Roguelites and their less forgiving cousin, roguelikes, are two of the most popular video game genres of the 2020s. Sometimes I get the feeling that half of all newly released indie games fall into one of these two genres.
Personally, they don’t really jibe with me. I prefer a well-crafted story campaign with a proper ending, where beating the game isn’t just the beginning. However, every rule has exceptions, and I found myself loving the following 10 games for one reason or another.
1
Hades
If you’re like me and like playing games with well-crafted story campaigns but can’t get into roguelites, check out Hades; there’s a good chance it’ll click with you.
You’ll die a lot in Hades, and you’ll have to start over and over again, but the game feeds you story crumbs every time you’re brought back. It also includes a number of story bits that you occasionally stumble upon during a run, which flesh out the world, its inhabitants, and the overarching narrative.
The constantly unraveling story keeps you hooked and provides you with rewards that make dying a crucial part of the equation if you want to find out what’s going on in the Greek Underworld. Then you’ve got the cast made of a diverse set of characters, many of which have their own tales you’ll discover while playing the game.
The other half of the formula, the combat and upgrades, are some of the best in the business. Mastering your favorite weapons feels great, the bosses provide plenty of adrenaline-pumping fights that turn into ravishing moments of triumph, and the upgrade system is generous enough that you’ll beat the game sooner or later, as long as you persevere.
2
Cobalt Core
Similar to Hades, Cobalt Core is a roguelike with an intriguing story that unfolds gradually with each successful run. While you have to be successful to solve the mystery of why you’re stuck in this time-defying loop, the game avoids constantly putting you into unfair situations.
As long as you don’t make your card deck too thick, don’t jump headlong into combat encounters, and take good care of your ship, there’s a good chance you’ll finish almost every run victorious. This is what won me over: the sense of challenge, but freed from those ridiculous difficulty spikes that can instantly ruin a good run.
I also like that the game combines deckbuilding and tactical combat with great success. It also offers a slew of various upgrades, new crew members and ships, as well as troves of new cards that allow you to get really creative with most crew combinations.
3
Spelunky 2
Contrary to Cobalt Core, Spelunky 2 is one of the hardest games of all time. This one doesn’t just offer an almost insurmountable challenge; it’s filled with objectively unfair gotcha moments that usually end up with a gruesome and unwarrantable death, which can get super frustrating.
However, the runs are so short (half the time, you’ll die after less than 10 minutes), the levels are crafted with the utmost care, and the primary gameplay loop is so addictive that I got over its unfair difficulty after a few days and kept playing it for months.
Spelunky 2 turned into a daily ritual, an hour-long warm-up session before diving into other games. In the end, I didn’t beat the game. However, despite its difficulty, I had so much fun with it that I can recommend it to anyone who likes arduously difficult games but doesn’t enjoy roguelites due to their lengthy runs.
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4
FTL: Faster Than Light
FTL: Faster Than Light came out in 2012 and is one of the pioneers of the roguelike revival. Back then, permadeath was a novel concept, usually found only on the highest difficulty settings in a select few titles, but FTL made it a core gameplay tenet.
Couple permadeath with real-time-with-pause gameplay, challenging combat encounters, brief runs compared to what we have today, and gameplay design that always allows you to approach a problem from multiple angles, and you’ve got one of the best indie titles of the 2010s.
I loved the game back in the day. What kept me engaged was the fantastic gameplay loop, terse runs, meaningful upgrades and unlocks, and tons of tough decisions you have to make during each playthrough. Even today, FTL is one of the best examples of this now-crowded genre and an easy recommendation to gamers who don’t really like roguelites.
5
Dead Cells
Do you love Metroidvanias, especially those with fast-paced, dynamic combat that constantly keeps you on your toes? If you do, Dead Cells might be a game for you even if roguelites aren’t your thing.
I simply adore this game. Initially, I was hooked on trying to unlock every ability, which would subsequently unlock previously inaccessible levels. Then I got hooked on the meta progression and unlocking new weapons.
What kept me going was the fantastic combat, runs where you’re free to choose where to go next, lots of rewarding exploration, and tons of secrets to unveil. In the end, I acquired all the DLC packs and spent over 60 hours playing this gem of a game.
