Developed by indie studio Pengonauts and published by Playstack, Dicevaders flips the script on its predecessor, StarVaders. Rather than defending humanity against encroaching extraterrestrial swarms in a mecha suit, players take the helm of an alien invasion fleet. The Dicevaders demo lets players experience this dice-driven roguelike deckbuilder firsthand during Steam Next Fest, offering a substantial look at its combo-heavy tactical scoring systems.
Whether you are deciding whether to jump into the demo or seeking to understand its resource economy, this guide outlines the content available in the trial, core mechanics, boss encounters, and save transfer options.
What Is Included in the Dicevaders Demo?
The Steam demo offers a vertical slice of early progression, providing access to multiple playstyles, difficulty modifiers, and specialized game modes.
Supported in English, French, Simplified Chinese, and Japanese, the demo features the following content:
- Chapter 1 ("First Contact"): The opening campaign path where you launch your invasion fleet against escalating orbital and terrestrial targets.
- Playable Commanders: The demo allows access to four commanders. Players can lead with The Captain, Blob Girl, The Core, and The Duchess (added in demo patch updates with chess-themed pieces such as Pawns, Knights, and Queens). The full release is scheduled to feature ten commanders, including The Overseer.
- Difficulty Scaling: Three distinct difficulty tiers let players adjust enemy target score thresholds.
- Daily Challenge Mode: A standalone challenge run featuring preset modifiers, which the developers have used for community score contests.
- Visual and Strategy Additions: Updated versions of the demo (versions 0.7 through 0.9) introduced an in-game strategy guide, a Compendium with sticker progress, and a Scoring Solar Visualizer.
Core Mechanics: Dice Manipulation and Column Tactics
Combat in Dicevaders is structured around a six-column board, where each column corresponds to die face values from 1 to 6. Rather than relying on raw luck, the game emphasizes deterministic dice manipulation and board positioning.
Budge and Chrono Resources
Players use two main resources to alter dice rolls and board states before locking in their attacks:
- Budge: A currency that allows you to shift a die horizontally into an adjacent column (altering its numerical value by +1 or -1). This allows you to force pairs or align dice with columns holding your strongest multipliers.
- Chrono Tokens: Spent to reroll active dice or restock the drafting shop between rounds to hunt for high-synergy units and artifacts.
Columns, Pairs, and Artifact Synergies
Each column can be reinforced with drafted alien units beneath it and specialized artifacts slotted at the top. When dice land in a column, scoring is calculated by matching conditions:
- Pairs and Triples: Rolling multiple dice into the same column activates that column's units and relics, often triggering multipliers (Mult) and unit strength buffs.
- Artifact Leveling: Artifacts gain experience (XP) during play—such as when pairs are scored in their lane or when specialized dice like the Kraken base die are launched—increasing their stat multipliers.
- Skipping Turns: Players have up to four turns to reach the Target Defense threshold. If your setup easily outscales the target, you can skip remaining turns to increase your Shop Rarity stat for better draft offerings in subsequent shops, or trigger unit-specific passives like Warped Swarmer production.
Pilot Boss Encounters
As your invasion progresses through Chapter 1, Earth deploys human defense pilots from the StarVaders universe. Pilots act as boss encounters, each imposing unique restrictive debuffs that counter basic strategies:
| Pilot Boss | Target Defense Range | Unique Boss Disruption | Tactical Adjustment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roxy | 2,500 – 6,000+ | Starts player dice in a "Cracked" state | Cracked dice cannot be budged until rerolled using Chrono. |
| Noel | Escalates to ~86,000 | "Freezes" player dice so they cannot unfreeze | Dice cannot be rerolled with Chrono; players must rely solely on Budges. |
| Zeke | Exceeds 1,000,000 | High defense scaling and phase checks | Demands heavy column XP stacking and legendary mult artifacts. |
If your total score fails to meet the pilot's Target Defense before your turns expire, you lose a heart. Losing all hearts ends the simulation run.
Demo Save Transfer and System Compatibility
A common question among demo players is whether early unlocks and compendium progress will carry over into the full commercial release.
Developer Pengonauts confirmed on the Steam Community forums that demo progress is designed to transfer directly to the full game build, as the demo and release versions share the same core framework. Players transitioning on standard Windows and Mac PC setups have reported progress and achievements syncing automatically upon launching the full release.
For players on handheld systems like the Steam Deck, community members noted that automatic cloud synchronization between the demo app ID and the main app ID did not always execute natively. In those instances, manually copying the local save folder from Desktop Mode allowed progress to load seamlessly into the main title.
Regarding operating system support, the official Steam store page lists Windows compatibility (Windows XP through Windows 11 with 4 GB of video memory and a 2.0 GHz processor). While some store banners have indicated limited compatibility warnings for certain macOS versions, developer Axolotl confirmed on the Steam forums that the full build is structured to run on macOS wherever the demo successfully functions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How many commanders are playable in the Dicevaders demo?
The updated demo features four playable commanders: The Captain, Blob Girl, The Core, and The Duchess. The final game expands this roster to ten playable commanders.
What is the purpose of the Budge mechanic?
Budge is an in-game currency that lets you slide a die one space to the left or right on the board, modifying its numerical value so it lands in your preferred column.
What happens if I skip turns before reaching the target defense?
You can only safely skip turns if your existing board score has already surpassed the opponent's required target. Doing so rewards bonus Shop Rarity for subsequent drafts and activates turn-skip mechanics on specific drafted units.
Can I play the Dicevaders demo on Mac?
Yes. The developer confirmed on the Steam discussion boards that the game runs on macOS environments capable of launching the demo build, despite generic OS store warning notices.
