Slots & Daggers review: Sometimes, a short game hits the spot | The VergeSkip to main contentThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.The VergeThe Verge logo.TechReviewsScienceEntertainmentAIPolicyNotificationsNotificationsHamburger Navigation ButtonThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.NotificationsNotificationsHamburger Navigation ButtonNavigation DrawerThe VergeThe Verge logo.Login / Sign UpcloseCloseSearchTechExpandAmazonAppleFacebookGoogleMicrosoftSamsungBusinessSee all techReviewsExpandSmart Home ReviewsPhone ReviewsTablet ReviewsHeadphone ReviewsSee all reviewsScienceExpandSpaceEnergyEnvironmentHealthSee all scienceEntertainmentExpandTV ShowsMoviesAudioSee all entertainmentAIExpandOpenAIAnthropicSee all AIPolicyExpandAntitrustPoliticsLawSecuritySee all policyGadgetsExpandLaptopsPhonesTVsHeadphonesSpeakersWearablesSee all gadgetsVerge ShoppingExpandBuying GuidesDealsGift GuidesSee all shoppingGamingExpandXboxPlayStationNintendoSee all gamingStreamingExpandDisneyHBONetflixYouTubeCreatorsSee all streamingTransportationExpandElectric CarsAutonomous CarsRide-sharingScootersSee all transportationFeaturesVerge VideoExpandTikTokYouTubeInstagramPodcastsExpandDecoderThe VergecastVersion HistoryNewslettersArchivesStoreVerge Product UpdatesSubscribeFacebookThreadsInstagramYoutubeRSSThe VergeThe Verge logo.Sometimes, a short game hits the spotNotificationsNotificationsComments DrawerNotificationsCommentsLoading commentsGetting the conversation ready...GamingCloseGamingPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All GamingEntertainmentCloseEntertainmentPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All EntertainmentGames ReviewCloseGames ReviewPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All Games ReviewSometimes, a short game hits the spotSlots & Daggers, out now on consoles, is a low-key roguelike that you can finish over the course of a few days.Slots & Daggers, out now on consoles, is a low-key roguelike that you can finish over the course of a few days.by Jay PetersCloseJay PetersSenior ReporterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Jay PetersMay 30, 2026, 12:00 PM UTCLinkShareGiftImage: Future Friends GamesPart OfThe best indie games we’re playing right nowsee all updates Jay PetersCloseJay PetersPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Jay Peters is a senior reporter covering technology, gaming, and more. He joined The Verge in 2019 after nearly two years at Techmeme.Slots & Daggers, a low-key, fantasy-themed slot machine roguelike, was one of my favorite games last year. That may sound like a complicated description, but the game mixes ideas from deckbuilding roguelikes with slot machines to create an engrossing loop, and there’s steady meta-progression that helps you push further with just about every run. Perhaps the best part is that Slots & Daggers is short: Solo developer Friedemann describes the game as a mini roguelike, and I completed it, including all 12 achievements, in just under six hours. This month, Slots & Daggers came out on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X / S, and it’s been the perfect excuse to revisit it.Slots & Daggers has a game-within-a-game perspective. On your screen, you’re looking down at a seedy table littered with things like a drink, cards, dice, a knife, and a cigarette on an ashtray, and in the middle of the table there’s an electronic machine, which is the thing you actually interact with. At the beginning of a run, you pick three pieces of equipment to kick off the quest, like a rusty dagger or a poison blade or a shield.Image: Future Friends GamesEach turn, you’ll see three spinning slot machine wheels (or up to five with upgrades). You press a button to stop the wheels, and each wheel will stop on a symbol from the equipment you’ve picked up along the way and then do something depending on the symbol. So, for example, if the wheels stop on a dagger, a poison blade, and then a shield, you’ll hit the enemy, apply poison to them, and then get some shields for yourself. Getting three of any symbol in a row lands a critical hit with a celebratory burst of lights and sounds, much like hitting a jackpot on a real slot machine. You’ll also get items that let you respin wheels, which quickly become crucial (and very satisfying) tools to get more opportunities to hit your foes.Over the course of runs, you’ll also accumulate poker chips that you can spend on modifiers, which are cleverly represented as little things you plug into the “machine” you’re playing the game on, like additional wheels, improved attack and defense, and even a revive. At times, Slots & Daggers does feel artificially difficult, as if you have to lose and upgrade your modifiers to advance. And while I like to feel as if I have some influence over the wheels, at the end of the day, you’re still playing a slot machine, so there’s a fair bit of luck and randomness involved, which can be frustrating.Image: Future Friends GamesJumping back in to Slots & Daggers on the Switch, though, I remembered why I liked the game so much the first time around: Because you’re constantly getting poker chips after each run, you’re constantly able to buy new modifiers that make you stronger, but usually only strong enough to get just a little bit further. Before you know it, you’ve finished the game, left wanting more instead of completely tired out. The journey there is an engrossing loop — and it gives you the dopamine of gambling without any actual risk.Slots & Daggers is out now on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X / S.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Jay PetersCloseJay PetersSenior ReporterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Jay PetersEntertainmentCloseEntertainmentPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All EntertainmentGames ReviewCloseGames ReviewPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All Games ReviewGamingCloseGamingPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All GamingMore in: The best indie games we’re playing right nowThe best part of Mina the Hollower is how it randomizes the Zelda formulaJay PetersMay 27Hanging out in my favorite virtual coffee shop in TokyoAndrew WebsterMay 23You can now print your Cairn ascent on a T-shirt.Jay PetersMay 20Most PopularMost PopularHow Ferrari bungled the design of its first EVThis is MSI’s new Claw 8 EX AI Plus gaming handheldKia’s flagship EV has a battery problemHundreds of prolific Wikipedia editors are threatening to go on strikeNvidia, Microsoft, and Arm are all teasing Nvidia’s new N1X laptop processorsThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.Advertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native adMore in GamingAcer’s launching a Linux handheld for streaming your PC gamesMicrosoft delays Fable (again) to avoid GTA VIAt $549, Lenovo’s Legion Go S gaming handheld is suddenly a good dealThis is MSI’s new Claw 8 EX AI Plus gaming handheldNintendo’s newest WarioWare is a weirdo smartphone appThe line between games and movies keeps getting blurrierAcer’s launching a Linux handheld for streaming your PC gamesStevie BonifieldMay 29Microsoft delays Fable (again) to avoid GTA VIJay PetersMay 29At $549, Lenovo’s Legion Go S gaming handheld is suddenly a good dealCameron FaulknerMay 29This is MSI’s new Claw 8 EX AI Plus gaming handheldJess WeatherbedMay 29Nintendo’s newest WarioWare is a weirdo smartphone appAndrew WebsterMay 28The line between games and movies keeps getting blurrierAndrew WebsterMay 28Advertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native adTop StoriesMay 29Adobe’s conversational AI agent is a mediocre design internMay 29How Ferrari bungled the design of its first EVMay 29Hundreds of prolific Wikipedia editors are threatening to go on strikeMay 29Backrooms is at the forefront of horror’s YouTube waveMay 29Trump’s mass deportations are only possible with racial profiling5 minutes agoThis is the James Bond game we’ve been waiting forThe VergeThe Verge logo.FacebookThreadsInstagramYoutubeRSSContactTip UsCommunity GuidelinesArchivesAboutEthics StatementHow We Rate and Review ProductsCookie SettingsTerms of UsePrivacy NoticeCookie PolicyLicensing FAQAccessibilityPlatform Status© 2026 Vox Media, LLC. All Rights ReservedNotifications DrawerThe VergeThe Verge logo.Sign in to see your notifications or create an account to join the conversation.Sign in

