Roguelike-likes we like

Here's some of our favourite descendants of Rogue.

Roguelike can be a surprisingly divisive term. To the purist it means something very specific, but to the wider gaming populace it's a convenient descriptor that evokes a certain style of game. With this opening caveat we hope that purists feel placated, because we understand that without ASCII graphics and strict adherence to a selection of rules, a game isn't a true roguelike. However, it's not as simple as that, and with the word having different connotations for two very different groups, we're going to talk about it in relation to the way that it's perceived by the wider gaming industry.

So what is a roguelike? Well, to the purist, it's a game based closely on the original Rogue (1980). As you can see in the screen below the graphics are incredibly simple, something that over the years has stayed the same, with developers of subsequent games using their time to instead focus purely on gameplay. Rogue has proved inspirational, and in the years since its release, new developers have launched and then iterated upon titles like NetHack and Angband, which stay true to nearly all of the core pillars that defined the original.

However, the story doesn't stop there, and the mechanics that stayed relatively niche for more than three decades have in recent years seeped into games of all shapes and sizes. Permadeath and procedural generation are the features used most regularly in other games, but there's plenty more that get adapted and used in contemporary titles the world over. These games come with different descriptions, but often (and sometimes wrongly) they're simply known as roguelikes. Occasionally they're referred to as roguelike-likes, other times they're called roguelites. (The former implies it borrows elements from past roguelikes, the latter suggests there's an element of progression instead of pure permadeath.)

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In this article we're going to look at some of the most prominent examples of games made using mechanics drawn from the original Rogue, but this will also act as a primer, because starting soon we're going to start a regular livestream show where we'll be playing a new roguelike-like-lite-whatever every week (or thereabouts). So stay tuned for news on that, and in the meantime check out this list of Rogue-inspired titles that we love.

Spelunky - It was Spelunky back in 2008 that started bringing roguelikes into the public eye. The version that most people know about is the updated 2012 edition that was reworked by creator Derek "Mossmouth" Yu for Xbox Live, and which has since landed on a bunch of different platforms. Spelunky fuses permadeath and procedural level generation with platforming that feels straight out of the golden age of Nintendo. Out of all of the games listed here, this is the one that most easily qualifies as a modern classic. If you don't have a copy of Spelunky in your life, sort it out now.

FTL: Faster Than Light - A favourite of ours that was great upon release but which got improved to the point of perfection with the Enhanced Edition that also landed on tablets. Guide your craft through a procedurally generated star map, manage your crew, upgrade your equipment, and battle alien enemies in tense pausable real-time combat. Faster Than Light lets the player captain their ship through some precarious scenarios, and no two adventures are ever the same. Just beware the giant alien spiders!

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Downwell - A mobile offering that brings arcade platforming to the table. As the name implies you need to head down deep into the well, jumping on the heads of enemies, collecting power-ups, and stringing together combos of head-stomping and gunboot-shooting kills. It's the perfect on-the-go option, with quickfire rounds that rarely drag on too long. We love the visuals, which are low-fi but manage to express a lot of really important info quickly and efficiently. Well worth a download (even on PC).

Crypt of the Necrodancer - Several core roguelike features are present in Crypt of the Necrodancer, but they're wrapped up in a delicious rhythm-based format that makes this a really unique proposition. As in the original Rogue, players move one tile at a time, but the key difference here is that the action plays out to a chiptune beat. Every enemy busts out its own moves, and its up to the player to learn how to dance around their opponents. There's a great progression system in play whereby diamonds found hidden in each level unlock items to be found in subsequent play-throughs, and there's plenty of different practice modes to unlock too.

Enter the Gungeon - Roguelike meets bullethell in Dodge Roll's blistering shooter. It's not for the faint hearted, but then again, nearly all of the games on this list are characterised by a stern challenge. We'd venture that Enter the Gungeon perhaps pushes it a touch too far, but don't let that put you off, because while this top-down shooter might enjoy putting you down again and again, coming through the other end and beating those bosses is all the more satisfying for it. Obviously, with a name such as this, you can expect plenty of guns to unlock as you play, and while not all of them are memorable, some of them are immensely entertaining.

Nuclear Throne - Vlambeer's entry into the roguelike space is typically arcadey, but also typically good. There's a bunch of different playable characters/mutants to play as, and each comes with a slightly different bag of tricks that can be used to help you advance through the challenging post-apocalyptic levels, and you can level them up as you go. There's a cracking soundtrack, plenty of enemy types, and a bunch of tense gunfights waiting for you in this top-down pixelated masterpiece.

Darkest Dungeon - One of the games on this list that sits furthest away from the original Rogue is Darkest Dungeon, a side-scrolling team-based dungeon crawler that has brave adventurers scouring the deepest depths in search of loot and glory, all the while avoiding madness at the hands of the creatures that reside in the darkness of its procedurally generated dungeons. Perhaps there's a little bit too much made of the mental health element, which at times results in whole teams flaking out en masse during crucial battles, but apart that this is an engaging and challenging take on the genre that's well worth your time.

Invisible, Inc. - Another contender for furthest outlier is Klei's brilliant Invisible, Inc. (the same studio made Don't Starve too, which some will no doubt argue could have also made this list). This turn-based game features procedurally generated missions, vulnerable secret agents, and a bunch of really cool gadgets to help you get in and out of scrapes. It's balanced brilliantly, and in any play-through there'll be more than one close call, but careful planning and a bit of luck will often see you through. It's not the most challenging of titles on this list, but it's certainly one of the most exciting.

Galak-Z: The Dimensional - Saving the best for last? Others might disagree, but it's probably our pick of the bunch. Galak-Z puts you in the cockpit of a transforming space ship, and throughout the adventure you can switch between star fighter and giant mecha, depending on the scenario and how you want to play it. There's a progression system that neatly rewards your progress through the missions, and a campaign that unlocks five missions at a time. This one is full of referential nods that'll speak to sci-fi fans, and it boasts controls that, while aren't easy to pick up, are a pleasure to master.

There's an even longer list of games that nearly made the cut, with cracking titles such as Teleglitch, Rogue Legacy, and The Binding of Isaac warranting a mention. In the coming months on GR Live we'll cover all of these games and more, so stay tuned for plenty of roguelike-like-lite-whatever goodness in the months ahead.