The Roguelike Game Genre
The term “roguelike” describes a genre of roleplaying-style games that have features inspired by the eponymous “Rogue” game that was popular in the early 1980s. They are characterized by dungeon crawl gameplay through levels that change, making each playthrough a unique experience. You start with a base character and build them up, such as by acquiring items and equipment. Roguelike games feature permadeath, meaning that if your character dies, you have to start all over from the base again. The idea is that you can’t become proficient at a game through rote memorization. Instead, you have to practice and become skilled in order to do well. Modern game developers have taken the principles of roguelike games and developed new games around them, expanding them to other gaming genres and tweaking the parameters to create different experiences. This has led to other terms to describe these games, such as “roguelite” and “roguelike-like.” Wayward Souls is a tense but fun experience, making you aware of every mistake you make, forcing you to learn how to use your characters better. With the variety of character types and the difficulty of reaching the next dungeon, it has the kind of depth that will keep playing for a long time without boredom. But if it proves to be too difficult, there are cheat codes! If you’ve played Rocketcat’s other action-RPG Mage Gauntlet, you’ll find better controls and systems in Wayward Souls, along with greater replayability and more character types to use. It’s a dramatic improvement. Download Wayward Souls The game puts a lot of hazards in your way. Enemies have particular behaviors that must be learned, and you’ll have to use your abilities wisely. Throwing your spear might help you out, but you have to go pick it up, and in the meantime, you lose the ability to lunge through enemies. Your shield bash is helpful, you’ll be without it for a few turns. Through determination and effort, you should be able to eventually get the golden fleece. Your score is tracked, and if you pass up the upgrade blessings along the way, you can get more points and skip the fleece to go even further in pursuit of a higher score. And there are lots awaiting you if you want to keep going, and that’s without mentioning the challenge mode. Hoplite is also available on iOS, where the game has picked up extra attention and acclaim. Download Hoplite There is an end-goal, but with plenty of upgrades and replayability, reaching that goal will only leave you wanting to dive in again. Quadropus Rampage is more casual-friendly than perhaps Wayward Souls, but it is still plenty challenging. The developers, Butterscotch Shenanigans, offer other games like Crashlands, and there is a documentary available on Steam about its production, particularly as one of the developers has had to deal with two bouts of cancer during its development. Download Quadropus Rampage The initial release of the game was great and since then a major Omega Edition update built on that greatness with dramatically revamped art, gameplay improvements, and a new game mode in which you can find the ships you’ve lost before. Definitely check this one out. Download Out There: Ω Edition
