Game Design: How Much RNG is Too Much RNG?

[Koh]

Another one of those big game design conundrums we developers must face.

For the unware, RNG is an acronym for Random Number Generator.  When talked about for games, it's referring to the randomness of whatever aspect of the game.

There has to be some aspect of randomness involved to make more unique situations and progression, and keep things fresh and unpredictable.  However, there are several instances in several games where players feel cheated out of their victory, simply because the RNG prevented them from succeeding.

A couple of examples I can provide are...

The Janken Mini-Game in Sonic Advance.

I didn't show it in this video particularly, but the potential for losing because of the RNG should be clear.  It is entirely possible, and has happened to me quite a few times, for the panels in hand to all end up as the same sign.  If all that remains are panels with signs that win over all of yours, if you only have those 3 panels left, it's a forced RNG game over.

Puyo Puyo series.

Of course, competitive active puzzle games like Puyo Puyo, Columns and Tetris just to name a few, are rooted in RNG to some degree, where the dropsets are randomized.  The good news is all active players are subject to the same RNG dropset (except in Tetris Friends, which is stupid).  The bad news is, the potential is very high for it to never give you the color you need when you desperately need it, even if you have a good setup prepared for counter attacks.

What can developers do to offset the random factor with the player skill factor?  Is there any way to have a game rooted in randomness and not have it feel entirely against the player?