What are the best roguelikes/roguelites on PC?

The game is still in active development meaning there are devs responsible for adding features as well as fixing bugs. This is on top of the fact that the game is completely open-source meaning anyone can help with the development as well as use the code for their own projects. See More

Top Pro

Actively developed and open-source

Top Con

Difficult to learn at first

This could be a pro for some but for many this will turn them away from the game. See More

Top Pro

Open world

C:DDA is a sandbox game that takes place in post-apocalyptic New England. The lack of fixed sections (traditionally, roguelikes were in a multi-level dungeon) and not having a strictly defined goal makes the game particularly unique among roguelikes. See More

Top Con

Base game is limited

The base game only offers minimal sound and effects, if a user wants better quality sounds they will need to download and install an external package. See More

Top Pro

Easily change difficulty settings

While playing if you feel the game is too tough the difficulty can be changed in order to make it behave in the manner to ones liking. See More

Top Con

Difficult to install on Linux

Top Pro

Open source and very moddable, making for a game that anyone can change to their liking

The mod community is pretty active on this game, and you can create some really cool things with the tools they already provide. This way anyone can change their game to how they like. See More

Top Pro

Easily build and use vehicles

Top Pro

Classic computer gameplay that offers a lot of nostalgia

Get taken back to when games were completely made of ascii letters and your imagination. Venture forth as an @ and survive the wild. With the classic ASCII art, it is hard to ignore that this is not a graphical powerhouse, but of course that is part of the fun, allowing your imagination to fill in this void. See More

Top Pro

Graphics can be used instead of ASCII, for those that would enjoy something more visual

Not supported on every version of the game, but you can have a graphical experience if you want by using a graphical tileset for the game. This will need to be done manually. See More

Top Pro

Free for anyone to download and try, which leaves no one out

The game is free of cost as well as open-source, meaning that anyone can download the game, install it and play it. See More

Top Pro

Being in constant active developed allows the game to constantly grow

Experimental releases exit a few times in a single day. Many people are working on finding bugs, and developers are quickly fixing them and adding new features. This makes for a situation where the game is constantly growing and improving. See More

Top Pro

Super involved gameplay that allows the user to dive deep into the mechanics of the game

Everything from weather to crafting to martial arts are accounted for in Cataclysm. You can spend hours mastering the depths of this games systems that allow you to play however you want. See More

A roguelike that has deck building might sound weird at first, but it's a surprisingly fun concept. You can select one of the classes (decks), choose a path on the spire, fight monsters using your deck, get new cards to improve your deck, and even fight bosses. There's enough strategy, depth, and randomness in all of this, which can make it really satisfying when you make a great deck, win a difficult battle, or get extremely lucky. See More

Slay the Spire

Top Pro

A great mix of genres

Top Con

Graphics aren't that good

The graphics are quite simplistic, which can be disappointing for others. See More

ConvivialAcheron's Experience

It is very short and depends heavily on certain builds, for example stacking armor and using armor related skills. I finished the game in one hour with the first character and refunded, but I will follow it and see how much more content it gets in the future. See More

Top Pro

Intriguing world

Slay the Spire features a desolate land with just a massive tower called "The Spire" looming over it. No one knows why it's there, why it's inhabited by otherwordly creatures, and why heroes from far away are drawn to it. This makes progressing through the game a lot more interesting because you're gradually uncovering this mystery through the eyes of your character. See More

Top Con

Some cards can feel impractical because of randomness

There a really good cards(usually involving exhaust and poison mechanics) that don't really work by themselves, requiring you to have another card for a synergy effect. If you only have one of the cards, it can feel like dead weight that hinders your current playthrough, making it even more frustrating when you can't find a matching card because of randomness. See More

Bill Yang's Experience

Best card rpg ever! See More

Top Pro

A pay to play card game

Card games usually are free to play, endlessly milking their players for money with new card releases and expansions. Slay the Spire is an exception, having only a single purchase that helps sustain its developers. This helps you to enjoy the game without worrying that your wallet is not thick enough to keep up with all the new releases. It also helps keep out trolls and heralds of the microtransaction apocalypse, which can feel really nice. See More

Top Con

Not much content yet

There's not much content yet, game is still in early access. Finished the game relatively fast. See More

Top Pro

Fast paced, strategic gameplay

Because of the deckbuilding aspect, there are a lot of decisions to make in Slay the Spire. There are decision points nearly every second this game is open, and almost none are inconsequential. See More

Top Con

Limited to just singeplayer

There's no multiplayer or co-op in Slay the Spire. While competitive multiplayer in a roguelite can sound absurd, co-op would've been a lot of fun, especially with a friend. See More

Top Pro

Varied Challenges

There are daily challenges with special rules and mix ups. Different characters that have their own decks and strategies. Keeps things fresh. See More

Top Con

Reliant on certain builds

The game becomes too difficult and punishes you for not following a certain set of abilities. See More

The gameplay itself is quite straightforward, making for mechanics that can be picked up within a few minutes of playing. Of course the challenge of the game is a whole other mater as like most roguelikes, this game can be quite challenging. See More

Brogue

Top Pro

Easy to get into, hard to master

Top Con

No classes

While not having any classes for the main character means that any item can be equipped it does make for less replayability due to not having different classes to try out on multiple playthroughs. See More

Specs

Genre:Roguelike

Co-Op:None

Controller Support:No

The graphics of the game consist entirely of ASCII characters which keeps the design simple and easy to understand. See More

Top Pro

Simple and easy to understand design

Top Con

Difficult to learn

You can easily get confused by this game, unless you have prior knowledge of what's going on. See More