Slots & Daggers is presented as a low-key, fantasy-themed slot machine roguelike designed to be engaging within a short playtime, drawing from concepts found in deckbuilding roguelikes and slot machines to create an engrossing gameplay loop supplemented by steady meta-progression. The game is characterized by its brevity; the solo developer, Friedemann, described it as a mini roguelike that can be completed, including all twelve achievements, in under six hours.

The core gameplay employs a game-within-a-game perspective where the player observes a seedy table featuring items such as drinks, cards, dice, and weaponry, centralized around an electronic machine that serves as the primary interaction point. At the commencement of a run, the player selects three initial pieces of equipment, such as a dagger, a poison blade, or a shield, to initiate the quest. Subsequent turns involve spinning slot machine wheels, which can be three or up to five depending on upgrades. The outcome of these spins is determined by symbols drawn from the equipment accumulated during the run, which then trigger specific actions, such as applying effects or acquiring defenses. A critical hit, simulating a jackpot, is achieved when three identical symbols appear in a row, accompanied by celebratory visual and auditory feedback.

Further enhancing the mechanical depth is the system for accumulating poker chips, which players can spend on modifiers. These modifiers are ingeniously represented as augmentations plugged into the game’s "machine," granting enhancements to attack, defense, the addition of wheels, or even revival options. While the game incorporates elements of chance and randomness inherent to slot machines, the structure skillfully manages the player's sense of agency. The experience can sometimes feel artificially difficult, compelling the player to experience setbacks and upgrade their modifiers to advance. Nevertheless, the structure is designed to provide a satisfying, addictive loop; players continuously receive poker chips after each run, enabling them to purchase stronger modifiers that provide incremental advantages, leading to an engrossing progression that ultimately leaves the player wanting more rather than feeling entirely exhausted.

This dynamic provides the psychological reward often associated with gambling, generating a sense of dopamine through chance without the associated real-world risks. Slots & Daggers is accessible across multiple platforms, being available on PC, the Nintendo Switch, the PlayStation 5, and the Xbox Series X / S.