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6
Returnal
Talking about combat, Returnal is the king of the genre. Fighting alien hordes doesn’t get better than this. Housemarque managed to implement elements of their previous shmup works into a fully 3D action title and marry them with fast-paced third-person shooter gameplay with stunning success.
Returnal also features the slickest movement mechanics ever, where you hold the reins at every second and where mistakes are fully your fault. Another highlight is the boss battles that can match, and even surpass, the best boss encounters found in FromSoftware titles.
The game’s world-building and atmosphere are triumphs of game design. Together, they create a brooding, bleak alien world lush with intricate details and awe-inspiring scenes.
Add a mystery-filled story that slowly unfolds with each successful run, a well-balanced difficulty curve with plenty of run-based upgrades that allow you to salvage even unlucky runs, a constant sense of discovery, and the end result is my personal highlight of 2023 (the PC version came out in 2023) and the best PlayStation game of this generation.
The level of challenge feels just right when played with a mouse and keyboard, but I feel for console players, as the game can feel too fast and demands too much precision to be fully enjoyable with a controller. If you have access to a gaming PC, I strongly recommend it over PlayStation 5.
7
Roboquest
Roboquest is like a first-person Returnal with an equally accomplished movement system. In contrast to Returnal, Roboquest is dripping with vibrant colors and bright, cell-shaded art design. It also includes a ton of permanent upgrades that make the game less unforgiving the more you play it, similar to Hades.
The runs here are relatively brief but chock-full of blood-pumping, intense shootouts that will see you pull off more actions per minute than in a competitive Starcraft match. The levels are relatively compact, allowing you to quickly advance through each run without having to spend unnecessary time exploring dead ends, which I really like.
Overall, this is a fantastic, fast-paced FPS with tons of charm that should be a savory meal even for gamers who aren’t into roguelites.
8
Slay the Spire
I’ve always loved deckbuilders and trading card games, so I had to try Slay the Spire back when it entered Steam Early Access at the tail end of 2017. Despite not really being into early access nor roguelite games, I consider Slay the Spire one of my favorite games ever.
The game’s cast of playable characters, each with their own unique approach and arsenal, and multiple ways to combine apparently mediocre cards into game-breaking combos is what makes Slay the Spire stand out from other similar games. Clever boss encounters and elite enemies that often feel even harder to beat than bosses didn’t hurt either.
Compared to other roguelites, Slay the Spire offers succinct runs made of relatively brief combat encounters and random events that never feel too generous or straight unfair. The amount of unlockable cards is also commendable, as is the fact that unlocking more cards doesn’t reduce your chances of creating a powerful deck, an issue that mars many other roguelite deckbuilders.
Eight years later, I have clocked more than 150 hours into the PC version, about half that on the Switch version, and I can’t wait for the sequel!
9
Balatro
While Balatro is a completely different beast than Slay the Spire, I love them both equally. In Balatro, you’re playing a video game version of poker, where your goal is to increase multipliers and combos until numbers become meaningless.
You always start with the same deck of cards and don’t have to worry about mana points or about unlocking new cards you can use in future runs.
While not having permanent card unlocks might sound like a negative, it isn’t. Thanks to the game’s insanely rich collection of jokers you can mix and match to create ridiculously powerful multipliers, fast-paced rounds that end before you know it, and multiple types of upgrades that slowly then suddenly turn your deck into a combo monster, Balatro is arguably the most fun roguelike deckbuilder ever.
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10
Inscryption
Though it could be argued that Inscryption isn’t really a roguelite, it sure looks like one. To be honest, it kind of is, to an extent. It’s complicated. But, believe me, you shouldn’t pass this one even if you aren’t into roguelites. All I’m going to say is that you can properly beat it only once and that the game’s story really is something else.
If you persevere, the game turns into a never-ending stream of bewildering moments where you constantly ask yourself, “Is this even real?!” accompanied by stunning art direction and a hefty collection of engaging gameplay loops that never overstay their welcome.
Inscryption is a unique beast, a game of smoke and mirrors that hides mind-blowing moments under its roguelite veil. A masterpiece that every gamer should experience at least once.
If you’d rather play games with an amazing story, we’ve got you covered. You ought to also check out games where you aren’t the main hero and choose-your-own-adventure titles that unravel new story bits with each new playthrough.