Top Pro

Free to download and play for anyone

Doesn't cost a dime as the game is free to download and play. Which is great as there is no obstacle to one trying the game out. See More

Top Pro

Good graphics that are easy on the eyes

The game's dark, modern graphics help to make the game playable and look good even if you have very sensitive eyes. See More

Top Pro

Perfectly balanced rather than filled with features

The balancing is done quite well, as there is just enough elements to the gameplay to keep one interested without being overly complex or heavy weight. See More

Top Pro

Can be played on persons preferred platform

It can be played on Mac OS X, Windows, or Linux, and on mobile devices running iOS or Android . See More

Top Pro

Open source

Dead Cells encourages fast-paced gameplay and requires quick reactions. The hits are impactful, the controls are super-responsive, and it's overall very fluid. The game has a good variety of weapons, skills and enemies that all change how the game plays out. Some weapons work best if the enemy is bleeding, some skills hurl enemies at you, some enemies are immune to attacks from the front. Which items you find and decide to keep will change what approach to combat you need to take. See More

Dead Cells

Top Pro

Satisfying combat with a good amount of depth to it

Top Con

Shallow story

The story feels totally inconsequential. There isn't much going on with the plot, and what little is there is pretty forgettable. You feel motivated by the progression of the game rather than any emotional connection to the story. If you're looking for something with a stronger narrative to go with the good gameplay, this isn't it. See More

Mateleo's Experience

I one word Genius ! See More

Specs

Genre:Roguelike, Metroidvania, Action, Platformer

All the little details come together to make Dead Cells incredibly rewarding to play. Making one mistake can mean death, which makes the game challenging but also fun as you learn how to take on certain enemies with different sets of weapons and skills. Also, every level is procedurally-generated, so even when you die and have to restart it feels unique and different every time. This keeps the game from ever getting old, even after you finish the game on the highest difficulty level. See More

Top Pro

Brilliant game design that presents a good challenge

Top Con

Frustrating for players new to roguelikes

If you're new to the genre, this may not be the best place to start. The game gives you one life (except with a certain perk), so if you die, then your whole run is over. This would be fine if it wasn't so easy to lose all your health in an instant and fall back to level one. This makes it frustrating if you spend a lot of time on a run only for it to all go down the drain from a small mistake. The punishing difficulty can be pretty overwhelming for newcomers unless you're really looking to push yourself. See More

Top Pro

Beautiful pixel art graphics

The pixel models for your character and the enemies manage to feel modern in the way the animations flow swiftly from movement to movement. The colorful art design is a nice throwback to the retro games that inspired Dead Cells. It goes hand-in-hand with the side-scrolling gameplay, with a cool look to the monster and gadget designs. The reds, blues, and greens especially pop a lot to give the game a distinct look to help it stand apart from others in the same genre. See More

Top Pro

The developers put a lot of love and care into the game

Throughout its time in Early Access, the creators of Dead Cells consistently updated the game with new features, adding entirely new areas and weapons each time. The game could have honestly been released a while ago and fared decently, but they kept making it better. Even more importantly though, the developers took player feedback into account many times. The devs love the game and the community and it shows through their work. See More

This is the Rogue-like for more strategic minded players who enjoy fantasy settings. Great games with 100s (or even 1000s) of hours of gameplay. See More

58 Other Games Considered

Tales of Maj'Eyal

Top Pro

Huge number of classes, races & skill customization options

Top Con

Graphics may not appeal to everyone

Mostly because they are a mix of styles assembled throughout the lifetime of the project instead of one consistent whole. See More

ProductiveCromCruach's Experience

3 Years of playing, it never gets old, there is still something to explore. See More

Top Pro

Action-packed gameplay

Everything here is about fighting and killing. No god to serve, no starving. You have to fully focus on surviving from hordes of orcs, ghouls, etc. Simple enough to get started, but really challenging to master. Also, the parchments you find tell you everything about the legend on Maj'Eyal. See More

Top Con

The depth is enormous

It might be easy to learn, but it is also hard to master. This can ward off some players. See More

CharmingEidothea's Experience

One of the best, if not the best Rogue-like game out there! Easy to learn... hard to master. Always a challenge! Took over 1.5 years of hard play to win my first game. See More

Top Pro

Interface with MMO style

The style of the interface clearly remembers the interface of almost all the MMORPG, increasing the immersion. See More

Top Con

Artwork is outdated

Very subjective, but the artwork just looks really outdated. See More

Top Pro

Difficult settings

You can choose the difficulty of your game, from roguelite to real roguelike. See More

Top Con

Controls

The controls are relatively confusing. See More

Top Pro

An Overworld, filled with numerous quests and areas to expore

Instead of having one big dungeon as with most roguelikes, Tales of Maj'eyal has an overworld with many different dungeons and the occasional town (which often contain shops and side quests). See More

Top Pro

A lot of depth through many character classes and quests

Top Pro

Cool particle effects

Despite the overall low graphical quality of the game, it has some really nice particle effects on the skills and magic. See More

Top Pro

Music and soundtracks

This game has one of the best soundtracks I met in games. The tranquility of woods and meadows or the ferociousness of battlefield, music is always in line with the surroundings. See More

Top Pro

Pretty polished compared to other open source games

Top Pro

Built-in but optional chat system for bragging or when you get lost

Top Pro

Easier to learn than some other roguelikes

The graphical menu system helps a lot. See More

The races and gods are all made to be very distinct from each other, and given the large number of each, you can have a large amount of widely different playthroughs. See More

Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup

Top Pro

Large Character Variety

Top Con

Simple Dungeon

Doesn't offer a lot in terms of explorability or a fleshed out setting. There are 15 different branches that you only need to choose 3 from for a full playthrough, but that would only take 5 completed playthroughs to see all of (less if you're actually trying to both win and see other branches) See More

Specs

Controller Support:None

Things are always being changed, added, removed, etc. in the most recent playable version so you never have to worry about the game getting truly stale. See More

Top Pro

A constantly changing "trunk" build

Top Con

Limited Character Building

The amount of customization you have when building a character is fairly limited compared to many other games in the genre, even if the few choices you have are highly impactful. See More

Top Pro

Gold Standard for roguelikes

The controls and replayability have been refined over the years. Whether the player chooses to play with Tiles (graphics) or console (ASCII) the game works well even when choosing online or offline play. Either way there is just enough interface to play the game. See More

Top Pro

Zero Tedium

Removes a lot of the extraneous elements to remove down time between combat and so you can focus purely on the important decisions. See More

Top Pro

Highly Customizable

You're able to easily customize your experience to be exactly how you want it to be by editing the included init file. See More

Top Pro

Streamlined map

There isn't much to worry about when it comes to what you're supposed to be doing to progress given the "central dungeon with branches" design. See More

Top Pro

Simple character creation with different classes

There are a few different classes available at character creation, each one has it's own abilities that are different from the others. Creating one is quite simple, which makes for a fast way to get into the game and start playing. See More

Top Pro

Feels like playing a type of "Chess" Rogue

The game is less about what you know, but about how you approach situations thrown at you. See More

Rogue Legacy has an interesting mechanic where each play-through is with a new descendant from the previous character, and they each have various traits and disabilities they inherit that effect how they play. See More

Rogue Legacy

Top Pro

Traits pass down generations

Top Con

Grindy

At some points, it feels like you are just doing the exact same thing over and over and over and over. See More

HilariousPonos's Experience

One of the best rogue game i have played See More

Top Pro

Lots of upgrades to buy

The upgrade system in Rogue Legacy works by spending the money you gained in the last level (you lose all your money when you start a new one), with upgrades passing down through generations by being either upgrades to the family manor, or family heirlooms. See More

Top Con

Something's off...

Eventually you realize that when you beat the game it will mostly have been because you played it so many times that you got all the upgrades rather than that you played it so many times that you got good at it. A good roguelike gives each play through equal chance of winning and rewards good game play rather than more game play. See More

Top Pro

Procedurally generated levels

In order to save money on time and development Rogue Legacy has procedurally generated levels. See More

Top Con

Keyboard controls are a bit finicky

The game is better played with a controller. It is possible to play with the keyboard, but it's a lot more precise and responsive with a controller. See More

Top Pro

Great platforming

Tight controls and varied abilities make for fun and interesting platforming gameplay. See More

Top Con

Weak gameplay

The game mechanics quickly wind down and it becomes a weaker experience quickly. See More

Top Pro

You don't lose purchased loot

The upgrade system in Rogue Legacy works by spending the money you gained in the last level (you lose all your money when you start a new one), with upgrades passing down through generations by being either upgrades to the family manor, or family heirlooms. This way even when the player dies (which happens a lot) the player will not loose their purchased items allowing them to continue without starting completely over. See More

Top Con

Repetitive gameplay

Upgraded monsters are just palette shifts of old monsters that throw more projectiles. Even with the upgrade tree and armor/runes, the game always feels the same. See More

Top Pro

Lineage affects gameplay in an interesting way

Rogue Legacy has an interesting mechanic where each play-through is with a new descendant from the previous character, and they each have various traits and disabilities they inherit that effect how they play. See More

Top Pro

Fantastically designed combat

Top Pro

Tons of replayability through procedurally generated levels

Rogue Legacy has procedurally generated levels, which means every time a player restarts the game it will be a different experience that plays out making for a ton of replayability. See More

Darkest Dungeon has an almost intoxicating atmosphere created by three main aspects. Firstly, it’s the visuals: the somber color palette that accompanies a sunset, the creepy environments your party of four will anxiously proceed through, and the detailed, fearsome, and sometimes disgusting enemies that will tirelessly try to slaughter you. Secondly, the audio: an eerie soundtrack filled with murmurs of otherworldly creatures, teemed with bloodcurdling sound effects that render monster strikes more impactful. Even a charismatic narrator providing insightful interjections, as uttered by his mysterious, deep voice. Lastly, it’s the highly unpredictable and sometimes unfair gameplay. Whatever short triumph you may have, it will get drowned in a sea of despair. These elements combined make it very easy to immerse yourself into the world of Darkest Dungeon. See More

Darkest Dungeon

Top Pro

Immersive atmosphere

Top Con

It can be frustrating at times

Darkest Dungeon heavily relies on random events that can happen at any point in a dungeon. Some of them don't make any sense and most of them don't feel fair. For example, right after stepping inside a dungeon your characters might suddenly go hungry. If you don't feed them they'll get a penalty, setting you back for the rest of the dungeon. If you feed them you'll have used up your food but your characters might still go hungry again. You can't reliably plan around stuff like this, which can be annoying. See More

