What is Roguelike? A Deep Dive into the Genre
In this article, we’ll explore a popular genre among indie game developers, even capturing Sony’s attention at one point: roguelike games. What defines a roguelike? What are its key features? If you’re curious, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s delve into the genre’s history before discussing its defining characteristics.
# Roguelike Explained
The roguelike genre blends RPG and dungeon crawler elements. Simply put, it’s a highly replayable genre where players lose all progress upon defeat. The “Berlin Interpretation,” a set of defining features, was established in 2008 at the International Roguelike Development Conference.
# The Berlin Interpretation (2008)
This framework outlines the core characteristics of roguelike games:
* Random Environment Generation: The game world is randomly generated for each playthrough.
* Permadeath: Losing means losing all progress, forcing a fresh start.
* Turn-Based: Every player command equates to an action. No time constraints exist for planning actions.
* Grid-Based: The game is built on a uniform grid of tiles. Each unit, regardless of size, occupies a single tile.
* Non-Modal: Movement, combat, and other actions occur in the same mode.
* Complexity: The game offers diverse solutions to specific goals. Items and their interactions with enemies are crucial.
* Resource Management: Players must manage limited resources and find uses for newly acquired ones.
* Hack’n Slash: Roguelikes involve a significant amount of monster slaying. They adopt a “player versus world” structure, lacking diplomacy or faction interactions among enemies.
* Exploration: Careful exploration of dungeons is essential. Each playthrough provides a new exploration experience.
The 2008 conference also highlighted *ADOM*, *Angband*, *Crawl*, *Nethack*, and *Rogue* as foundational games for the genre.
While influential, this interpretation is debated today. Genre definitions are becoming increasingly blurred. Still, modern roguelikes often incorporate several of these characteristics.
# The Origin of Roguelike
The roguelike genre derives its name from *Rogue*, a 1980 text-based RPG and dungeon crawler. This ASCII-based game was playable even on computer terminals. It later appeared on platforms like Amiga, Commodore 64, and Nintendo Switch. According to the Berlin Interpretation, *Rogue* is a cornerstone of the genre. The term “Rogue-like” refers to this specific genre, not simply games similar to *Rogue*. The original *Rogue* is available on Steam.
# The Rise of Roguelite
Despite some disagreements, roguelike games generally adhere to their established formulas. This led to the emergence of a subgenre: “rogue-lite.” *Hades* and *Hades II*, developed by Supergiant Games, are excellent examples of rogue-lite games.
# Roguelite vs. Roguelike: What’s the Difference?
While genres are increasingly intertwined, subtle differences exist between roguelike and rogue-lite. Games that don’t strictly adhere to the Berlin Interpretation often fall into the rogue-lite category. The Berlin Interpretation has strict, defined rules. Rogue-lite expands the genre’s scope, loosening those rigid boundaries.
*Spelunky* is considered a pioneer of the rogue-lite genre. Its release shortly after the Berlin Interpretation contributed significantly to the subgenre’s growth. *The Binding of Isaac*, *Rogue Legacy*, and *FTL: Faster Than Light* followed. Unlike the turn-based, grid-based roguelikes, these are platformer games with core roguelike elements.
While all roguelike and rogue-lite games contain role-playing elements, they may not fully fit the RPG definition. RPGs also have specific rules, which rogue-like games don’t always meet.
# Modern Roguelike and Roguelite Games
Few have played the original *Rogue* or pre-PC/console games. Considering our website’s audience, we think you’ll be more interested in modern titles. Therefore, we’ve compiled a list of modern roguelike and rogue-lite games (often intertwined). If you’re interested in the genre, check out these titles:
* Returnal
* Dead Cells
* Hades
* Vampire Survivors
* Balatro
* Darkest Dungeon 2
* FTL: Faster Than Light
* Caves of Qud
* Risk of Rain 2
* Slay The Spire
* Inscryption
* Noita
* Loop Hero
* Enter the Gungeon
* The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
* Hades 2
This is just a small selection from the extensive roguelike library. We’ve included some of the best and most accessible games for newcomers.
We’ve covered what roguelike is, its characteristics, and notable games. If you still have questions, feel free to ask in the comments. Happy gaming!