Devil Dice

Image:DevilDice01.jpg

Devil Dice is a unique puzzle video game, where the player controls a small devil that runs around a grid covered in large dice. The player can both stand atop dice, and stand on the ground (with the dice towering above). When standing on the dice, the player can move from die to die, or can roll a die in the direction they run, revealing a different face as the die rotates. Creating a group of adjacent dice with identical pips—the size of which must be at least the number of pips—causes those dice to slowly sink into the field before disappearing. Chain reactions are possible by adding additional dice to a sinking set. Different types of dice are available in some modes, with different properties to make the game more challenging.

The game features the following modes:

• Battle - pits the player against a single computer opponent, both attempting to build up chains and negate those of the opponent.
• Puzzle - mode in which players must solve puzzles (i.e., clear all dice) using only a limited number of steps or moves. Solving a whole row of puzzles allows players access to a picture that they can play on in Battle mode.
• Trial - the standard arcade-style mode, where the objective is to remove as many dice as possible (and thus score as many points as possible) before the grid completely fills with dice.
• Wars - quickfire multiplayer mode, supporting up to four simultaneous computer opponents, or five human players when using a multitap. Players damage each other as they complete chains, with the last man standing becoming the winner.

Devil Dice was created for Game Yarōze, a Japan-exclusive competition, where participants competed for access to a development environment for the creation of PlayStation games intended for commercial release. The original program was held between 1995 and 1999, with over 3,000 participants and 1,200 submitted game concepts. Ultimately, over thirty Game Yarōze titles went to market, including Devil Dice and the first Doko Demo Issyo game.{{Cite web |last=Szczepaniak |first=John |date=19 September 2023 |title=PS1 Puzzler Devil Dice Was Never A 'Net Yaroze' Title, So Why Does The Internet Think It Was? |url=https://www.timeextension.com/features/ps1-puzzler-devil-dice-was-never-a-net-yaroze-title-so-why-does-the-internet-think-it-was |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230919235800/https://www.timeextension.com/features/ps1-puzzler-devil-dice-was-never-a-net-yaroze-title-so-why-does-the-internet-think-it-was |archive-date=19 September 2023 |access-date=20 February 2024 |website=Time Extension}} In late 2005, the Game Yarōze competition was revived, this time focusing on the development of PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3 games.{{Cite web |last=Sheffield |first=Brandon |date=26 October 2005 |title=Sony Japan Announces Game Yarouze Design Competition |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/sony-japan-announces-game-yarouze-design-competition |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512194448/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/97928/Sony_Japan_Announces_Game_Yarouze_Design_Competition.php |archive-date=12 May 2012 |access-date=20 February 2024 |website=Gamasutra}} Around this time, the official website interviewed lead designer Yuichi Sugiyama (then the representative director of Shift), which revealed that the game was created within the scope of the Game Yarōze program.{{Cite web |date=1 November 2005 |title=ゲームやろうぜ！過去の記事　週刊やろうぜ！バックナンバー【第1回 05/11/01号】|trans-title=Game Yarouze! - Yarouze Weekly! Back Issue (1st Issue 05/11/01) |url=https://www.gameyarouze.com/gyz_log/gyzd_log_magazine01.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629094759/https://www.gameyarouze.com/gyz_log/gyzd_log_magazine01.html |archive-date=29 June 2007 |access-date=20 February 2024 |website=Game Yarouze! |language=ja}} According to an interview with Shuichi Yano (one of the programmers of Devil Dice), he was a successful applicant of Game Yarōze, which is unrelated to Net Yarōze.{{Cite book |last=Szczepaniak |first=John |title=The Untold History of Game Developers Volume 5 |date=2023-08-31 |publisher=SMG SZCZEPANIAK |isbn=9798391091547 |location=United States |publication-date= |pages=165}}

{{Video game reviews

|GR = 79%{{cite web|url=https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/197108-devil-dice/|title=Devil Dice for PlayStation|website=GameRankings|publisher=CBS Interactive|access-date=17 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209012412/https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/197108-devil-dice/|archive-date=9 December 2019|url-status=dead}}

|Allgame = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite web|last=Weiss|first=Brett Alan|url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=14095&tab=review|title=Devil Dice - Review|website=AllGame|publisher=All Media Network|access-date=17 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141115161155/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=14095&tab=review|archive-date=15 November 2014|url-status=dead}}

|CNG = 7/10{{cite web|last=Chick|first=Tom|date=6 October 1998|url=http://www.gamecenter.com/Consoles/Sony/Devildice/|title=Devil Dice|website=Gamecenter|publisher=CNET|access-date=27 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000816204727/http://www.gamecenter.com/Consoles/Sony/Devildice/|archive-date=16 August 2000|url-status=dead}}

|Edge = 8/10{{cite magazine|author=Edge staff|url=https://retrocdn.net/images/a/a1/Edge_UK_061.pdf|title=Xi [sic]|magazine=Edge|publisher=Future Publishing|issue=61|date=August 1998|page=97|access-date=27 November 2021}}