PowerfulChimalma's Experience

Overhyped, good idea, but not really fun to play. See More

Specs

Genre:Role-Playing

While the fabled heroes are off slaying dragons, battling demon kings, and saving princesses, the small-time adventurers have to clean up the dregs. You as the lord of a small settlement will employ these adventurers to clear out the mysterious dungeons surrounding your property. To clear a dungeon you’ll need to prepare adequately. This involves having decent party setup, which usually consists of at least 1 tank, 1 healer, and 2 damage dealers. This also includes having enough provisions such as torches and food. Planning out what and/or who to take with you can sometimes take as long as running a dungeon but it really makes you feel like you’re organizing an adventure. Another interesting part is the stress mechanic, causing your adventurers to accrue stress as they keep adventuring. If stress passes the first threshold, your adventurer might incur various penalties or even refuse your orders. If stress passes the second threshold your adventurer will die from a heart attack, so it’s important to relieve it regularly. This can be done by sending them to the tavern to blow off some steam or to the abbey to request absolution. Either option will make them unavailable for a week, so it’s a good idea plan ahead and have multiple parties of adventurers ready. This mechanic makes it feel like you’re managing real people rather than the indomitable figures often seen in fairy tales. See More

Top Pro

Interesting adventurer management

Top Con

Gets really repetitive

You'll spend dozens of hours repeatedly running the same dungeon, killing the same enemies, and collecting the same loot just to progress further into the game. On top of that, if you lose a character at any point, you'll be set back by another 3 hours. If you don't enjoy grinding, Darkest Dungeon might not be the game for you. See More

Top Pro

Great monster visual design

There's a wide variety of extremely well-designed monsters and characters in the game. You confront bandits, skeletons, undersea terrors, pig monsters, and all sorts of otherworldly horrors. There's a lot of gruesome detail on each and every enemy, so the longer you'll keep looking the more you'll notice. This can be bloodstains, an extra set of eyes, an appendage that looks like a tentacle, and many more. It sometimes really feels like you're losing your mind alongside the adventurers, seeing whatever fits into your schema. See More

Top Con

Disappointing ending

Top Pro

Outstanding narration

Even though the only character that talks in this game is the narrator, his delivery of the lines is excellent. He talks in a deep and raspy voice that is also very pleasing to listen to. The narrator usually describes the events happening on-screen such as upgrading your settlement buildings, recruiting adventurers, various dungeon interactions, and many more. Additionally, he’ll start dropping story bits every time you near a boss, creating a very minimalist approach to storytelling that is also very enjoyable. See More

Spelunky gives the player everything needed to succeed from the start so it is only when the players skills get better will they advance. See More

Spelunky

Top Pro

Skill based gameplay

Top Con

Difficult to the point of frustration

Spelunky is pretty difficult and some could say abusive, but with practice and a desire for masochism the game can be mastered. See More

Vospi's Experience

I didn't like the game at the first glance, but then got into it and am very happy about it. See More

Specs

Genre:Platformer / Indie / Roguelike

Co-Op:4 Player Couch

Controller Support:Full

Being that Spelunky is at its heart a roguelike the gameplay sessions can tend to be quick as the player will die quite often. This makes for something that can be played in quick bursts throughout the day. the convenient saving also lends to this as a game that is still ongoing can be quickly saved in order to be picked up at a later time. See More

Top Pro

Quick sessions so you can play in short bursts

Top Con

Sudden deaths feel unpreventable

Some of the deaths are just so sudden that you feel as though you couldn't have prevented it. See More

Simon Watson's Experience

Repeating the start, and getting instant deaths on spikes just gave way to tedium. See More

Top Pro

Enraged Shopkeep

Just hilarious. See More

Top Con

There's no check-point system

You can't save the game and you can't go back to a level with your previous equipment. It's just a one-run-only game where you go through several levels and suddenly die because a Yeti throws you off. See More

Top Pro

Approachable mechanics

While game stays pretty difficult, you kind of saw all the mechanics in your history of playing arcades/platformers if you're a gamer at all, and most of them are understandable by others as well, but layering them creates a very nice complexion. See More

Top Con

Co-op is boring and confusing

In co-op this game is very confusing with little instruction on how to play. With little to spice up the game play, it gets boring quickly. See More

Top Pro

Up to 4 player local co-op

Spelunky features 4 player local co-op where players share the same screen, which can get a bit hectic. See More

Top Con

The game is for speedrunners

You'll think that the game is much safer and easier for a new gamer, but after you spend 2:30 mins in this game you'll see the ghost while you're still in the starting level. He will first appear when the music starts slowing down and the air around the game will be nothing but spectral fog. This means you have to hurry up and go to the next exit as fast as you can or you will be killed in the game. See More

Top Pro

Improved controls

The controls for the 2013 version are much easier compared to the 2008 version. See More

Top Con

Accessories

Top Pro

Expanded gameplay through mods to improve replayability

Ranging from Mega Man to Metroid, there are a tone of great mods for Spelunky all of which make for a new experience in the game which vastly expands the replayability. See More

Top Con

Windows only

Cannot be played on Linux or OSX (at least not without emulation or virtualization). See More

Top Con

Doesn't feel like a true roguelike

Mutations are one of the biggest parts of Caves of Qud. Want to be a two-headed beguiling spider-thing? A four-armed flying plant-man? You can. There's also lots of armor, weapons, and equipment, which can be found enchanted, as well as a bunch of "spells" (mental mutations) and skills. See More

Caves of Qud

Top Pro

Tons of customization

Top Con

Can be difficult to get started

The beginning of the game explains little, depending on what attributes you put points into in character creation will have a high level of impact at the start of the game. This is not explained to the player, so if you do not put 18 points into "toughness" without having a very particular build in mind that will have some way of dodging or avoiding attacks, the result will just be plenty of death with little advancement. See More

TrustingHapi's Experience

Seems to be the newest game that is like Angband and Nethack. Although there is no "magic". Zangband remains to be the most complete rogue-like variant, unfortunately. See More

