You want to try out some new and awesome roguelike games? You’ve come to the right place. With this list we try to provide an overview of roguelike titles that all are special in their very own way.
The games are not ranked in a way, so please give each one a chance on your review. Each one won a special place in our heart for pursuing to be unique and special. But what is roguelike like?
Roguelike is a subgenre of video games. Roguelike games usually consist of procedurally generated content. That means they have a very high replaying potential which accounts for long term entertainment. The name is derived from the first game that introduced these features, called Rogue, in 1980.
There are some differentiations between what a roguelike is and what a rogue-lite is but for the sake of listing great games, we considered both variations of this type of gameplay.
Here’s what we came up with…
Lost Sea
Do you think there’s more to the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle? In Lost Sea you wake up on a strange island after a storm. You explore islands, improve your ship, find companions and face all kinds of adventures. Palm beach all around you but this journey won’t be a vacation.
Genre: Action, Adventure, Indie
Developer: Eastasiasoft Limited
Publisher: Eastasiasoft Limited
Release Date: July 2016
Price: $14.99
Neon Chrome
The setting of Neon Chrome is a pseudo 80s cyberpunk world in which you immerse yourself into different types of agents to stop the “Overseer” from doing evil things. Grab some weapons and cyborg implants and battle through corporate buildings.
Genre: Action, Adventure, Indie, RPG
Developer: 10tons Ltd
Publisher: 10tons Ltd
Release Date: April 2016
Price: $14.99
Rogue Legacy
Fancy a fantasy setting? Maybe Rogue Legacy is more for you. This genealogical roguelike game lets you choose a hero type at the beginning of your journey. When you die, you get to try your luck again, playing as the son or the daughter of your previous character. Heroes in Rogue Legacy can also happen to have interesting weaknesses like being colorblind or being dyslexic – an exciting new aspect to gaming.
Genre: Action, Indie, RPG
Developer: Cellar Door Games
Publisher: Cellar Door Games
Release Date: June 2013
Price: $14.99
The Swindle
This roguelike possibly puts a little stronger emphasis on stealth and sneaking. The Swindle allows you to be a cyber-criminal in a steampunk world. Enter different kinds of buildings and get some loot, but hurry you’re on a mission with a time limit.
Developer: Size Five Games
Publisher: Size Five Games
Release Date: July 2015
Price: $14.99
EVERSPACE
If you like roguelike games, but you’re not so much into retro gaming graphics, you might enjoy EVERSPACE. This game is in early access stage, which means it’s playable but not yet complete. Explore space in this ever-changing universe and enjoy the mix of fast-paced action with calm and beautiful visuals as you venture through space.
Genre: Action, Indie, Early Access
Developer: ROCKFISH Games
Publisher: ROCKFISH Games
Release Date: September 2016 (early access)
Price: $29.99
Shattered Planet
Explore worlds without real-time combat stress. With Shattered Planet you get a roguelike that leverages a turn-based gameplay on a tiled level design. You’ll encounter odd species, exotic places, and items that are not always useful but always very interesting.
Genre: Indie, RPG, Strategy
Developer: Kitfox Games
Publisher: Kitfox Games
Release Date: July 2014
Price: $14.99
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
To say this roguelike game is creepy would be an understatement and it’s not a game for kids. What is The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth? Think a retro Zelda dungeon game meets a level of bizarre like you’d encounter in Silent Hill. It’s a part of a series, so make sure you’ll find the right way into the franchise and not buy a version that you didn’t mean to buy.
Genre: Action
Developer: Nicalis, Inc.
Publisher: Nicalis, Inc.
Release Date: November 2014
Price: $14.99
Crypt of the NecroDancer
Did you like the idea of the Zelda-like dungeons? If you’re not in for creepy settings, you’ll then might enjoy Crypt of the NecroDancer. The pun on necromancer is no mistake. This is a roguelike game with a focus on music and rhythm gameplay. An absorbing approach to say the least and you can even load up your own mp3 files.
Genre: Action, Indie, RPG
Developer: Brace Yourself Games
Publisher: Brace Yourself Games, Klei Entertainment
Release Date: Apr 23, 2015
Price: $14.99
Darkest Dungeon
Sometimes there’s a game that pursues an angle apart from mainstream entertainment. Darkest Dungeon focuses on the psychological stress of your dungeon-venturing heroes. This isn’t theater, and this isn’t dramaturgy. This is the concept of hope and survival. You not only need some real steel but great willpower if you want to succeed.
Genre: Indie, RPG, Strategy
Developer: Red Hook Studios
Publisher: Red Hook Studios
Release Date: January 2016
Price: $24.99
Ziggurat
Not a fun of top-down roguelike games? No problem, we got you covered! Ziggurat is a roguelike dungeon crawler build like a first-person-shooter (FPS). Learn spells and take on enemy minions with your powerful magic as a neophyte sorcerer. This game is much more action-oriented and fast-paced than others of our list. If the other games of our list were too slow for you, you’d enjoy this one.
Genre: Action, Indie, RPG
Developer: Milkstone Studios
Publisher: Milkstone Studios
Release Date: October 2014
Price: $14.99
You’re a die-hard roguelike fan, and we forgot to include your favorite games? Why not share them with us below in the comment section? Many thanks for reading and have fun!
Photo credit: Blake Patterson / Images are copyrighted by the respective studios and publishers.
Source: Steam
Editorial notice: Some of the publishers have provided us with press copies of their games. No prioritization has happened because of that. Metadata was sourced from the respective game entries on Steam. Prices may vary by region or platform and are subject to change.
