I’d have to disagree with that- RNG is most definitely a part, but player decision, cost and risk management is even larger. Take Hades for example. Sure, the gods and such you get are random, but each pickup gives you a choice. Or take dead cells with its shops and elite rooms- sure the items are random, but you know what you’re getting before you spend or take a risk. The same continues with games like the binding of isaac- who even makes it a point to have a curse that removes your ability to know (curse of the blind), but in such a way that you can easily balance the risk and reward, with so many items that the chance of getting truly bad ones is minimal. Most roguelights are like this, RNG with player choice.
One of the best examples I can think of for a rogue light is a little underrated game called ‘In Celebration of Violence’. The game has pretty high levels of RNG- with gods to “pray” to (spend points), and weapons to gather, choose, and upgrade. There’s also enchantments- which start out very weak but get stronger as you stack them- but are just as dangerous to you as the enemy (you’re wielding a burning sword, and you expect to not set yourself on fire?) The risks in the game are very apparent, and many of the item pools are split, with certain items appearing in certain pools. There’s also a heavy dose of min-maxing, but that’s not relevant here. Sure, the world is random, but you’ve got control and choice. The ability to make decisions and plan ahead, rather than ‘boon here, I have money, yes or no.’
Heck even in One Step From Eden you’ve got alot of control. Though, it’s mostly in the form of preferences for your run, and keeping/removing cards in shops and/or the end of battle. The items in that game can get pretty wacky too, and it’s still incredibly random. But you have agency.
In chaos wastes, the only choices you have are whether or not you want to spend, and you don’t really have any information about what you’re going to get. (I mean, you know the possibilities, but the pool is either small in the weapons case, with many you may not like using, or simply too large of a risk to break your build or be useless in the boon case.) Of course, due to the heavy skill based elements, the game mode is still vastly entertaining, but it is lacking that player agency- something I’ve always felt lacking in the main game (though grimoires and tomes are a good start).
While occasional, complete random games can be entertaining, they often are enjoyed in small doses. With just a bit more control, or heck even certainty/info on what your reward will be, and if the risk or cost is worth it, I think the mode would be alot more fun to play.