Specs

UI is in the way, literally. Even with the overlay mod you'll have issues. The original overlay is too bulky and hard to read. See More

Top Pro

Huge, procedurally-generated world

Top Con

UI is in the way

Top Pro

Fantastic User Interface

The UI in Qud is very well designed, which helps to make it easy to get into. See More

Top Con

Ugly design

It's not pixel art; it's trash. See More

Top Pro

Interesting and original setting

The game is set in a post-apocalyptic world that feels truly unique. Caves of Qud's world is like no other, and everything from the creatures/characters you'll encounter, to the items you'll find, and the locations you'll discover is different from what you would find in most rogue-likes. See More

Top Pro

Unique and evocative prose, art and music

Extremely well written, with highly evocative prose which brings this unique world to life. The fantastic writing is supplemented by a unique art style and sublime otherworldly music. See More

Top Pro

Over 60 factions

Befriend or become enemies with dozens of different factions—crabs, turtles, robots and even trees to name a few. See More

Top Pro

Unique idea

Unique content and idea of "retro-future" make this "not another rogue-like", in a way. See More

There are tons of unique power ups, and most of them interact with each other to create really interesting combinations. The main attack in the game is shooting a projectile, and modifiers on top of that stack making for really interesting attacks. For example, you can have a homing, multi, laser attack that shoots in both directions by combining multiple treasures. You can build really interesting strategies this way and that keeps the game feeling fresh. See More

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

Top Pro

Powerups combine in very unique ways

Top Con

May be considered too creepy for some

The game to be put nicely is not really scary but just plain creepy. Definitely not a game recommended for children. See More

Specs

Co-Op:2 Player Local

With an arcade style feel and fairly quick play through the game makes it easy to sit down and play for hours. See More

Top Pro

Addictive arcade-like gameplay that keeps the player entertained

Top Con

Can be really disgusting

While on the surface Binding of Isaac: Rebirth looks very cute and colorful, it actually has some pretty gruesome details within it. Blood, various bodily fluids, excrement, disfigured flesh, umbilical cords, and many more things that can make your stomach churn. See More

Top Pro

Incredible amount of content ensure there is always something to do

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth has all of the original games content as well as many new add ons such as the Wrath of the Lamb expansion as well as many extra characters. Lots of characters each with their own unique starting abilities, plus many challenges gives the game really high replay value. See More

Top Con

Randomness can be really frustrating

You can have really bad luck in some playthroughs like finding very few keys, bombs, or coins, causing you to miss out on a lot of potential upgrades. There can also be times when the upgrades you find are bad. In both cases, a playthrough becomes unbearably hard and you probably won’t get very far. It’s very annoying when this happens multiple times in a row. See More

Top Pro

Insane amounts of bang for your buck

You can potentially spend more hours playing Isaac than many AAA games, thus giving more value to ones money spent, as the game is cheaper, but has the potential for many more hours. See More

Top Con

Horrible art direction

Poop, flies, bodily fluids etc. Quite disgusting and can make the game less enjoyable. See More

Top Pro

One of a kind thanks to the high amount of polish

One of the best roguelikes out there. Difficult to beat completely and oh so very satisfying. Gazillions of unlocks, secrets, bosses, power-ups and item combinations. Limited co-op (BoIR only). The game can be genuinely terrifying and dark, especially if you take a moment to ponder what's really going on with its backstory and characters. See More

Top Con

You don't make like fun

Top Pro

Great replay value

The levels in Binding of Isaac are randomly generated. They will have different layouts, monster combinations, upgrades, secrets, and bosses each time you start a new playthrough. You can even change characters to mix up the playstyle, swapping to a really fast but fragile character or a very durable but weak character. As a result, no two playthroughs will ever feel the same, allowing you to replay the game countless times without getting tired of it. See More

Top Con

Limited mouse support

Mouse support is very limited. Exists but can only be used for shooting See More

Top Pro

Challenges you both in-game and out

The game its self is very challenging. Plus its story is cryptic and up for interpretation to give you something to think about when you're not playing. See More

Top Pro

Has single-player and local co-op game modes

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth has a single player campaign as well as a 2 player co-op game mode See More

Top Pro

Addictive gameplay that keeps you entertained

Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is very easy to pick up and play with each playthrough lasting about 30 minutes on average. It’s just really fun shooting enemies, collecting treasures, and dropping the occasional bomb, making it really hard to stop playing. One playthrough will turn into ten and many hours will have passed before you know it. See More

Top Pro

Very creepy themes

Binding of Isaac is a story about insanity, religious fanaticism, ritual sacrifices, and even worship of the devil. Once you start paying attention to the various details, it can be genuinely terrifying and dark. See More

Nethack is a game that you can play for hundreds of hours and still not master. But you'll have tons of fun attempting to master it. See More

Nethack

Top Pro

Potential for enormous skill growth

Top Con

Feature creep

NetHack has an overwhelming amount of features mostly because the development team found them cool at the time, but with little thought of their greater impact. For example, a Nethack staple is Sokoban as a built-in minigame, which feels out of place in a dungeon crawler. The extremely large amount of items and abilities break the game's balance and coherence. See More

Top Pro

Over two decades of constant development

Nethack was first released in 1987. The latest version, 3.6.0, came out in December 2015. See More

Top Con

Burden of knowledge

There's simply too much information that the game expects you to know before you can properly take advantage of the systems in the game. See More

Top Pro

ASCII and tiles available

Nethack is able to run on simple ASCII graphics or use graphic tiles instead. See More

Top Con

Outdated controls

You need to study a wiki just to learn the most basic controls. The game is broken in this regard. See More