|EGM = 8.875/10{{cite magazine|last1=Hsu|first1=Dan|author-link=Dan Hsu|last2=Smith|first2=Shawn|last3=Davison|first3=John|last4=Williams|first4=Ken "Sushi-X"|url=https://retrocdn.net/images/1/1d/EGM_US_111.pdf|title=Review Crew - Devil Dice|magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly|publisher=Ziff Davis|issue=111|date=October 1998|page=262|access-date=27 November 2021}}{{efn|In Electronic Gaming Monthly{{'}}s review of the game, two critics gave it each a score of 9/10, another gave it 9.5/10, and one more critic gave it 8/10.}}

|Fam = 30/40{{cite magazine|url=https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=11879&redirect=no|title=XI[sai]|language=ja|magazine=Famitsu|publisher=Enterbrain|access-date=27 November 2021}}

|GI = 8.25/10{{cite magazine|title=Devil Dice|magazine=Game Informer|publisher=FuncoLand|issue=65|date=September 1998}}

|GSpot = 6.9/10{{cite web|last=Mielke|first=James|date=21 July 1998|url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/devil-dice-review/1900-2547287/|title=Devil Dice Review [JP Import] [date mislabaeled as "April 28, 2000"]|website=GameSpot|publisher=Red Ventures|access-date=27 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041212205045/http://www.gamespot.com/ps/puzzle/devildice/review.html|archive-date=12 December 2004|url-status=live}}

|IGN = 9/10{{cite web|last=Perry|first=Douglass C.|date=29 September 1998|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/09/30/devil-dice|title=Devil Dice|website=IGN|publisher=Ziff Davis|access-date=17 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190501074642/https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/09/30/devil-dice|archive-date=1 May 2019|url-status=live}}

|NGen = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_47/page/n159/mode/2up|title=Devil Dice|magazine=Next Generation|publisher=Imagine Media|issue=47|date=November 1998|page=156|access-date=27 November 2021}}

|OPM = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite magazine|title=Devil Dice|magazine=Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine|publisher=Ziff Davis|volume=2|issue=1|date=October 1998}}

}}

Devil Dice received favorable reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings. Both GamePro and Next Generation were positive to the game despite noting its high difficulty.{{cite magazine|author=Tommy Boy|url=https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_111_October_1998/page/n169/mode/2up|title=Devil Dice|magazine=GamePro|publisher=IDG|issue=121|date=October 1998|page=170|access-date=27 November 2021}}{{efn|GamePro gave the game 3.5/5 for graphics, 3/5 for sound, and two 4/5 scores for control and fun factor.}} In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 30 out of 40.

Famitsu reported that the title sold over 131,815 units in its first week on the market and approximately 864,844 units during its lifetime in Japan.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}} GamesTM regarded it as one of "10 Underrated PlayStation Gems".{{cite magazine|title=Essentials: 10 Underrated PlayStation Gems|magazine=GamesTM|publisher=Future plc|issue=155|date=December 2014|pages=156–157}}

The game won the award for both "Best Puzzle Game" and "Best Multiplayer Game" at the 1998 OPM Editors' Awards.{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/Official_US_PlayStation_Magazine_Volume_2_Issue_5_1999-02_Ziff_Davis_US/page/n95/mode/2up|title=1998 OPM Editors' Awards (Best Puzzle Game; Best Multiplayer Game)|magazine=Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine|publisher=Ziff Davis|volume=2|issue=5|date=February 1999|pages=97–98|access-date=27 November 2021}} Hyper later named Devil Dice a second runner-up for "1999 Hyper Reader Awards" for "Best Puzzle Game", which went to Bust-A-Move 99 for PlayStation and Nintendo 64.{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/hyper-079/page/42/mode/2up|title=1999 Hyper Reader Awards|magazine=Hyper|publisher=Future plc|issue=79|date=May 2000|pages=42|access-date=September 22, 2022}}

{{clear}}

XI Jumbo was only released in Japan exclusively on PlayStation.

A demake titled XI Little was only released in Japan exclusively on the WonderSwan Color by Bandai in 2001. It is the first portable video game based on a Sony Computer Entertainment property.

Bombastic (XI Go in Japan) was released in Japan, North America and Europe exclusively on PlayStation 2. It incorporates all play modes from previous releases.

Xi Coliseum was only released in Japan exclusively on PlayStation Portable. This version includes support for ad hoc wireless play between up to five players.{{cite web|last=Gantayat|first=Anoop|date=17 January 2006|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/01/18/sony-brings-puzzlers-to-psp|title=Sony Brings Puzzlers to PSP|website=IGN|publisher=Ziff Davis|access-date=27 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304203443/https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/01/18/sony-brings-puzzlers-to-psp|archive-date=4 March 2021|url-status=live}}

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{{Portal|1990s|Japan|Video games}}

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{{PlayStation Studios}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Devil Dice}}

Category:1998 video games

Category:Fiction about the Devil

Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games

Category:PlayStation (console) games

Category:PlayStation Network games

Category:Puzzle video games

Category:Sony Interactive Entertainment games

Category:THQ games

Category:Video games about demons

Category:Video games developed in Japan

Category:Japan Studio games

Category:PlayStation (console)-only games