I'd like to thank Ratalaika Games for the review key to this title.

Some Japan-only games really should have stayed in Japan, and with others it's great the rest of the world gets to enjoy it. Suguro Quest: Dice Heroes is a bit on the fence, but leans slightly towards its international release being a good idea.

A bit of background first. Suguro Quest: Dice Heroes was originally a Famicom (Family Computer, the NES name in Japan) game. The Switch port is basically an enhanced port of that classic Famicom game, only with a lot of quality-of-life enhancements. In fact, it would be fair to even call it a version of the game that is both a remaster and a port, since it ships with enhanced graphics and music as well as a lot of options to make it basically play itself.

The plot is as generic as you can get. A king summons several heroes to save the land, and they go adventuring. The unique hook, however, is that all actions, from moving on the grid square maps to combat, are decided by dice rolls. In fact, if you want to call it a tabletop RPG in video game format, it's basically just that.

The main gameplay loop involves taking on various grid square-based maps and reaching the goal via a series of dice rolls. Certain squares restore health, some have special encounters, many have enemies to fight in a turn-based battle, and so on. You can try to go for the final level at the start, but you will certainly die miserably, hence the game suggests a set order to challenge each map. You can pick from one of several classes like Fighter, Half-Elf, and so on, each with their own abilities and skills. Finally, before setting out, you can buy items and equipment, save the game, and check your stats. You can find and buy more equipment as you progress, but the starting hub level is where you will need to make sure you are prepared first.

This was originally a Famicom game, but the Switch port comes with a host of features to make it easier if you like. There are save states to be more flexible than the ingame game static save points, a cheats menu in case you just want to see the story (what little there is), and an option to switch between the upgraded music and graphics or the originals.

Graphically, it has two modes. One is an enhanced color mode with graphics drawn with a wider range of colors (and is the default). The other is a retro mode to use the limited color palette of the original NES/Famicom. Both have a kiddy hand-drawn anime style.

Music and sounds in both 16-bit and original have a generic high fantasy chiptune aesthetic. Nothing is really remarkable in either mode, but it does a good job of setting the mood at least.

Control is accomplished via a series of menus and a rollable die on both the map and in combat. You have a six-sided die for map movement and a nine-sided die for combat. Combat and movement are basically down to whatever you roll for the die. In combat, if you roll a higher number than the enemy, you attack first and do higher damage times the die roll combined with your attack score. The same rules apply to the enemy. The only thing about the interface that is annoying is the rather tedious menus you have to wade through. It's also hard to buy more than one item quickly and equipment can only be changed out at the starting hub area.

Being a Switch title based on a Famicom game, it's rock-solid stable. It loads reasonably fast and I noticed no bugs.

Morally, this has some minor points of concern.

Violence is RPG style "give orders and watch it happen". There is a very minor display of blood for at least one enemy that looks like a disembodied arm holding a sword.

Language is quite clean, as it's aimed at kids. Despite the cartoony aesthetic, one or two female enemies have a bit of visible cleavage, but that is about it. There are undead/demonic enemies, albeit presented in a cartoony style. Morally, it's straightforward good versus evil.

Overall, I enjoyed this game, albeit its interface is tedious and it has a high random chance element that may annoy casual gamers. Technically, it's sound if with a dated user interface. Morally, it has some minor concerning elements but nothing an older child on up couldn't handle. Given its low price, it's certainly worth getting if you have nostalgia for an old-school RPG game.