Top Pro

Depth

The gameplay is very deep due to the amount of skills and systems present in the game. See More

Top Con

Run of the mill story

The story of the game is pretty generic fantasy fare. It features orcs, elves, and trolls in an effort for the hero to save the world. While it does not detract from the gameplay, it does seem very familiar to those interested in the genre. See More

The ultimate goal of Dwarf Fortress is no less than a total fantasy world simulator. Its simulated systems include geology, metallurgy, fluid pressure, temperature, combustion and phase transitions (melting, evaporation, etc.), shear and tensile strength, ballistics and gravity, anatomy and tissue damage, growth and maturation of animals and plants, emotional states, life goals, and alcohol dependence. See More

Dwarf Fortress

Top Pro

Renowned for depth of simulation and emergent gameplay

Top Con

Controls are complex and often counterintuitive

New players are advised to read the Quickstart Guide. Dwarf Fortress takes a lot of patience to learn. Even something as basic and early as world creation might take a guide to understand the first time around. It doesn't really matter how experienced of a gamer you are; if you try to play this game without a guide, you're going to have a hard time. See More

Vospi's Experience

INSANE, UNMATCHED simulation depth. There's nothing like it, it's not a game, but a force of nature. Even a short playthrough of an adventure mode or a single creator's interview would leave your jaw on the floor. For days. See More

Top Pro

Massive randomly-generated worlds persist across multiple games

Estimating one meter per tile, the smallest possible Dwarf Fortress world is roughly 13 kilometers on each side, and about 400 layers deep. The largest world is about 197 kilometers (123 miles) on each side. Each world has its own randomly-generated history with thousands of notable figures, warring factions, and numerous settlements of various races. Any number of fortresses and/or adventurers can be played in a particular world, though only one at a time. See More

Top Con

ASCII text-based display

Alternatives available via mods. See More

Top Pro

Sim-like "Fortress" and roguelike "Adventurer" modes

Dwarf Fortress offers two primary ways to play. In Fortress Mode, the player oversees a small group of dwarves who embark to build a new settlement. Individual dwarves cannot be controlled directly; instead, the player supplies objectives and constraints and the A.I. decides exactly what is done by whom. Adventurer Mode presents a more classic roguelike experience, wherein the player controls a single character and can explore the entire world (including previous player-made fortresses). Two secondary modes are also provided: Legends Mode, which allows you to browse through all of the notable people, places, objects and events in a particular world's history; and the Object Testing Arena, where AI combat scenarios can be played out with any arbitrary combination of creatures and weaponry. See More

Top Con

ASCII text-based display (alternatives available via mods)

Top Pro

Lots of ways to die, no ways to win

Starvation, riots, goblins raiders stealing your babies, goblin war parties stealing your lives, elephants, vampires, werewolves, werebears, werebadgers, carp, digging into an aquifer, digging into lava, digging into the nesting area of a Forgotten Beast, selling wood to hippies, insanity, drowning in knee-deep water, and being attacked by your own dismembered finger. There are a lot of ways for dwarves to die. Age really isn't one ever heard of. After playing this game long enough, you'll realize why dwarves don't like going outside. Everything from harpies to dangerous man-eating carp is everywhere. Some of them are humorous, but most are a lesson. The entire game acts as a massive learning experience. Don't tell your dwarves to fish; they don't know how to swim. Wall off your fortress or a necromancer will raise your lunch against you. Don't dig too far down, or something scary will follow you back up. There is no victory, only glorious deaths. What goals you set in the game are up to you. Make small, simple goals that you know you can complete. "Surviving for 100 years" is like "curing cancer". Not technically 'impossible', but it might just be easier to settle on building a bridge for now. See More

Top Con

No inherent goals or objectives

Simulation, and the resulting emergent stories, are (by design) all there is to the game. Adventurers can die and fortresses can fall, but there is no such thing as winning. See More

Top Pro

"Starter Pack" offers a streamlined introduction

The DF Starter Pack, formerly Lazy Newb Pack, is a collection of community-created enhancements to the interface and visual presentation of Dwarf Fortress. Find it here. See More

Top Pro

Base game is free (supported by donations)

From the Bay 12 Games donations page: Bay 12 is dedicated to providing original games free of charge, but that doesn't mean it is free for us to make them. We've been online since December 2000, and you can help Bay 12 Games continue to thrive. If you've enjoyed any of our games, and you are able to give, we accept financial support. See More

Top Pro

"Legends mode' for non-playing, history/random-loving geeks

Once you've generated a world, you can explore the whole history that passed before you came into the picture, down to the most granular detail, and read about wars that occured, leaders that came and went and even mythology that formed. Politics, religion, disasters are all coming together. And then you can actually go in and play there. And again. It is a whole autogenerated lore that is openly available to you at request. See More

Top Pro

Continuous active development is planned for decades to come

Dwarf Fortress was started in 2002 and first released in 2006. Tarn and Zach Adams, its creators, have estimated that version 1.0 will be done in "about twenty years" and development will continue beyond that point. See More

A lot of the shooting elements in this game revolve around SHMUP like mechanics. Players will need to doge a juke many bullets on screen at ones. Luckily there is a roll capability that allows the player to doge when in a precarious position. This roll feature though is not just some way to make the game easier but is a tool to be used as the game is specifically designed to need this roll in certain places. See More

Enter the Gungeon

Top Pro

SHMUP like gameplay

Top Con

Co-op feels tacked on

Co-op in the game is only local (no online co-op at all), which limits who you can pay with. On top of this the way one has to go about starting a co-op game feels a bit unintuitive, which can be frustrating. Stages can also feel cramped when in co-op mode, meaning players bump into walls and objects too much. See More

