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It's very popular to have randomness - why is it that? Lyngeled: For me, it was really looking at the subject and realizing there's something interesting here. Personally, that's been a huge inspiration for me to narrow it down to a more accessible, simplified version while still keeping that fun chaos and relief. I really loved the old Baldur's Gate games because they were so chaotic. They have their own way of pausing the game, and all this unpredictable stuff happened - your characters get possessed, or you get blown up by your by your own fireball - and that kind of chaos. Redmalm: And the fun of getting what you want then or having an accident. And then you start thinking, 'Well, why is this so popular? Why is it popular to have randomness in a game? Why is that? Why do people like that?' It's something about hope, about wanting this, but not getting it and hoping you get it.

What is the cool thing about a dice? It's obviously randomness: it's something you can't control. Lyngeled: Once you pick up a dice and say, 'Okay, we're gonna make a game about a dice,' it's obvious. It's like, 'What if every thought is a roll of a dice?' It's a very interesting things to talk about from a mental health perspective, but also in terms of anxiety about the future. That can kind of seep into the characters and the world. I'm a very anxious person, so for me, it's been therapeutic to work with this. There's also always scary stuff happening in the world, and it makes you think. Redmalm: Like you say, I think it's so interesting that randomness is an element of every game, but, it isn't dealt with or talked about openly very often. Speaking of the story and the concepts behind it, randomness is part of pretty much every game, but what made you decide to focus on it and make it literally the name of the game? RELATED: The Biggest Video Games Coming in September 2021 There's a dance between feeling very insignificant, then so strong and ready for anything. That curve builds through every battle, and you're building your confidence and strength.

You're playing a child and feeling like a child with your little slingshot and shooting at these huge robots coming at you. Redmalm: The theme around the dice really lends itself well to the story, but also the gameplay. I know I've been using pause time to sit down and strategize a bit too, so I'm looking forward to that challenge and having to use that time differently. We didn't want to turn it into a turn-based game. We wanted to have that inside the battles but wanted to do something action-y. A lot of it is throwing dice and getting to make some decisions. We were discussing board games, what you do in them, what's fun about them. He's been part of the Zoink family for a long time. I've worked with him for 12, 13 years now. Lyngeled: It was hard! The idea actually comes from one of our lead combat designers Martin Storm. How hard was that to perfect, and did these systems go through a lot of iterations? Lost In Random has a really unique mix of action and card battler elements with a time freezing mechanic that feels good to play. RELATED: Can't Wait For Lost in Random? Try THIS Forgotten EA Gem I felt it was a cool gameplay mechanic, but then I thought, 'Ah, it's going to be compared to Unraveled. I remember there was one where you were following a thread through a whole world. Lyngeled: Yeah! We did have some other game mechanics. At that time, we were looking at making this very atmospheric walking simulator. She was just walking through this very gloomy, Shaun Tan-inspired, moody world. Redmalm: I remember the first sketches, but even before we found the dice painting, we had this even more desaturated image of this kind of spooky girl with a little cone-shaped hat.

Suddenly, we could make our dream game, this very Burton-esque stop-motion. We wanted to make something new after Fe. We had a bigger budget. Finally, it was time, with us merging with Image & Form into the Thunderful Group and the company growing. But the budget and technology just haven't allowed for it. The studio loves Nightmare Before Christmas, and it's been a long time coming for us to make something like this. Olov Redmalm: Before Lost In Random, we did Ghost Giant, which was quite bright and colorful. RELATED: Lost in Random: Release Date, Trailer, Plot & News to KnowĬBR: What inspired the team to make Lost In Random? In addition to experiencing the game hands-on, CBR spoke with Lost In Random's directors Klaus Lyngeled and Olov Redmalm about their experience with the game, its influences, and what players can expect when the final product releases on Sept. Teaming up with a sentient dice named Dicey, Even is on a mission to find her older sister, who she believes is in danger after being whisked away to another realm as part of a Random ritual.

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