If you’ve read any of my articles, you may have detected a theme: I like video games. One of my favorite genres is the Rogue-like. Rogue-like video games are games that are usually characterized by going through a dungeon through procedurally generated game levels, and permanent death of the player-character.
1. "Dungeon Souls"
I loved playing "Dungeon Souls" and I played as a Barbarian. Each level is completely procedurally generated so every playthrough is guaranteed to have unique environments and encounters. You have to search for and activate all the circles placed in each level to unlock the dungeon portal and escape from the Redeemer. I’ve accidentally triggered the Redeemer’s appearance more times than I’d like to admit. The end goal is to free your soul, but there’s a ton of replayability, since each playthrough the enemies are harder (if you survive that long).
2. "Lost Castle"
What I liked about "Lost Castle" is the fact that although death is permanent, the player finds out after their first death that their soul is immortal. Also, work they did with their former lives can be used to purchase upgrades, such as better weapons and more health. Each time the player is reincarnated they look different and have a different weapon (although there are a limited amount of weapons and character models, so eventually you'll get a repeat).
3. "Enter the Gungeon"
"Enter the Gungeon" follows a band of misfits seeking their way to personal absolution by reaching the legendary Gungeon’s ultimate treasure: the gun that can kill the past. It’s silly, fun, and has an amazing soundtrack. There also happens to be many, many puns, which delights me.
4. "Rogue Legacy"
"Rogue Legacy" is a genealogical rogue-like game, so it’s a bit more unique than the rest listed. Each time the player-character dies, their child will succeed them. I personally enjoyed the diversity, since every child is unique. One child might be colorblind, another might have vertigo, one might have dyslexia, and they could even be a dwarf. The game is hard, but it’s the good kind of hard, since every time you die the gold you accumulate goes to your child, making the permanent death not so bad.
5. "The Binding of Isaac"
This game was especially interesting to me since there are obvious religious references. When Isaac’s mother starts hearing the voice of God demanding a sacrifice be made to prove her faith, Isaac escapes into the basement facing droves of deranged enemies, lost brothers and sisters, his fears, and eventually his mother. The game is really hard at first while figuring out the controls and movement of the enemies, but it’s definitely worth playing.
Of course, there are many other Rogue-like games out there, this time I just focused on Dungeon Crawlers. I hope I introduced you to some new video games, and I hope you love them as much as I do.