ConfidentSzelanya's Experience

Amazing game, played over 30 hours in the first week alone, easy to distinguish enemy projectiles against where you are and where you're going, defeating one of the main problems with bullet hells that I usually find. The addition of dodge roll and blanks are another alleviation to the usual problems with that genre. All of the passives, guns, and active items are amazing, and one of the best things is that different items can give hidden bonuses to each other that drastically affect their usefulness, so finding out the combinations of items that give those bonuses is an entirely new thing to collect and find out even when you've used the gun you picked up a dozen times before, this time it might work a little differently. Can't recommend enough, on the level of FTL for me. See More

Specs

Thanks to the roguelite aspects of the game, there is randomly generated levels, which means fresh gameplay each time the game is played. There is also 4 different characters available in the game, each of which has a different boss fight at the end of the game as well as different characteristics while being used. This also makes for a good bit of replayability for those that would like to see all the different bosses in the game as well as experience the different type of gameplay for each character. See More

Top Pro

Satisfying replayability

Top Con

Not a roguelike

It's basically a low fidelity version of the 80's coin-op game "Commando". That was not a rogue-like - and neither is this. See More

Top Pro

Unique tone

The game is often silly with many humorous elements such as every character is based around being a bullet, that in turn own guns and fire other bullets. There is no mistaking that the game is about shooting, and the game is somewhat 4th wall breaking by taking advantage of this fact and hilariously throwing it into the players face. See More

Top Con

High difficulty

The game can be difficult, especially when first starting out. This may mean a lot of deaths and a feeling of no progressions due to having to start over a lot. While the game is not unmanageable for players who enjoy the games genres, it may be a bit of a turn off for newcomers. See More

Top Pro

Easily stay in the action of the game

There are a few small features in the game that add up to making sure the player is never too distracted or pulled out of the action. Things like once a stage is cleared and all coins dropped by your fallen foes will be magnetically pulled to you, just to make sure time is not wasted running around picking up currency. Another is that each map has numerous teleporter nodes, which makes for fast and easy travel. And lastly there is a quick start in the main menu that allows the player to jump right back into the action the next time they start up the game. All these things add up to an ease of use that makes sure the player is never too distracted by the un-fun elements of play. See More

Top Con

No character

Fails to distinguish itself meaningfully, ie. no interesting characters/levels/bosses. See More

Top Pro

Hard but fun

Most games that are really hard are frustrating and this is a good hard game that stays fun even after you lose over and over. See More

Top Con

Too highly dependent on random drops

Top Pro

Cool collection aspect

There are 190 guns available in the game that the player can collect through purchasing them in an in-game shop as they progress through the game. Most likely this will take multiple playthroughs with all four of the available characters, which means tons of playtime for those that like to collect everything in a game. See More

Top Con

Lacks build variety

Although you can beat any run despite the items you roll, it becomes a slog. Without the right weapons, the pacing gets very slow and for some, utterly boring. See More

Top Pro

Gameplay is balanced well

Often in a roguelite game there can be the chance of getting delt a bum hand on any particular run, luckily Enter the Gungeon does not suffer from this issue as there is a good balance of the gunplay mechanics that sees any death by you as your own fault of not playing to your max ability. Never is it some cheap shot or some item that was not able to be picked up this run, it is just your skill and awareness of wht is being shot at you that matters the most. See More

No need to compete as the multiplayer is all cooperative where each player has to help the other survive the harsh world which is a fun setting for friends as it leaves out any competitiveness. See More

Risk of Rain

Top Pro

Fun local and online co-op modes

Top Con

Not enough randomness

Levels are randomized only slightly. There are some variations, but after you have been to a level several times, you roughly know where everything is. See More

Specs

Co-Op:4 Player Online / 4 Player Couch

Controller Support:Partial

The game offers a challenge. Even on easy the game can be difficult which may appeal to those looking for a challenge. See More

Top Pro

Challenging gameplay

Top Con

Extremely difficult

This game is very brutal on new players and most games will last less then 10 minutes until the player unlocks items. See More

Top Pro

Replayability is high

The levels are generated very randomly making for a unique experience every time the game is played which in turn makes for a ton of replayability. See More

Top Con

Gets boring after playing for a while

It gets repetitive after finishing the game. Though it has tons of items, classes, etc, play this game 10 times and you will see almost the same things over and over again. See More

Top Pro

Time equals difficulty

It gets tougher as time passes by. That means by minute 40, you are playing at hardcore difficulty. This makes for an experience that is good for learning the mechanics as once you can not advance due to the difficulty you will die which means the game has to be repeated which help learn the ins and outs more and more each time it is done. See More

Top Con

Unlocks unclear

The game explanation of how unlocks unlock is not very clear or intuitive making for wasted time trying to figure them out. See More

Top Pro

10 unique characters

Imagine a small set of DOTA or LOL. These 10 characters can be tankers, DPS, supporters, rangers, carriers, etc depending on your skill and level of use. And they're hard to unlock which makes the challenging to get them even more. See More

Top Con

Poorly optimized

This game has a problem displaying a lot of enemies on later levels - huge frame rate drops. See More

Top Pro

Item system a bit like in Binding of Isaac

There are loads of items you can unlock, collect, combine and even pick up more instances of, enhancing effect of most of them. See More

Top Con

Crashes are unforgiving

Sometimes the game crashes out of nowhere when you were playing for 30 minutes and everything was fine. Also when it crashes any unlocks you have are gone, which can really set the player back and ruin any fun that was being had. See More

