PC REVIEW | Slots & Daggers

There are a lot of these gambling-based roguelike games around these days, each with their own gimmicks and hooks to keep you playing. So what about Slots & Daggers? Is there anything that sets it apart from the other games out there? Well, we’ll get into that shortly, but for now, let’s talk about what the game is about first and foremost.

Slots & Daggers is a fantasy-based, slot machine-style game where you earn coins to buy power-ups to beat the bad guys. Sounds simple enough, right? There are several biomes to conquer, and each one is trickier than the last, so you’ll need to find the optimum combination of reels and passive items to ensure your victory. The premise is a simple one, and what it sets out to do as a game, it does well… But does it do it well enough? Let’s get into the cogs of the machine and see what we can discover.

Things I liked!

• Sound effects | Ordinarily, I would put the soundscape all in one section, but for reasons which will become apparent later, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The sound effects of Slots & Daggers are really satisfying, as they should be: the clink of the coins as they hit the tray, the sounds of weapons slashing, pounding, slicing and dicing as they hit the enemies (or in some cases, you), the whir of the reels, and the clunk as they stop or nudge along are all perfect and really add to the aesthetics of the game. Kudos to the developer for capturing the subtle nuances needed to make these sounds aurally pleasing.

• Graphics | There is a lot to like about the graphical style of Slots & Daggers. The simple pixel style kind of keeps in with what you would find at an arcade while playing a screen-based slot machine. The characters all have their own quirky but fun looks, and the passive items and reel labels are well thought out and look like they would belong on a real-world machine. I even enjoyed the backdrop around the table too, with its little nods to real-world gambling tables back in the day. Overall a lot of fun things to see and enjoy as you play.
  

Mixed & disliked!

• Length | Unfortunately, Slots & Daggers isn’t really a game that you’ll play much once you’ve got all the items and achievements unlocked. I understand that this was created by one person and that it was never going to be an infinite experience, but I managed to beat the full game in around two hours and only continued playing afterwards to fill out the rest of the modifiers. The lack of content makes replayability non-existent, unless, of course, some new DLC or updates extend the game’s longevity, but as it stands, I don’t see myself going back to it.

• Music | As I mentioned earlier, the sounds and music are two entirely different entities in this game, and while I did enjoy the quirky wee tunes, I felt that overall they didn’t really fit with the aesthetics of the world the game was set in. As you got deeper into the world of Slots & Daggers, you might expect an element of danger in the music and some darker themes, but it was the same five tunes over and over in random order, which, to be honest, began to grate after a while. If there ever is a DLC pack for this game, I would recommend it include more suitable music for the world of the game in general.
  
  
• Story | Sometimes games need a story to be interesting; other times, a game can allow you to make up your own as you play, and there are some games that don’t need any story at all. Slots & Daggers is the third type, it doesn’t really need a story to keep you playing, but there is one in there which makes zero sense. The story you’re given can quite happily be skipped, as it really doesn’t add anything to the overall experience. You could try to get into the lore if you wanted to, but to me it was a bit of a nonentity. Honestly, if you wanted to put any kind of lore into this game, just have it on the title screen or as an ending; having it between levels felt like just a way to break the game up a little, and it really wasn’t needed to enhance the game, as the game itself is the story.
  
  
• Gameplay | I’ll be honest and say I initially enjoyed the gameplay of Slots & Daggers, but as I kept on playing, I got to the stage of realising that you didn’t need to be skilful when it came to stopping the reels, you could just rapid-fire click to achieve the same effect and still beat the enemies with very little issue. Once you figure out a combination that basically instakills most of the enemies while consistently healing you, you’ll be able to beat each level extremely quickly. You could give yourself challenges by choosing weaker combinations and synergies, but what would be the point when you already have what it takes to win? A more challenging game would be welcome in future updates.

How long did I play the review before publishing? 5 Hours
How long to beat the story? 30 Mins
How long to unlock everything? 2 hours
You’ll love this game if you like these | CloverPit, Slots and Dungeons, Luck be a Landlord

CONCLUSION

Score: 30/100

A quirky wee game that is too short for what it wants to achieve. I initially enjoyed my time playing Slots & Daggers, but as time went on, I found myself just clicking the mouse for no reason other than to finish the game, instead of wanting the excitement of playing. All in all, it’s an interesting idea that, to me, just wasn’t executed in the right way. I would love to see some upgrades in the future, but in all honesty, as it stands, the only reason I would go back to this game would be if it had a major overhaul.