cast. Learning when and how to spend your dice pool is key for success.
Example: An attack has 2 charges and deals 5 damage. The player rolls a 2 attack and deals 7 damage. Suppose the player rolls no other attack dice but rolls a wild dice. They can spend the wild dice to deal damage, or use it to cast abilities different resources (magic and agility).
Dice
There are four forms of resources a player can roll each round: attack, magic, agility, and wild. Wild dice only become accessible when a player fills the wild dice meter, but they can be used to cast any kind of ability. All abilities have a casting cost that pulls from a particular resource type or group of types.
Does it work on the Steam Deck?
The Odds Chronicles demo works great on the Steam Deck. There is some awkward clunkiness like when it would randomly not let me cast abilities, but nothing that makes the game unplayable. There is touch screen support, but it is a little clunky. It feels better to use the controller, but it is nice to have access to touch controls when the game stops working. My only complaint is that some of the elements do look a little small, but I am old and it feels like a personal problem.
Review
2026 is looking like it is going to be an amazing year for roguelike. I am very satisfied with the amount of unique roguelikes that have passed through my desk, and can’t wait for a few upcoming releases. Odds Chronicles is easily one of these titles. If you like board games, and aren’t afraid of a little strategy, Odds Chronicles should be in your watchlist. This game looks good, and the demo is really solid.
Aesthetics
Odds Chronicles feels like a board game I get to play on my computer, and I am a huge fan of that vibe. The characters look like cool sculpted minis I wouldn’t mind trying to paint (and ruin). The maps are small and contained, but with enough obstacles to keep things interesting. This game proves that you don’t need huge maps to create interesting encounters. The soundtrack is also pretty solid, and I can’t wait to see what else the world of Odds Chronicles has to offer.
Combat
There is some clunkiness that springs up here and there on both PC and on the Steam Deck, but the game is still in development. None of the bugs are game breaking, and the demo is smooth enough to paint a full picture.
The game plays like a tabletop wargame, but one that I am actually good at. The dice rolls give me that sweet hit of dopamine, especially when all the rolls like up perfectly for an epic epic round. The combat system is unique and a refreshing take on the genre. The few abilities available in this demo are cool and flavorful. It does feel like the demo is solvable. You will learn pretty quickly what abilities to pick up and focus on, but the game isn’t finished yet. The devs are hard at work at balancing the game, but it is good enough for the demo.
Conclusion
If you enjoy wargaming or are looking for a different kind of roguelike, check out the Odds Chronicles demo. It is an excellent demo that properly showcases what is potentially going to be my favorite game of the year. The demo looks good, plays great, and you can run on the Steam Deck!
You can download the Odds Chronicles demo on Steam. Don’t forget to add it to your wishlist! If you are looking for other unique roguelikes, check out Talystro or my current personal favorite, Anthem#9.