The game gets its roots from roguelikes, and the complexity of the combined genre really enhances the puzzle solving side of the game. Instead of being real time, or taking place in a large expansive world, Desktop Dungeons games take place on a small 20x20 dungeon. Although the map is small, there is tons of strategy to figuring out the optimal way to clear the dungeon. Unveiling tiles is how you recover health and mana, so the game is fundamentally about efficiently using the tools and resources available to you in each map and coming up with unique strategies in such a small space. You must balance the risk between trying to get experience from exposed monsters and exploring deeper into the fog of war. See More

Desktop Dungeons

Top Pro

Mix of puzzle and roguelike

Top Con

While polished the graphics are still simple

Compared to other modern roguelikes the graphics are pretty minimal where the characters are tile based and lack animation when moving. See More

Specs

Genre:Roguelike

Co-Op:None

Controller Support:None

Since each game takes place in one small dungeon, it's a great game to play in small bits of downtime. See More

Top Pro

Great for short bursts of play

Top Con

Hidden map means you can't solve the puzzles on logic alone

The map is hidden by fog of war until you explore it, meaning you can't devise a solution from the start. Because revealing the map regenerates your health and mana you can't explore everything at the start. You need to spend most of the game not knowing the state of the rest of the map. See More

Top Pro

Humorous tone

The game doesn't take itself too seriously with lots of clever dialogue parodying the fantasy genre. See More

Top Pro

Deep amount of content keeps strategy interesting and fresh

Even though the core gameplay is simple, the amount of power-ups and enemies create a massive amount of ways to play the game which keeps the puzzle solving aspect fresh. See More

Top Pro

Tons of character combinations

There are 7 races and 12 classes that are combinable as well as 4 extra monster classes that do not allow choosing of race making for 112 unique combinations, all with their own custom avatar. There are also 6 additional special races as well as 9 different gods you can worship during the game for even more abilities. See More

The game has been around for a dozen years or so, most of that time went into adding and expanding features. There are lots of ways to play the game, and you can dive into it literally for years and still be surprised by unexplored options. See More

Ancient Domains of Mystery (ADOM)

Top Pro

Really, really deep

Top Con

Upgraded version only available via Steam

You can't buy the upgraded version, with all the extra features, from the developer or through DRM-Free sites like GOG, Itch.io, or Humble. See More

Specs

Older roguelikes tend to have all of the things including the kitchen sink, and so does this. But the game feels cohesive and whole, and feels vast and expansive for its kitchen sink design rather than cluttered and messy. See More

Top Pro

Surprisingly well balanced

Top Con

Complex interface

A common complaint is that there are a lot of commands to learn, although the devs have been working hard to simplify and streamline the interface (both graphical and ASCII) See More

Top Pro

A true classic

It's one of the four games that really defined the genre, and it still is relevant today. A great addition to any roguelike fans' library. See More

Top Con

Generic and plain setting and story

About as generic fantasy as you can get. See More

A character has seven selected skills, which effectively define that character's class: they have access to every skill selected, and no others. The base game contains dozens of skills, with many more available through both mods and official expansions. See More

Dungeons of Dredmor

Top Pro

Skill-based class system improves replay value

Top Con

Burden of knowledge

It's not always clear what your stats are for, what your skills do, what skill trees are useful, etc. See More

Specs

In a testament to the quality of the Dungeons of Dredmor modding community, one official expansion pack consists almost entirely of user-created content. It was released for free, since they're not total capitalist jerks. See More

Top Pro

Several community mods were bundled as a free official expansion pack

Top Con

Minor interface issues

The interface feels very unintuitive with aspects such as having to change the default action feeling overly complicated and unnecessary. See More

Top Pro

Combines punishing roguelike game mechanics with silly and satirical humor

The core mechanics of Dungeons of Dredmor are roguelike, but added on top of that is a silly humor that creates and endearing atmosphere. See More

Top Con

Repetitive game-play

Levels and enemies start to feel the same once you make it past the opening levels. See More

Top Pro

Configurable difficulty accommodates both casual and hardcore play

In addition to basic difficulty adjustment, the player can choose whether death is permanent (in classic roguelike style) or merely resets the current level. There is also a mode called "No Time to Grind" where experience points are increased from all sources, but in compensation, levels are smaller. See More

Top Con

Graphics are not very modern

Some animations and sprites could feel lacking compared to modern games. See More

Top Pro

Genuinely feels different every time

Something with which a lot of games struggle, DoD feels fresh with every replay not only in terms of what happens, but how you go about it and what you see. Rooms actually feel and and look different, which makes for a memorable terrain you want to cling to. See More

Turn-based stealth is not a genre you encounter often and it's done particularly well in this game. Imagine the movement and cover system of the XCOM series if it were geared towards staying hidden from your enemies. See More

Invisible, Inc.

Top Pro

Unique stealth gameplay

Top Con

Very static story

While the gameplay is randomized and meant to be played repeatedly due to the randomization, the story is still static, so after every mission there will be cut scenes that are always the same. After a while this becomes annoying due to familiarity, while they can be skipped, it would be nice to turn them off completely in order to save time. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Mostly Positive

Genre:Turn-Based Tactics, Stealth, Roguelike

As you take longer time during missions, the general difficulty level increases gradually. Time and mission profits must be balanced wisely. See More

Top Pro

Excellent difficulty progression

Top Pro

There's different ways to play

Invisible, Inc. offers you a few different choices on how to play the game. Maybe you want to have a team full of stealthy people and sneak your way toward your goal, or maybe you just want to run in and beat the bad guys down. Both of these options are perfectly viable, even though the game is more favored to the stealth style. See More