What is Dicey Lines
Dicey Lines is a casual mobile puzzle game. Place dice and form patterns to clear
the grid and continue placing more dice. Use power-ups to get out of tough situations and
try to get the highest score possible.
The concept of Dicey Lines is very simple. It takes inspiration and pulls from a
variety of already popular games, and that's exactly the point. I wanted something that
had recognizable elements from already successful games, but with my own unique spin. I
wanted to make a game that was simple enough for younger players to grasp while also
including mechanics that would be challenging and rewarding for older players. But most of
all, I wanted to release this game on the App Store. For me to do that, this was going to
need to be my most polished game to date.
Development Journey
Dicey Lines started from this idea about placing dice and clearing patterns. In
early playtesting, the game proved fun but also too easy. One of my early attempts to
increase difficulty was Locks that made certain spaces on the grid unplaceable, but they
felt too frustrating and, overall, didn't mesh well with the rest of the game. So, I
scrapped that idea and started thinking of something else. As development continued, the
visual style went through multiple iterations, finally settling on a layered look that
creates a simple depth effect.
Accessibility was at the forefront of design because this was a casual game. So on the
backend, I built a full save system that preserves scores, game state, and settings,
letting players play at their own leisure. The final piece of the puzzle was the Inverted
Dice, a mechanic that requires dice to be cleared twice, adding strategic depth while
removing the randomness of the Locks. Combined with additional polish, such as subtle
background motion, multiple colorful themes, and a refined power-up system, these changes
turned Dicey Lines into a more balanced, engaging, and complete experience.
